Daily Hot Topic
Topic : Imperative for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (DRI)
GS-3 Mains : Disaster Management
Revision Notes
Context
- Recent extreme weather events in Delhi and around the world highlight the vulnerability of infrastructure to climate change.
- Ensuring resilient critical infrastructure is crucial for adapting to climate change and protecting lives and livelihoods.
What is Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (DRI)?
- DRI refers to the design, construction, and operation of infrastructure that can withstand, adapt to, and recover from disasters.
- It ensures uninterrupted essential services like power, water, and transportation during calamities.
- As urbanization accelerates, DRI becomes increasingly vital for safeguarding growing populations.
Why is DRI Necessary?
- Climate Change and Disasters: Climate change is amplifying the frequency and intensity of disasters worldwide.
- Flash floods in megacities like New York and Seoul have crippled infrastructure and cost lives.
- Earthquakes in Morocco and Turkey devastated infrastructure and livelihoods.
- Cloudbursts in Sikkim caused infrastructure damage and loss of life.
- Economic Costs: Without investment in DRI, natural disasters could inflict an annual cost of $314 billion on cities globally by 2030.
- A World Bank report projects that heat stress could cost India 34 million jobs by 2030.
- Human Well-being: DRI is essential for protecting lives, livelihoods, and economic stability in the face of climate threats.
Building Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
- Understanding Evolving Risks: DRI requires a comprehensive understanding of emerging threats, like changing weather patterns.
- This knowledge informs building codes and design standards that promote integrated resilience across sectors.
- Tailored Infrastructure Design: Infrastructure design should be tailored to specific risks.
- Flood-prone areas may require elevated structures, while pre-monsoon drain cleaning strengthens overall resilience.
- Risk Assessments and Mitigation Strategies: Regular infrastructure risk assessments are crucial to identify vulnerabilities in critical sectors like power, transport, and telecommunications.
- These assessments, combined with mitigation strategies, can prevent potential damage.
- Localized Evaluations: City- and town-level evaluations provide data for comprehensive disaster risk reduction planning.
India’s Opportunity
- Much of India’s planned infrastructure for 2030 is yet to be built.
- Integrating disaster resilience at the construction stage is more cost-effective than retrofitting existing infrastructure.
Conclusion
- Building DRI is complex, demanding strategic planning, innovation, financing, and a collective approach.
- By investing in DRI, nations can prepare for future calamities and ensure sustainable growth.
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