India’s aging dams pose serious safety risks, with most over 25 years old. The Dam Safety Act, 2021 creates a national framework, but climate stress, weak operations, and interstate disputes limit impact. Effective enforcement, modernization under DRIP, risk-based planning, and advanced technology are vital for water and citizen security.
Click to View MoreThe Himalayan cryosphere, Asia’s Third Pole, is melting rapidly due to global warming, threatening water security, increasing GLOFs, and disrupting food, energy, and stability. Despite initiatives like NMSHE, gaps remain. Strong monitoring, regional cooperation, resilient infrastructure, and deep emission cuts are essential.
Click to View MoreThe 2025 Munich Re report warns that lower disaster losses reflect chance, not reduced risk. Climate extremes are intensifying, protection gaps persist, and frequent smaller disasters dominate. Urgent focus is needed on risk reduction, insurance coverage, resilient infrastructure, and global climate cooperation.
Click to View MoreGlobal glacier loss may peak during 2041–55, with up to 4,000 glaciers disappearing yearly. This threatens water security worldwide, especially in the Hindu Kush Himalaya. For India, higher GLOF risks and seasonal rivers loom. Limiting warming to 1.5°C remains crucial to save nearly half of global glaciers.
Click to View MoreTunnel safety in India has become a critical priority as tunnel construction expands rapidly in fragile Himalayan and urban regions. Recent incidents, especially the Silkyara tunnel collapse that trapped 41 workers, exposed gaps in investigation, design and emergency preparedness. In response, the government has introduced comprehensive guidelines focusing on detailed geological studies, geotechnical baseline reporting, risk registers, site-specific design, real-time monitoring, classification of collapse-risk zones and clear emergency response plans. The overall emphasis is on shifting from speed-driven construction to a safety-first, risk-managed approach that protects lives, reduces economic losses and builds public confidence in expanding tunnel infrastructure.
Click to View MoreThe Ministry of Earth Sciences drives India’s development by delivering vital weather, ocean, and seismic services. Under PRITHVI, agencies like IMD improved cyclone forecasts, while the Deep Ocean Mission and MATSYA 6000 advance the Blue Economy. Despite connectivity and cost challenges, MoES converts science into resilience and livelihoods.
Click to View MoreThe Union Government launched a ₹507 crore project to strengthen community-based disaster risk reduction by empowering PRIs in 81 vulnerable districts. It institutionalises bottom-up planning through GPDP integration. Success depends on fixing PRI gaps in funds, functions, and functionaries while aligning with national law and the Sendai Framework.
Click to View MoreThe NGT’s probe into BBMB highlights risks from outdated dam rule curves that ignore climate change and modern forecasting. Reactive operations worsened the 2023 Punjab floods. The case stresses urgent enforcement of the Dam Safety Act 2021, updated protocols, and integrated, technology-driven water management for aging dams.
Click to View MoreCyclone Senyar, the first November cyclone to hit Indonesia, made landfall on Sumatra on November 26, 2025. Formed unusually in the Malacca Strait, it rapidly intensified to 70–90 km/h, highlighting the growing impact of climate change and warming seas on rare regional cyclogenesis.
Click to View MoreThe sub-plinian eruption of Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi volcano sent a stratospheric ash plume toward India via subtropical jets, threatening aviation and engines. Its sulphur dioxide release may cause brief global cooling. The event highlights the need for stronger international monitoring and exposes aviation and ecosystem vulnerabilities.
Click to View MoreTwo developing systems in the Bay of Bengal may trigger a Fujiwhara interaction, where their circulations influence each other and create major uncertainty in the storm’s final path and strength. Divergent IMD and global model forecasts heighten risks, making coordinated early warnings essential for vulnerable coastal regions.
Click to View MoreIndia recently hosted the 10th APDIM Session in New Delhi, powerfully reinforcing its regional leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). The collaboration with UN ESCAP's APDIM focuses on leveraging geospatial tools, early warning systems, and capacity building across the Asia-Pacific.
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