Floods are the most common natural disaster in India. The heavy southwest monsoon rains cause the Brahmaputra and other rivers to distend their banks, often flooding surrounding areas.
Droughts, flash floods, cyclones, avalanches, landslides brought by torrential rains, and snowstorms pose the greatest threats.
Floods are the most frequent disaster in India, accounting for 52 per cent of the total occurrences of calamities, followed by cyclones (30 per cent), landslides (10 per cent), earthquakes (5 per cent) and droughts (2 per cent).
-India has upgraded the available technology for effective monitoring and timely warning in cases having natural disaster threat. It helps in decreasing causalities after disaster. -Coordination among agencies dealing with disasters has been increased resulting in timely evacuation of people before disaster's onset.
Till date, the areas in India that have been affected by earthquakes are Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar, Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, New Delhi, Gangtok in Sikkim, Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, parts of Gujarat, Latur in Maharashtra, Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand, parts of Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh
India has improved a lot in disaster response. But there is a need to put more efforts into disaster mitigation and recovery. Effective disaster management strategies will not only prevent loss of lives but also helps affected people in rebuilding their lives in the shortest possible time.
According to the statistics, 68% of India's land is prone to drought, 60% to earthquakes, 12% to floods and 8% to cyclones, making India one of the most disaster prone countries in the world, affecting overall 85% of Indian land and more than 50 million people.
India is among the world's most disaster-prone countries with 27 of its 29 states and seven union territories exposed to recurrent natural hazards such as cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, floods and droughts.
Climate change, population growth and urbanization are contributing to an increase in both the number and severity of disasters, with the Asia Pacific region particularly badly hit.
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Countries with the most natural disasters in 2020
| Characteristic | Number of disasters |
|---|
| Indonesia | 29 |
| United States | 23 |
| China | 12 |
| Vietnam | 11 |
Why is Southeast Asia Prone to Disaster? Perhaps the main reason why Southeast Asia in particular is prone to such disasters is due to its location. The region sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically and volcanically active area that stretches in a horseshoe-like basin across the Pacific.
First, the overall increase in the number of disasters in the region is largely due to the increase in climate-related events connected with environmental degradation. In 2018, these were responsible for 42 per cent of total deaths, and 96 per cent of the number of people affected.
Of China's territory, 69 percent is made up of mountains and plateaus, which suffers from frequent geological disasters such as landslides, debris flows, and rock collapses due to the complicated geological structure.
Qatar has the lowest disaster risk of any country with no reported disasters since 1900. It enjoys this status owing to its location away from the disaster hotspots in Oceania, south-east Asia and Central America. Qatar is joined by highly developed countries that also have a low level of exposure.
The Asia-Pacific region is one of the most disaster-prone areas in the world, with frequently occurring natural disasters including earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical storms, flooding, landslides and volcanic eruptions affecting millions of people every year.
