Mains Practice Questions

Introduction

The concept of "disaster-resilient livelihoods" refers to the capacity of individuals and communities to sustain or quickly recover their livelihoods in the face of disasters.

• Adaptive Capacity: Ability to adjust to potential damage and respond to consequences.
• Absorptive Capacity: Ability to absorb shocks and stresses.
• Transformative Capacity: Ability to create new systems when existing conditions are untenable.

Body

Strengths and Limitations of Disaster-Resilient Livelihoods:

• Strengths:
  • Holistic Approach: Integrates social, economic, and environmental dimensions.
  • Proactive Stance: Focuses on pre-disaster preparedness rather than just post-disaster response.
  • Sustainable Development: Aligns with SDGs, particularly Goal 1 (No Poverty) and Goal 13 (Climate Action).
  • Community Empowerment: Emphasizes local knowledge and participation.
• Limitations:
  • Complexity: Requires intricate coordination across multiple sectors and stakeholders.
  • Resource-Intensive: Demands significant financial, technical, and human resources.
  • Context-Specificity: Solutions may not be universally applicable across diverse geographies.
  • Measurement Challenges: Difficulty in quantifying resilience and progress.
  • Potential for Maladaptation: Poorly implemented strategies may inadvertently increase vulnerability.

Promoting Disaster-Resilient Livelihoods in India’s Disaster-Prone Regions:

• Access to Financial Services
  • Provide microfinance and insurance products tailored to the needs of disaster-prone communities.
  • Establish emergency funds and savings schemes to help communities recover post-disaster.
  • Facilitate access to low-interest loans for rebuilding and livelihood restoration.
• Risk Assessment and Mapping:
  • Implement the National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM) for real-time disaster risk monitoring.
  • Utilize satellite imagery and GIS for detailed vulnerability mapping (e.g., ISRO's Bhuvan platform for flood hazard zonation).
• Climate-Smart Agriculture:
  • Promote drought-resistant crop varieties (e.g., ICAR's drought-tolerant chickpea varieties).
  • Encourage agroforestry (e.g., ICRAF's work in the Bundelkhand region).
• Livelihood Diversification:
  • Encourage eco-tourism in vulnerable regions (e.g., Himalayan Homestay Program in Ladakh).
• Financial Inclusion and Risk Transfer:
  • Expand coverage of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) with faster claim settlements. (e.g., Beed model in Maharashtra).
• Infrastructure Development:
  • Implement nature-based solutions for flood management (e.g., Room for River project in Kerala).
• Technological Integration:
  • Utilize AI and big data for disaster prediction (e.g., Google's flood forecasting initiative in Patna).
  • Promote mobile apps for disaster communication (e.g., NDMA's Safetipin app).
• Strengthening Local Governance:
  • Implement Urban Risk Reduction programs in cities (e.g., UNDP's urban risk reduction project in 56 cities of India).

Conclusion

Promoting disaster-resilient livelihoods is essential for India's vulnerable regions. A comprehensive approach involving policy, livelihood diversification, social protection, resource access, infrastructure development, and climate change adaptation is crucial for building resilient communities and safeguarding livelihoods.