National Institute of Disaster Management

National Institute of Disaster Management (Hindi: राष्ट्रीय आपदा प्रबंधन संस्थान ) abbr. NIDM, is a premier institute for training and capacity development programs for managing natural disasters in India, on a national as well as regional basis. The National Centre of Disaster Management (NCDM), constituted under an Act of Parliament in 1995; was redesignated to give the present name of National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) by the Disaster Management Act 2005^[1] passed by President of India on 9 January 2006,^[2]
NIDM also serves as international SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC) and works as focus for its operation and planning.

History

The International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction,^[3][4] proposed with the purpose of ensuring the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction prompted the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, the nodal ministry for disaster management in India to establish a national centre for management and planning the control of such natural disasters in 1995.
The Centre was later upgraded as the National Institute of Disaster management (NIDM) on 16th October 2003, with the transfer of the subject of disaster management to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Institute was inaugurated by Home Minister of India on August 11, 2004.

Origin and responsibilities

The United Nations designated the 1990s as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). In 1995, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, nominally responsible for disaster management in India, created the National Centre for Disaster Management. When responsibility for disaster management was transferred to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Centre became the National Institute of Disaster Management. The Institute was officially inaugurated by the Union Home Minister on 11 August 2004.

The National Disaster Management Act of 2005 granted the Institute statutory organisation status. The Act holds the Institute responsible for "planning and promoting training and research in the area of disaster management, documentation and development of national level information base relating to disaster management policies, prevention mechanisms and mitigation measures".^[5]

The NIDM has been mandated by the Govt. of India (NDMA – as per DM Act 2005, guidelines for NIDM) to be a deemed University and institute of excellence on higher learning and capacity building. UGC has worked out with NIDM and developed a model crriculum for strengthening disaster management in higher education and research. Most Central Universities have envisaged Centre for Disaster Management under their School of Environmental Studies. A core group is being formed with UGC-NIDM to promote the subject at Academic Staff Colleges as well.

Management

Structure

1. Policy Planning and Interdisciplinary issues
2. Hydro-meteorological, Climate change and Environment related
3. Geological disasters and engineering related issues
4. Emergency response and administration related issues

Besides these, are envisaged/working:

1. Cell on Environment and Climate change
2. Indo-German Cooperation Programme on Environmental Knowledge for Disaster Risk Management (ekDRM) www.ekdrm.net
3. Training Cell.

Activities

Research:

1. Drought Disaster Vulnerability Assessment and Mitigation Analysis for Bundelkhand (ICSSR Project)
2. UNDP-MoEF Project on Climate Resilient Development and Adaptation.
3. CDKN-START project on integrating climate change adaptation and DRR (flood) - Case study of Gorakhpur (with GEAG and ISET)
4. GIZ-EU project on case studies/pilots of climate resilient disaster management plans at various levels ( case of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh).
5. National Cyclone Risk mitigation project (Capacity building component) with NDMA.
6. Urban Flooding - India - Case studies of 8 cities. (Institutional).
7. Preparation of National Human Resource Plan for Disaster Management.
8. Disaster Research Fellowship (National Fellowship for Ph.D. registration in interdiciplinary subjects like environment al studies, etc. on topic related with disaster management/risk reduction.

Tsunami hits India

The Tsunami triggered by the earthquake of magnitude 8.9 on Richter Scale near the coastline of Sumatra in Indonesia also severely affected some of coastal states of India. NIDM served as a great agency in working upon the estimates of loss and building plans to tackle the damage served by the disaster.^[6]

Training

The NIDM works under government's directives to train and conduct periodic checks to regulate effective earthquake and disaster control policies throughout the country with support from semi-government,private firms and NGOs. It also conducts mock drill, crises communication and a hazard hunt exercise among their staffers every two to three months. Recently, Delhi witnessed one of biggest mega mock drills conducted in India, simulating an earthquake of magnitude 7.2 on Richter Scale. The main purpose was to check the alertness and preparedness of various agencies,commuters in the event of a disaster of such magnitude.^[7]
National Disaster Management Authority and Delhi Disaster Management Authority jointly conducted the drills at several places across the national capital including the six Metro Stations at 11.30 a.m.

Publications

http://nidm.gov.in/books.asp

1. Safeguard Environment for Disaster Risk Reduction : Poem & Slogan Book 2012 NIDM, Anil K. Gupta

2. Environmental Legislation for Disaster Risk Management: Training Module 2012 Anil K. Gupta & Sreeja S. Nair

3. Science Festival : http://nidm.gov.in/books.aspDisaster Management 2012 Irfana Begum, Surya Parkash & Rita

4. Geoinformatics Applications in Disaster Management: Training Module 2012 Sreeja S. Nair

5. India Disaster Report 2011 2012 K. J. Anandha Kumar, Ajinder Walia & Shekher Chaturvedi

6. Environmental Extremes : Disaster Risk Management 2012 Anil K. Gupta & Sreeja S. Nair

7. Chemical (Industrial) Disaster Management : Training Module 2012 Anil K. Gupta & Sreeja S. Nair

8. Ecosystem Approach to Disaster Risk Reduction 2012 Anil K. Gupta & Sreeja S. Nair

9. Adaptation to Climate Change with a Focus on Rural Areas and India 2012 Anil K. Gupta

10. Disaster Management for NDRF Commanders : Training Module - Arun Sahdeo

11. Directory of Institutions and Resource Persons in Disaster Management 2012 A. D. Kaushik & Megha Kohli

12. Proc of National Workshop Earthquake Risk Mitigation Strategy in North East (24-25 February 2011, Assam) 2010 NIDM

13. Risk to Resilience: Tools for Disaster Risk Management 2009 A K. Gupta, S S. Nair, S Chopde & Praveen Singh

14. Proceedings of 2nd India Disaster Management Congress (04-06 November 2009, Vigyan Bhawan) 2009 NIDM

15. Psychosocial Care in Disaster Management : A Training of Trainers (ToT) Module 2009 Sujata Satapathy

16. Proc National Workshop on Chemical Disaster Management (2008), 2009 NIDM, AK. Gupta & S S. Nair & Shard (MoEF)

Special Publications:

a) Disaster Management and Risk Reduction (Role of Environmental Knowledge) P380, Narosa Publishing House (Anil K Gupta, Sreeja S Nair, Florian Bemmerlein-Lux, S Chatterji)

2) Prospects in Disaster Management (Some Eco-hydrological and Strategic Issues), P230, Astral Group - Daya Publishing, In Press (Anil K Gupta, S S Nair, Vinod K Sharma).

Strategic initiatives and contributions

After the mega earthquake and tsunami rattled Japan, concerns were raised about the preparedness of India towards such natural calamities. India being the second most populated country in the world, is threatened by a greater damage of human lives and property loss. The fact is more supported by the less technological sophistication involved in efficient management of disasters of such enormous proportion.
Chandan Ghosh, Professor and Head, Geo-Hazards Management Division at National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) being quite skeptical about the disaster mitigation and preparedness measures pursued by Indian corporates said

Dr. Anil K Gupta, Head of the Policy Planning and Environment Division, was associated with drafting sub-committee for National Strategy on Climate change (Planning Commission, 2007), Key expert for preparation on National Human Resource Plan for Disaster Risk Management, and is pioneer on integrating climate-change adaptation with DRR, and mainstreaming DRR into development (environment/NRM, etc.), and conceptualised ecoDRR (ecosystem approach to DRR) piloted by UN-PEDRR. He envisions for a national University of Environment and Disaster Risk management to be established by MHRD and be situated in NCR region with special functions of research, teaching/degree awarding, international network/cooperation and operational level training. A national development programme and Academic faculty resource development in climate change and disaster management related issues are being promoted by NIDM.

Dr Anil K Gupta is also the nodal officer deputied by Govt. of India for the development of national plan for disaster management, a responsibility of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Dr Gupta is also responsible for implementing national programme of DM trainers development and the University education programme for disaster management in India.

NIDM is striving to mainstream DRR into various sectors especially the environment and natural resources, housing, forestry, rural development, health, higher education, urban development, etc. Current focus is on research, University education, Training of Trainers and development of educational materials. NIDM aims to strengthen itself in the patterns and at par with IIM/IISERs.

Notes