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Kerala floods live updates

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NEW DELHI: If average annual loss of lives and property due to floods predicted by the National Disaster Management Authority ( NDMA ) is taken as the base, in the next 10 years, more than 16,000 people will die in floods across the country and property worth over Rs 47,000 crore will be lost.The government’s emphasis on Disaster Risk Reduction ( DRR ) and capacity building for disaster resilience seems to have remained on paper despite India having one of the most advanced satellites and early warning systems which can forecast imminent hazards and bring down casualties. Its nodal agency NDMA is restricted to issuing guidelines, organising seminars and holding meetings when an emergency arises. When contacted, the NDMA’s spokesperson refused to comment on initiatives it has taken in Kerala.The home ministry recently carried out risk assessment of 640 districts in the country. It created a National Resilience Index based on performance of states and UTs on DRR measures adopted such as risk assessment, risk prevention and mitigation, disaster relief and rehabilitation. The study showed the level of resilience to disaster is low and needs “considerable improvement”. “Most states have not conducted comprehensive state specific assessment of hazards, vulnerabilities and exposures of the changing dynamics and complexities of disasters,” the report said.Barring Himachal Pradesh, none of the states had carried out comprehensive risk assessment or engaged any professional agency to map hazards, vulnerabilities and exposures, the report said. “Gujarat had got comprehensive risk assessment done a decade back but has neither updated the assessment nor made it available in public domain for the use of stakeholders,” it said.