Aapda-Samvaad

Work on India's DRR database begins
India is vulnerable to over 30 different types of disasters, including cyclones, floods and earthquakes, which  affect growth and development

India is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Given its size and diversity, it is vulnerable to over 30 different types of disasters, including cyclones, floods and earthquakes. These disasters result in loss of lives and livelihoods, besides causing significant damage to infrastructure and disruption of critical services. These socio-economic losses undo years of growth and development, especially affecting the most vulnerable and marginalised populations.
According to United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, India is the fourth most disaster-hit country in the world after China, the United States and the Philippines with 167 disasters between 2005 and 2014. In 2015 and 2016, more than 1,100 deaths were reported from across the country due to disasters, according to an…

Interview: Dr. M. Mohapatra on Thunderstorms


One thunderstorm after another kept hitting headlines the entire last month. To know more about them, Aapda Samvaad spoke with Dr. Mrityunjay Mohapatra, who is a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department.


Q. Thunderstorms in May this year were very widespread and severe. Why?
A. The genesis of a thunderstorm is dependent on four factors - intense heating, moisture availability, instability in the atmosphere a trigger.  Lower level atmosphere and surface of the earth should be hot. That is why thunderstorms activity is at its maximum during the summer season. Heating makes the parcel of air lighter and leads to low density of atmosphere. If there is moisture, the air becomes moist and hot, moist air is lighter than dry air and rises. As the air rises, it transfers heat from the surface of the earth to the upper levels of the atmosphere. The water vapour it contains begins to cool, releases heat, condenses and forms a cloud. The clou…

Taming Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms are localised weather events caused by heat, moisture in air, unstable atmosphere and a trigger. Always accompanied by thunder and lightning, usually with strong wind and heavy rain.Average area over which a thunderstorm occurs 10-20 sq. km.Average lifecycle of a thunderstorm 0.5-3.0 hours

During the summer months in north India, an occasional thunderstorm and rainfall may provide some respite from the intense heat. However, on the intervening night of May 2-3, 2018, a ferocious thunderstorm left a trail of death and destruction over large parts of this region. It claimed 150 lives and injured 365 persons. Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan were the most affected with maximum damage reported from Agra.
In its bulletin on April 30, 2018, India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted severe thunderstorm activity in the next three-four days. Short-range forecast, which provides weather outlook for the next three days, predicts a probability of thunderstorms ov…

First India-Japan Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction


On 18th March 2018, India and Japan took another step forward towards ensuring a more safer world. Both are two of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.
Japan is situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire and is highly susceptible to earthquakes. Given its long history of devastating earthquakes, Japan has a very high level of community awareness. Its technological know-how, especially in the area of earthquake risk reduction, is among the most advanced in the world.
India is rapidly urbanising and a massive investment in the infrastructure sector is imminent. As nearly 59% of India’s landmass is prone to moderate to severe earthquakes, it will not only save lives in the event of an earthquake but also make for great economic sense that this investment is made earthquake resilient.
While Japan has a rich experience in dealing with devastating earthquakes, India too has time and again shown strong commitment towards ensuring Dis…