Dr. N. Munal Meitei
Environmentalist, presently working as DFO/Chandel
email-nmunall@yahoo.in
When we rebuild a house, we are rebuilding a home. When we recover from disaster, we are rebuilding lives and livelihoods.
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is celebrated on 13th October. This year’s theme “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters” emphasizes shifting investment from reactive recovery to proactive prevention by increasing funding for disaster risk reduction and ensuring all investments to foster a fundamental shift in how the world allocates resources for disaster management, moving from a “pay-as-you-go” model to a proactive investment in building a safer future.
This year Manipur got many incidents of disasters like frequent flood, landslides. In June 2025 that flash floods affected over 56,000 people, damaging 10,477 houses and displacing 2,913. In July gain, flooding impacted around 1,64,879 people and 35,342 houses across 643 localities. In September also severe flooding continued in valley districts. Due to frequent landslide, National Highways being our livelines, were blocked making the price of essential commodities sky high.
Disasters and inequality are two faces of the same coin. Many disasters, often triggered by climate change, pose significant threats to the well-being of children and youth. UNICEF reports that around one billion children worldwide are at extremely high risk due to climate impacts and related disasters. In addition to the risk of death and injury, children face further challenges in the form of disruptions in schooling, nutrition, healthcare and protection issues in the aftermath of disasters.
Empowering and preparedness of children and youth can help to protect the entire families and communities. Disasters are growing and impact the well-being of everyone. Early warning systems should be accessible to everyone, so that no one is left behind.
We cannot predict and stop natural disasters but we can arm ourselves with knowledge: so many lives could be saved if there is enough disaster preparedness. Disasters have created gargantuan challenges for vulnerable population such as poor, children and more precisely for the differently abled persons who has a barrier that confronts them during disaster situations.
The world faced a lot of vicious effects from natural disasters. India is exposed to multiple disasters which jeopardize the quality of life of the people. About 58.6% of the Indian landmass is prone to earthquakes from moderate to very high intensity; over 40 million hectares i.e. 12 % of land is prone to floods and river erosion; of the 7516 km long coastline, close to 5700 km is prone to cyclones and tsunamis; 68% of the cultivable area is vulnerable to drought and maximum of the hilly states including Manipur are again at severe risk from landslides.
National Disaster Management plans impetus to build a safe and disaster resilient India by developing a holistic, proactive, multi-disaster-oriented approach for the peoples like the children and youths, women, differently abled persons, the ageing populations and animals to defend them from the disaster risks.
North-east India is located in Earthquake Zone V- very severe intensity zone. The region has experienced at least 18 severe earthquakes measuring up to 7 on Richter scale in the last 100 years. Manipur was struck with an earthquake of 6.7 on the 4 January 2016 killing 11 and injuring around 200 people which being the most damaging earthquakes since 1880 and 1939.
The state being in a land-lock, we may not be directly affected by the tropical cyclones arising out of Bay of Bengal. However, we are vulnerable to associated hazards of cyclonic winds, cloud burst and incessant rains thereby causing flash flood accompanied by blowing away of the trees, houses and electric posts and landslides.
Landslides fueled by cloud burst have become a regular feature along National Highways causing extensive lost to our economy. The frequent flash floods in the state are caused by the rampant deforestation in the catchments, unplanned development and increase of encroachments in the flood plains.
Though the state is in Earthquake Zone V, state government is yet to promulgate the guidelines and rules for construction of houses and buildings including schools. Such regulations should be enforced immediately to save ourselves from any eventualities and be uploaded in social media for mass awareness. In the New Education Policy-2020 also, disasters management guidelines should be compulsorily included as a major subject and then only we can save ourselves.
Now the question is how much we are prepared for and safe from disasters that may happened anytime and anywhere in the state? There is no positive answer, we are still yet to be in preparedness, equipped with modern technologies and knowledges.
We are also lacking in emergency responses including search, rescue and medical assistance and quick transportation of the casualties to the nearest hospitals. Traffic managements, establishment of temporary shelters for evacuees and ensuring provision of essential services such as medicines, food, clothing, drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, lighting arrangements etc. are yet to be developed.
During post disaster phase, the risk of diseases and epidemics because of water quality, poor sanitation, decaying biological matter, water stagnation, inadequate shelter and food supplies will arise. With the last 3rd May crisis, we have witnessed the immediate facilities that were provided to the victims and hence what may be the situation during an unpredicted disaster is an answered question.
Disasters disrupt progress and destroy the hard-earned fruits, often pushing the development of the nation in back for several decades. Therefore, to fight back the disasters which are unpredictable and beyond our control, we all should be in full preparedness and equipped with the modern knowledge. We must protect our pristine environment to minimize the loss in life, property and to safeguard our long-earned developments.
