Hindu, The

Since a deadly tsunami struck Tamil Nadu in 2004, India has put in place its own tsunami alert system over the years that immediately warns concerned authorities in India of any large earthquake in the Indian Ocean and the threat it poses. As part of a soft-diplomacy effort, India is looking to have South China Sea countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Philippines use the system.

The tsunami mock drill Indian Ocean Wave 16 has exposed a chink in the Indian state Kerala's disaster preparedness caused by inaccuracies in micro-level population data. According to experts, the absence of up-to-date information on the spatial distribution of population posed a hurdle in assessing the vulnerable communities along the coast identified for evacuation.

Completely unprepared for disasters: the hospitals in Chennai — private as well as government — were particularly vulnerable, improvising solutions during the recent flooding, reports the Hindu. Here is why: for nearly 18 years, the Tamil Nadu government has been sitting on The Tamil Nadu Private Clinical Establishments (Regulation) Act, 1997 that came into force in April 1997, the rules for it are yet to be notified...

A Periyar University research team studied the nature and cause of landslips. made detailed investigation of landslide sites for long-time planning and mitigation measures. S. Anbazhagan, Director, Centre for Geoinformatics and Planetary Studies of the University said that additional provisions may be made for draining surface water to reduce recurrence of landslides to some extent. Detailed geotechnical studies will provide further clue for long term preventive measures...

12-year-old Sonam, a student of Std. VI from Darbhanga district of Bihar, is the head of a student taskforce team for DRR. When talking to delegates in regards to children in DRR she told them ' we do not want to be looked upon as vulnerable segment, but we want be part of the team...a proper plan on school disaster management should be in place' writes The Hindu...

Capacity building is important for mitigation of natural disasters, as preparedness can reduce both life and property loss, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has said, according to the Hindu. The Minister urged delegates of the 2nd World Congress on disaster management to come up with analysis and solutions for disaster mitigation, management and early warning systems for the 100 smart cities...

Climate change negotiators from 13 Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) adopted a statement in India on Tuesday calling for developed nations to not pass on the financial burden of climate action on developing countries, reports the Hindu. Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said, 'The Paris climate summit can be a success, only if nations do not indulge in a blame-game'...

'This would require strengthening institutional systems as well as empowering communities to become more resilient. Development of disaster response system at taluk and block levels would help in effective risk mitigation,' according to Kamal Kishore, Member, Ministry of Home Affairs. Kishore also calls for building structures according to code...