From response to readiness: The surge in India’s disaster management arc

India’s disaster management journey reached a clear inflection point in 2025. Not because disasters receded—indeed, their frequency and intensity continued to rise—but because India reaffirmed its strategic direction with conviction: preparedness over episodic response, resilience over relief, and community capability alongside institutional strength.
This evolving architecture reflects a whole-of-government approach, anchored in national leadership and executive direction, with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) playing a pivotal coordinating role under the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Home Affairs, and working with the state governments and an array of agencies—ensuring that disaster management functions continuously rather than being activated only in moments of crisis.

Shaping Public Perception

Preparedness has long been the stated national objective, but 2025 saw this translated into practical frameworks. Within this construct, NDMA remains fully conscious that disasters often overwhelm even the best plans. Response, therefore, cannot be diluted; it must remain agile, scalable and integrated. Preparedness and response are complementary pillars. The more enduring challenge lies beyond institutions—in shaping public perception, where disasters are often seen as distant events until impact makes vulnerability undeniable.
In an age of pervasive digital communication, embedding preparedness into everyday public consciousness remains demanding. Awareness initiatives have expanded steadily, and institutional outreach—led by NDMA in coordination with central ministries, states and professional bodies—has created important pockets of sensitivity and training. Yet India’s scale and diversity require sustained innovation to convert awareness into instinctive behaviour. The disaster management system is therefore refining its communication approach, sharpening objectives, audiences and delivery platforms to normalise preparedness as a routine civic responsibility rather than a crisis-driven recall.

Urban Vulnerabilities and Institutional Fire Safety
Urban India has emerged as a major area of concern, where high population density, vertical growth and ageing infrastructure have amplified risk. Repeated fire incidents in schools and hospitals have underscored these vulnerabilities. While the Prime Minister’s School Safety Programme has strengthened institutional awareness, hospital fire prevention—particularly in critical care environments—has required urgent attention. The rapid induction of high-load medical equipment into legacy electrical systems has been a recurring cause, with several ICU fires traced to this mismatch. Outreach efforts, guided by national policy, have therefore extended beyond civilian healthcare to include military and other institutional hospitals, recognising that risk is universal.
Urban floods have been a constant worry, where increasing infrastructure has not been matched by growth of drainage in consonance. An urban flood mitigation programme for major cities is now in the offing.

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Risk Mapping

At the state level, disaster governance has matured steadily. State Disaster Management Authorities now map threats with greater precision, increasingly leveraging geospatial technologies. Resource mapping has also evolved. The Indian Disaster Resource Network is shifting from equipment inventories to capability-based mapping, integrating entire operational entities such as Engineer Task Forces of the Army and civil aviation assets. This evolving transition from listing resources to visualising response capability has quietly strengthened preparedness planning.

Enhancing Community Response

Human resource development was another defining strand of 2025. Guided by the Prime Minister’s Ten-Point Agenda, community-based response received sustained emphasis. The Aapda Mitra scheme has matured into a credible national asset, with over 100,000 volunteers trained across 350 disaster-prone districts. This success has led to a major expansion. An additional 250,000 volunteers drawn from organisations such as the NCC, NYKS, NSS and Bharat Scouts and Guides are now progressively under training. The philosophy is clear: the fastest and most effective response comes from the community itself, often within the golden hour.

Review of the DM Act

Legislative reform has reinforced this approach. The Disaster Management (Amendment) Act, 2025 now mandates the raising of State Disaster Response Forces by all States and Union Territories. Once properly trained and institutionalised, SDRFs will significantly strengthen local response capacity, reduce dependence on national assets and improve response timeliness.
The amended Act also reflects a more nuanced understanding of contemporary risk. The creation of Urban Disaster Management Authorities acknowledges the distinct vulnerabilities of large cities. The establishment of a National Disaster Insurance Fund introduces financial innovation into recovery and reconstruction. Clearer categorisation of disaster types—biological, chemical, nuclear and others—enables more tailored planning and capacity-building. Strengthened statutory roles across NDMA, SDMAs and DDMAs, supported by empowered national coordination mechanisms, signal a shift towards an integrated, anticipatory and “always-on” system. Disaster Resilience Cells at district level promise to embed preparedness within routine administration rather than episodic review.

Enhancing and Inducting Technology

Technology has continued to act as a critical force multiplier. Early warning systems, particularly for cyclones, have matured substantially. Platforms such as the Sachet application now issue large volumes of timely alerts. The deployment of cell broadcast technology has addressed long-standing concerns regarding delayed message delivery during fast-evolving emergencies. As with all technology, effectiveness improves with familiarity, and 2025 saw growing public trust in these systems.
The Himalayan disasters of 2025—affecting J&K, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand—served as a stark reminder of climate-linked vulnerabilities. In response, the Central Government, in close coordination with states and specialist agencies, initiated a comprehensive review of Himalayan risks on a war footing. Early warning mechanisms for cloudbursts, glacial lake outburst floods and landslides are under prioritisation, supported by extensive threat mapping across vulnerable valleys and catchments—marking a shift from reactive relief to anticipatory risk management in one of India’s most fragile ecological regions.

Military-Civil Fusion for Disaster Management
Another significant development in 2025 was the deeper integration of the Armed Forces into the disaster management framework. While military support has always been central to response, deliberate efforts were made to strengthen institutional linkages with preparedness and awareness. The Corps of Engineers remains the Army’s nodal organisation, while the Indian Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard continue to provide critical mobility, evacuation and maritime relief, often proving decisive in the earliest hours of a crisis.

International HADR

India’s growing stature as a regional first responder was demonstrated through two high-profile international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. Operation Brahma in Myanmar and Operation Sagar Bandhu in Sri Lanka—the latter ongoing—were executed through close coordination among the Ministry of Home Affairs, NDMA, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff. The National Disaster Response Force and the Indian Navy’s pre-positioned HADR capabilities enabled swift and credible overseas response. The deployment of 60 Parachute Field Hospital and bridging elements of the Corps of Engineers in these missions further enhanced India’s humanitarian standing.
Training and self-assessment have remained continuous priorities. Under the national disaster management framework, NDMA’s programme of table-top exercises, mock drills and stakeholder audits has expanded steadily, covering scenarios ranging from industrial accidents to the remote possibility of nuclear emergencies at power plants. Such exercises, though largely unseen by the public, are essential for stress-testing systems before crisis strikes.
With the arrival of 2026, India’s disaster management system stands more capable, more anticipatory and better integrated than at any point in the past. Yet the ultimate measure of resilience lies beyond institutions alone. Preparedness must reside in communities, households and individual choices. The task ahead is therefore not only to strengthen systems, but to quietly and persistently embed a culture of readiness—one that endures long after the sirens fall silent.

(The writer is the former Commander of India’s Srinagar-based Chinar Corps. Currently he is the Chancellor of the Central University of Kashmir and a member of the National Disaster Management Authority. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.)

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