Understanding disaster risk and development of resilience as one of the fundamental drivers of sustainable development in India with special reference to supercyclone amphan

Abstract

Disaster like the supercyclone Amphan which devastated the states of West Bengal and Odisha in India caused severe disruption to the life, and led to widespread economic losses which surpassed the proficiency of the society to overcome with sustenance from its own assets. The main prospect for disaster risk reduction lies in decreasing susceptibility and exposure to such hazards. In our study, we targeted identification and lessening the factors driving the risk, to understand risks of hazards such as Amphan. Thereafter, we explained the pathways of understanding disaster risks and ways of building resilience involving every section of society, government, nongovernmental organizations including the private sector which may influence sustainable development. We summarized that disaster mitigation required a people-oriented multi-sector methodology which may help build resilience to manifold, surging and interrelating hazards and generating principles of deterrence and resilience through all societal sections. The developmental plan of actions discussed to ensure disaster resilience, needs to permeate through all societal levels including the financial structure, risk-sharing strategies and social safety device mechanisms. Significant prospects to achieve synergies between actions intended to strengthen resilience may help to achieve progress towards the achievement of disaster risk reduction. Understanding the risk of a disaster like Amphan, developing resilience against it to create sustainable development had not been explored previously. The paper reported insight into the ways adapted by central & state government and the local bodies to reduce the risk and build resilience against a disaster like Amphan.