India is taking proactive steps to assist neighbouring Countries and small Island Nations in developing early warning systems to mitigate the impact of extreme weather events. This initiative aligns with the United Nations' 'Early Warnings for All' initiative, aiming to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters.
How India Plans to Help Partner Countries
India recognizes that many countries, particularly those that are poor, least developed, or small island nations, lack the capacity to establish early warning systems. Therefore, India aims to play a crucial role in helping countries like Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Mauritius.
India's role in developing early warning systems involves providing technical expertise and financial aid to partner countries. Public-private partnerships are utilized for financial support, with technical assistance from India and other contributing nations.
India will assist in setting up meteorological observatories in partner countries and provide access to its numerical models to enhance their forecasting capabilities. Additionally, India will aid in creating decision support systems to facilitate timely responses to extreme weather events.
Collaboration between the ministries of communication in respective nations will establish data exchange and warning dissemination systems, ensuring effective communication of alerts to vulnerable communities.
Trends Related to Extreme Weather Events
A report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) highlights a significant surge in natural disasters globally between 1970 and 2019, with water-related disasters becoming the most prevalent.
Asia has been significantly affected by extreme weather events, with millions of deaths and billions of people directly affected from 2013 to 2022. Economic damages in the region have surpassed billions of dollars, primarily attributed to flooding and storms.
The role of climate change exacerbates the frequency and intensity of disasters, making them more challenging to manage effectively. Future projections suggest an increase in the number of medium- to large-scale disasters globally by 2030.
India's Key Role and the Early Warnings for All Initiative
India's initiative to bolster early warning systems underscores the importance of international cooperation in addressing the growing threat of natural disasters and climate change.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), established in 1875, plays a crucial role in meteorological observations, weather forecasting, and seismology.
The Early Warnings for All initiative, co-led by the WMO and the UNDRR, focuses on disaster risk knowledge, detection, observation, monitoring, warning dissemination, and preparedness and response capabilities to deliver effective multi-hazard early warning systems globally.
