Content

1. Integrated Disaster Preparedness Drill
2. World Lion Day 2025

Integrated Disaster Preparedness Drill

Context & Significance

• Why important?
  • India is among the world’s most disaster-prone countries due to its geo-climatic diversity and population density.
  • Frequent natural and man-made disasters threaten lives, livelihoods, infrastructure,

 and development gains.

• Drills like Exercise Suraksha Chakra operationalize preparedness, test coordination, and build community awareness before actual disasters occur.
• Policy Alignment:
  • Supports the Sendai Framework (2015–2030) goal of reducing disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods, and health.
  • Fulfills the DM Act 2005 mandate for continuous preparedness and capacity building.

Relevance : GS 3(Disaster Management)

Hazard Profile of India

• Seismic Risk:
  • 58.6% landmass prone to earthquakes (Zones IV & V).
• Hydro-meteorological Risks:
  • 12% land prone to floods; 5,700 km of 7,516 km coastline prone to cyclones & tsunamis.
  • 68% cultivable land vulnerable to drought.
• Geological Risks:
  • 15% landmass prone to landslides; Himalayan belt faces GLOFs & avalanches.
• Urban & Industrial Risks:
  • 5,161 ULBs prone to urban flooding; high vulnerability to industrial, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear hazards.

Legal & Institutional Framework

• Disaster Management Act, 2005
  • Provides legal mandate, defines disaster & disaster management.
  • Establishes NDMA (PM as Chairperson), SDMAs, and DDMAs.
  • Creates NDRF & National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM).
  • Mandates preparation of DM Plans at all levels.
  • Ensures funds: NDRMF, SDRMF, DDRMF for response & mitigation.
  • Empowers authorities for emergency resource requisition & SOP enforcement.

• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
  • Apex policy-making & coordination body.
  • Approves National DM Plan, issues guidelines for hazards, ensures inter-agency coordination.
  • Oversees DMEx (Disaster Management Exercises) and EOC activation.

• National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
  • 16 battalions (drawn from CAPFs) with specialized SAR, CBRN response, medical & engineering units.
  • International humanitarian missions: Japan (2011), Turkey-Syria (2023).
  • Works in synergy with SDRFs, local authorities, and armed forces.

Policy Evolution

• National Policy on Disaster Management (2009): Shift from relief-centric to prevention, mitigation, and preparedness.
• National DM Plan (2019): Aligned with Sendai Framework; focuses on dynamic, actionable, multi-hazard approach.
• NDMA Guidelines: Hazard-specific and sector-specific SOPs for earthquakes, floods, cyclones, landslides, droughts, CBRN events, urban safety, mass-casualty incidents, etc.

Disaster Management Exercises (DMEx)

• Purpose:
  • Validate DM plans, identify capability gaps, improve coordination, train responders, and raise public awareness.
• Types:
  • Discussion-based (tabletop exercises, workshops).
  • Action-based (mock drills, field exercises).
• Four-Phase Methodology:
  • Planning → Preparation → Conduct → Post-exercise review & integration into DM plans.
• Stakeholder Guidelines:
  • Authorities: Regular, coordinated drills aligned with DM plans.
  • First Responders: Operational readiness & SOP compliance.
  • Local Bodies: Community mobilisation & logistical support.
  • NGOs/Volunteers: Awareness, victim simulation, communication link.
  • Media: Timely, factual dissemination; avoid panic.

Key Drills in 2025

• UP Flood Mock Exercise (June 2025): Covered all 118 tehsils in 44 flood-prone districts.
• Amarnath Yatra Mock Drill (June 2025): Tested pilgrim safety and emergency response on Pahalgam Axis.
• Exercise Suraksha Chakra (Aug 2025):
  • First integrated multi-state, multi-agency earthquake drill in Delhi-NCR.
  • Covered 55 locations in 18 districts (Delhi, Haryana, UP).
  • Involved NDMA, Indian Army, SDMAs, DDMAs.
  • Tested SOPs in schools, hospitals, metros, residential complexes.
  • Activities: Evacuation sirens, medical simulations, structural safety checks.

International Linkages

• Sendai Framework Priority Areas:
  • Understand disaster risk.
  • Strengthen governance to manage risk.
  • Invest in resilience.
  • Enhance preparedness for effective response.
• India’s DMEx approach directly supports these priorities.

Challenges in Disaster Preparedness

• Inconsistent frequency & quality of drills across states.
• Limited community participation in urban areas.
• Resource constraints at district/local levels.
• Technology integration gaps in early warning & real-time coordination.
• Over-reliance on post-disaster relief instead of sustained pre-disaster investments.

Way Forward

• Regularization & Standardization: Annual multi-hazard drills at all governance levels.
• Technology Use: GIS, AI-based risk mapping, real-time incident monitoring.
• Capacity Building: Expand NDRF training to more local forces & community volunteers.
• Integration into Development Plans: Mainstream DRR in urban planning, infrastructure, and education.
• Inclusive Approach: Ensure participation of women, elderly, disabled, and children in drills.
• Cross-Border Coordination: Joint exercises with neighbouring countries for shared hazards.

World Lion Day 2025

Context & Significance

• World Lion Day:
  • Celebrated annually on 10th August to raise awareness about lion conservation globally.
  • Focuses on threats faced by lions (habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, poaching) and efforts for their protection.

• Gujarat’s special relevance:
  • Home to the Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) – found nowhere else in the wild except the Saurashtra region.
  • Holds ecological, cultural, and tourism value; symbol of India’s successful single-species conservation.

Relevance : GS 3(Environment and Ecology)

Asiatic Lion – Ecological & Historical Background

• Historical range: Once spread across SW Asia, Middle East, and parts of India; now restricted to Gujarat’s Gir and surrounding landscapes.
• Ecological role: Apex predator; maintains prey population balance, indirectly sustaining grassland and forest ecosystems.
• Legal protection:
  • Listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered.
  • CITES Appendix I – strictest trade prohibition.
• Conservation milestones:
  • Project Lion launched to replicate the success of Project Tiger for Asiatic lions.
  • Population recovery from ~180 in 1974 to 891 in 2025.

2025 Lion Population Update

• Population growth:
  • 2020: 674 lions.
  • 2025: 891 lions – 32% increase in 5 years.
• Habitat range: 35,000 sq. km across 11 districts in Saurashtra (Greater Gir Landscape).
• Key conservation success factors:
  • Community engagement.
  • Anti-poaching patrols & technology (GPS collars, drones).
  • Habitat restoration & water availability during summer.

Barda Wildlife Sanctuary – Emerging Second Home

• Location & area: 192.31 sq. km, spans Porbandar & Devbhumi Dwarka districts.
• Lion presence:
  • Natural migration in 2023.
  • Current count: 17 (6 adults, 11 cubs).
• Biodiversity significance:
  • Habitat for leopards, hyenas, chinkara, migratory birds.
  • Potential to reduce over-dependence on Gir forest and disperse lion population.
• Tourism potential:
  • Near the Dwarka–Porbandar–Somnath religious & heritage circuit.
  • Planned 248 Ha safari park – State Government has already allocated land.

2025 World Lion Day Celebration – Key Highlights

• Venue: Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat.
• Simultaneous celebrations: Across 11 districts of Saurashtra.
• Mass awareness initiative: Lakhs of students (school & college) joining virtually via satellite communication.
  • 2024 participation: 18.63 lakh students.
• Major launches:
  • ₹180 crore wildlife conservation works.
  • Initiatives for habitat development, water points, prey base enhancement, anti-poaching infrastructure.

Conservation Challenges

• Habitat pressure: Increasing lion population causing territorial spillover into human-dominated areas.
• Human–wildlife conflict: Livestock predation, rare but occasional human attacks.
• Genetic bottleneck: All wild Asiatic lions descend from a very small founder population – risk of inbreeding.
• Single-site vulnerability: Entire global wild population in one state – vulnerable to disease outbreaks or natural disasters (e.g., canine distemper virus outbreak in 2018 killed ~23 lions).

Asiatic Lion

Taxonomy & Identification

• Scientific name: Panthera leo persica.
• Subspecies: Distinct from the African lion (Panthera leo leo).
• Physical traits:
  • Slightly smaller than African lions.
  • Males have shorter, darker manes, with ears often visible.
  • Prominent belly fold (skin fold along belly).
  • Less developed tufts at tail tip compared to African lions.

Historical Range & Decline

• Past distribution: Across SW Asia, Middle East, and India.
• 19th century decline: Overhunting by royals and British officers; habitat loss due to agriculture.
• By early 20th century: Confined to Gir Forest, Gujarat; only ~20 individuals survived by 1913.

Current Distribution

• Wild population: Entirely in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region (Greater Gir Landscape).
• Protected areas:
  • Gir National Park & Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Mitiyala Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Pania Sanctuary.
  • Barda Wildlife Sanctuary (emerging second home).
• Habitat range: ~35,000 sq. km across 11 districts.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Endangered.
• CITES: Appendix I (highest level of protection).
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I species.
• Population:
  • 2020: 674 lions.
  • 2025: 891 lions (32% increase in 5 years).

Ecological Role

• Apex predator of the Saurashtra ecosystem.
• Regulates herbivore populations (chital, nilgai, sambar).
• Helps maintain grassland–forest ecological balance.

Key Conservation Initiatives

• Project Lion: Focus on habitat management, prey base augmentation, health monitoring.
• Community participation: Maldhari pastoralists coexist with lions inside Gir.
• Technology: GPS collars, camera traps, drones for monitoring.
• Relocation efforts: Plans to establish second viable population to reduce single-site risk.

Threats

• Single-site vulnerability: All wild lions in one geographical area – susceptible to epidemics/natural disasters.
• Genetic bottleneck: Small founder population – risk of inbreeding depression.
• Human–wildlife conflict: Livestock depredation, occasional attacks.
• Habitat fragmentation: Roads, railways, industrial expansion in lion range.