Partners With World Bank On Key Projects
Preparing for natural calamities, especially for a nation like India, according to the World Bank, is necessary because by 2050, the number of people vulnerable to natural disasters will reach 1.5 billion due to the volatile mix of climate change-induced weather and rapid urbanization. Of this number, 200 million would be living in India.
Therefore, urges the World Bank, the country needs to institute preventive measures and reforms to lessen the impact of disasters. This would involve, among others, the installation of early detection and warning systems and solid infrastructure.
Mahmoud Mohieldin, a managing director at the World Bank, succinctly summed the advice, saying that “While exposure to natural hazards is increasing, vulnerability need not.”
One of the more vital concerns involves the scarcity of information on people and places that are vulnerable which affects the development of risk analysis plans.
This has led to a partnership between the World Bank and the government of India in order to extensively study population and migration dynamics, infrastructure quality, and vulnerability to natural calamities.
The output is hoped to inform policy-makers towards the crafting and implementation of policies and programs directed to the minimization of risks. These include a mix of land and housing policies, the implementation of programs for sound infrastructure, and public services that effectively assist people at risk.
An interesting case is Mumbai where rents are artificially controlled leading to the non-maintenance of buildings which unnecessarily expose its residents to harm. According to the World Bank, the removal of rent control would allow a free and properly functioning market which will incentivize more productive investments leading to the improvement of the buildings.
With the passage of the Disaster Management Act of 2005, the Indian government has gone on the offensive at multiple levels of government from the national down to the state and district levels. Among others, it has partnered with the World Bank in the implementation of $885 million worth of disaster prevention-related projects including the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Program which aims to strengthen coastal areas vis-à-vis cyclones and a flood management plan in the flood-prone Bihar region.
A model is neighboring country Bangladesh which learned from the tragic impacts of natural calamities in the past and has had success in implementing disaster management programs saving thousands of lives from cyclones and torrential rains.
Says the World Bank, India’s National Disaster Management Authority may soon be in the footsteps of successful disaster prevention agencies in Turkey, Colombia and Mexico which have managed to marry their cause with those of other departments towards the institutionalization of disaster-conscious infrastructure and a well-prepared populace.