In India have several unique features like physical as well human features and India is vulnerable, in varying degrees, to a large number of disasters. According to National disaster Management Authority “India is More than 58.6 per cent of the landmass is prone to earthquakes of moderate to very high intensity; over 40 million hectares (12%) of its land is prone to floods and river erosion; close to 5,700 kms, out of the 7,516 kms long coastline is prone to cyclones and tsunamis; 68% of its cultivable area is vulnerable to droughts; and, its hilly areas are at risk from landslides and avalanches. India is also vulnerable to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) emergencies and other man-made disasters. The southern states of India has been frequently affecting by natural disasters i.e., Andhra Pradesh, Telanagana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Natural disaster causes the most damage and consequently the socio-economic conditions of the regions and thus most affected areas will become the most vulnerable regions in the southern Indian states.

The present study is based on secondary data sources. The data has been collected from different government organizations and some statistical data has been collected from government official websites.

The Indian landmass is located between the East and the West Asia and it is the southward extension of the Asian Continent. India is lying entirely in the Northern hemisphere and the main land extends between latitudes 8°4'N and 37°6'N and longitudes 68°7'E and 97°25'E. India is a multifaceted country with large diversity of topography, natural features, cultures, traditions, people, languages, economic features and others. India is further classified into six zones namely North Zone, South Zone, East Zone, West Zone, Central Zone and North East Zone based on their climatic condition, geographical and cultural features. South Zone is home to scenic beaches. All these regions are different from rest of Indian states with their culture and languages. South India is located in the Peninsular Deccan Plateau and it is flanked by oceans on three sides namely by the Arabian Sea in the West, the Indian Ocean to the south and the Bay of Bengal to the east. South India also includes two mountain ranges namely The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats. Many rivers flow through South India they are Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri and the Tungabhadra, being an important source of water for this region.

Figure 1

Disaster management is actually a dynamic process, which involves planning, organizing, leading and controlling. It includes immediate response, prevention, mitigation, recovery, preparedness and it is a combined effort of all authorities of States and the Centre. India has federal system of government. The Indian Constitution has been decentralized the powers for good administrative management in each level.

Figure 2

The Government of India has framed the Disaster Management Act in 2005, to provide for the effective management of disasters. Main work of this Act for drawing up and monitoring the implementation of the disaster management plans, ensuring measures by various wings of the Government for prevention and mitigation of the effects of disasters and prompt response to any disaster situation. NDMA is mandated to deal with all types of disasters whether it is natural or man- made and it is formulate the guidelines, facilitate training and preparedness activities in respect of emergencies. Natural and man-made disasters will also engage the attention of NDMA in partnership with the stakeholders concerned. Resources available with the disaster management authorities at all levels, which are capable of discharging emergency support functions, will be made available to the nodal Ministries/Agencies dealing with the emergencies at the times of impending disasters.

The main objectives of the NDMA are promoting a culture of prevention, preparedness and resilience at all levels through knowledge, innovation and education. Encouraging mitigation measures technology, Establishing institutional and techno legal frame works to create an enabling regulatory environment, Ensuring efficient mechanism for identification, assessment and monitoring of disaster risks, Ensuring efficient response and relief with a caring approach towards the needs of the vulnerable sections of the society, undertaking reconstruction as an opportunity to build disaster resilient structures and habitat for ensuring safer living. Promoting a productive and proactive partnership with the media for disaster management.

Figure 3

The country has age-old integrated administrative machinery for management of disasters at the national, state, district and sub-district level. The basic responsibility of all these level are undertaking rescue, relief and rehabilitation measures in the event of natural disaster is that of concerned state governments.

The Government of India is working with state government to cover the department of relief and rehabilitation into department of disaster management with an increased area of responsibility including disaster preparedness. The Disaster Management Act 2005 provides for state disaster management authority to be constituted by the state government. States have a State Crisis Management Committee (SCMC) for reviews the action taken for response and relief and gives necessary guidelines for any disaster management. At the state level disaster response, relief and rehabilitation activities are handled by department of relief and rehabilitation.

A Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) has been set up in each state as per the recommendation of the eleventh finance commission. 20 percent contributed by the respective state and balance by the central government. The size of the state fund is determined on the basis of vulnerability of the state to different natural calamities and the magnitude of expenditure incurred by the state on relief operations.

Andhra Pradesh Government established the APSDMS as an autonomous society that came into effect from 2003 under administrative control of planning department to promote or causes to promote awareness and preparedness, advice and trains the community and stakeholders.

Planning for Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk prone areas of the state:

The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority has been renamed has Tamil Nadu Disaster Risk Reduction Agency (TNDRRA) after will be referred as TNDRRA.The Government of Tamil Nadu is adopting Incident Response System (IRS) in the State to ensure the unification of efforts of all the stakeholders to ensure immediate response during disasters to protect people & their properties. The geographical setting of Tamil Nadu makes the State vulnerable to natural disasters such as cyclones, floods and earthquake-induced tsunami. About 8% of the State is affected by five to six cyclones every year, of which two to three are severe.

Telangana is the 29th State of India, formed on the 2nd of June 2014.Telangana is exposed to natural hazards such as Droughts, Heatwaves, Urban Flooding and Hailstorms and human induced hazards such as Industrial and Fire Accidents. Based on DM Act-2005 and national guidelines, the State decided to prepare the Telangana State Disaster Management Plan 2018. State has been initiated various programs to hazards and reduce risk, Hazard specific action plan and mitigation measures to Urban / Flash Floods, Thunderstorms, Heatwaves, Drought, and Human induced disasters such as Industrial, Chemical, and Biological.

Different levels of governments are facing number of challenges in implementing disaster risk reduction at local level. The successfulness of the local government strategies in disaster risk reduction is directly linked to the capacity of the local governments in implementing the disaster risk reduction strategies. Therefore in order to implement successful disaster risk reduction it is important to address the challenges faced by local governments and to empower the local government with necessary financial and other required resources with proper level of authority in making decisions which require reformation of the existing governance structure.