How disaster-prone is India compared to other countries?

India ranks third globally in terms of disaster proneness, facing a high frequency of extreme weather events and geological hazards.

What was the impact of 2025's extreme weather events in India?

In 2025, India experienced widespread floods, heatwaves, and storms, causing significant loss of life, livelihoods, and infrastructure damage across various regions.

How can India improve its disaster preparedness?

Improving disaster preparedness involves strengthening early warning systems, robust urban planning, community drills, and shifting focus from reactive relief to proactive mitigation.

Home / Disasters and Accidents / India's Resilience Tested: Disasters Reshape Nation

India's Resilience Tested: Disasters Reshape Nation

11 Jan

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Summary

India ranks third globally in disaster proneness, facing frequent extreme weather.
2025 saw widespread floods, heatwaves, and storms impacting lives and infrastructure.
Preparedness and response efforts, like Cyclone Phailin evacuations, save lives.

India's Resilience Tested: Disasters Reshape Nation

India faces a growing crisis as extreme weather events become recurring tests of its resilience. The year 2025 was marked by constant natural hazards, from devastating floods in North India impacting millions and causing billions in losses, to intense heatwaves across the nation. This heightened vulnerability stems from a confluence of geography, climate change, and development patterns.

The nation's disaster management framework, anchored by the Disaster Management Act of 2005, emphasizes prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and response. However, experts note a persistent challenge in prioritizing the less visible but crucial aspects of preparedness over immediate relief operations. Successful interventions, such as the mass evacuation before Cyclone Phailin in 2013, highlight the life-saving impact of robust planning and accurate early warnings.