Wayanad Landslides Declared a ‘Calamity of Severe Nature’

1. The Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) has officially declared the recent landslides in Wayanad as a "calamity of severe nature."
2. This designation underscores the magnitude of the disaster and the significant loss of life and property.

 

Must Read: What are Landslides?
 

Criteria for Declaring a ‘Calamity of Severe Nature’
 

1. While there are no specific criteria outlined in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) or National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) guidelines for declaring a calamity as severe, the Central government makes this declaration based on the intensity and scale of the disaster.
2. The decision is generally influenced by the recommendations of the IMCT, who assess the extent of the destruction.
    

Funding Support              
 

1. For a calamity of severe nature, the affected region receives additional funding from the NDRF.
2. This funding is provided beyond the balance available in the state’s own SDRF to ensure that the response and recovery efforts are adequately supported.
    

Must Read: Landslides in Wayanad and Related Issues

 

Government Initiatives to Mitigate Landslide Risks in India
 

1. National Landslide Risk Management Strategy (2019):
   1. Comprehensive strategy addressing various aspects of landslide management.
       
2. Landslide Risk Mitigation Scheme (LRMS):
   1. Under preparation
   2. Aims to provide financial support for tailored landslide mitigation projects.
   3. Focus on disaster prevention, mitigation strategies, and research.
       
3. Flood Risk Mitigation Scheme (FRMS):
   1. Forthcoming scheme for flood preparedness and evacuation.
       
4. National Guidelines on Landslides and Snow Avalanches:
   1. Issued by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
   2. Covers various aspects of landslide management.
       
5. Landslide Atlas of India:
   1. Developed by National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) under ISRO
   2. Documents landslide events in vulnerable areas.
       
6. Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024:
   1. Planned introduction in the 18th Lok Sabha
   2. Aims to create a disaster database at national and state levels
   3. Provisions for Urban Disaster Management Authority for state capitals and large cities
       
7. Recommendations of Committees on Western Ghats:
   1. Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, 2011 (Madhav Gadgil Committee):
      1. Declare all of Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA)
      2. Classify Western Ghats into ESA 1, 2, and 3
      3. Bottom-to-top governance approach
      4. Constitute Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WGEA)
          
   2. Kasturirangan Committee, 2013:
      1. Only 37% of total Western Ghats area to be brought under ESA
      2. Complete ban on mining, quarrying, and sand mining in ESAs
      3. No thermal power projects; hydropower projects allowed after detailed study
      4. Ban on highly polluting (Red) industries
      5. Exclusion of inhabited regions and plantations from ESAs