A network of observatories throughout the country are engaged in collecting, generating and disseminating the necessary information and data.

India has three crucial disaster warning systems:

1. The Indian Meteorological Department to look at drought, rainfall, cyclone and crop position
2. The Department of Space that undertakes satellite monitoring of drought and floods, and
3. The Ministry of Water Resources which investigates riparian floods. The Meteorological Department has a coastal network of 10 cyclone detection radars, but the main instrument is the INSAT-IB.

Notwithstanding sophisticated warning systems for forecasting, the inadequacy of communication networks at local offices makes dissemination of warnings to the block level rather difficult.

Even if communication reaches block offices in time, absence of vehicles make it difficult for officials to disseminate information and organise evacuation in an emergency. This is particularly so in the case of far-flung, inaccessible villages, islets or deltas.

There are six Regional Meteorological Centres, each under a Deputy Director General with headquarters at Mumbai (Maharashtra), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), New Delhi, Calcutta (West Bengal), Nagpur (Maharashtra) and Guwahati (Assam).

Under the administrative control of the Deputy Director General are such operational units as Meteorological Centres at state capitals, Forecasting Offices, Agrometeorological Advisory Service Centres, Flood Meteorological Offices, Area Cyclone Warning Centres and Cyclone Warning Centres.

In addition, separate divisions deal with specialised subjects such as :

• Agricultural Meteorology
  
• Civil Aviation
  
• Climatology
  
• Hydrometeorology
  
• Instrumentation
  
• Meteorological Telecommunication
  
• Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre
  
• Positional Astronomy
  
• Satellite Meteorology
  
• Seismology
  
• Training
  

Earthquakes: The IMD also operates a national network of 36 seismic stations for recording seismological observations, which have generated a substantive database over the years.

Rainfall: IMD monitors rainfall at the district level and makes long-range rainfall forecasts based on the parametric power regression model. These forecasts are utilised for drought mitigation planning.

Flood forecasting is the most reliable, cost-effective and non-structural measure for flood loss mitigation. The CWC runs a network of 157 flood forecasting stations located at various rivers in 12 states and one union territory.

These centres issue daily flood forecasts and warnings throughout the flood season from May to October. For achieving greater accuracy, the CWC has a procedure of carrying out a self-analysis and appraisal of the forecasting network at the end of the monsoon season.

The CWC also maintains consolidated national figures for losses incurred due to floods in various states, which assists in making allocations from the CRF.

Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), set up as a response to Jawaharlal Nehru's call to Christian churches to assist in relief work following the Partition of the subcontinent, today operates in almost all the states and union territories of India through its four zonal and 14 sectoral offices.

The focus of its programmes has changed from relief and rehabilitation to development and social transformation, The stress is on enhancing the capacity of the affected communities to rebuild their lives. CASA's Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu Disaster Relief and Capacity Building Programme initiated during the 1977 cyclone is operational in 243 coastal villages. The Maharashtra Earthquake Rehabilitation Programme, initiated after the Marathwada quake, is being implemented in eight villages of Latur and Osmanabad. CASA has also done extensive work following the Orissa supercyclone and recent Gujarat earthquake.

Contact:

Church's Auxiliary for Social Action
Rachna Building, 2, Rajendra Place,
Pusa Road, New Delhi-110008
India
Tel: 91-11-5767231/5761579/5715498
Fax: 91-11-5752502/5733763
E-mail: clare.casard@axcess.net.in

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a global organisation of 128 Lutheran churches in 70 countries. The Department for World Service, the international relief, rehabilitation and development wing of the LWF, focuses on humanitarian assistance to refugees and the displaced. Lutheran World Relief works to alleviate human suffering resulting from natural disasters, political crises and food shortages.

LWR has more than 50 years of experience in India and currently works with several local organisations. LWR is also a member of Action by Churches Together, an international alliance that has already committed $800,000 annually to various causes in India.

Lutheran World Relief is providing emergency aid to some 32,000 flood-hit families in Orissa. In five weeks following the Gujarat earthquake, the ACT alliance provided about 50,000 families (about 250,000 people) with cooked meals, clothing, household items and 50-pound dry ration kits. Two thousand sheds for temporary shelter were completed in early March 2001.

LWS has provided extensive relief and rehabilitation for the cyclone-affected in Andhra Pradesh in 1990, the quake-hit in Bihar in 1988, the drought-hit in Kalahandi in 1988 and 1989, and several other disasters in India.

Contact:

Lutheran World Service (India)
Emergency and Rehabilitation Unit
84, Dr Suresh Sarkar Road
Kolkata-700014
Tel: 91-033-24-9730/4841/4092/2448
On line: 800-LWR-LWR2 (800-597-5972)
E-mail:lwr@lwr.org

Oxfam, well-known for its speedy response in natural or man-made disaster situations, has been working in India since 1951, when it responded to the severe famine in Bihar. Since the first field office was opened in 1965, Oxfam has responded to a range of emergencies in India, from refugee crises to earthquakes, cyclones and floods. Its primary goal is to reduce the incidence of death and sickness following a disaster by providing clean water, sanitation facilities, healthcare and nutrition.

Oxfam has assisted 300 organisations for development projects all over India. It is currently supporting 45 organisations in Orissa working in areas such as health, community organisation, rights-education, participatory watershed management, forest protection, savings and credit, safe drinking water, etc.

Contact:

Oxfam (India) Trust
B/3 Gitanjali Enclave, First floor
New Delhi --110 017
India
Tel: 91- 011-6857052/6964095
Fax: 91- 011-6854558
Email: oxfam@oxin.unv.ernet.in

Action Aid works with over five million of the world's poorest people in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Action Aid has been closely involved in relief and rehabilitation following the 1999 supercyclone in Orissa. It set up 35 Mamata Gruhas or shelters for vulnerable women and children in the worst-affected block of Ersama in Jagatsinghpur district, Orissa. These homes were dismantled after four to six months to encourage re-integration with the community. Action Aid is also working to rehabilitate thousands affected by the floods in Orissa this year. The organisation is providing basic healthcare to 10,000 of the worst-affected families, babyfood and healthcare to 1,200 children under three, agricultural/technical support to another 10,000 families, and cattlefeed and medicine to 7,000 families.

Contact:

Asia office:
Regent House Building,
13th floor 183, Rajdamri Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Thailand
Tel: 00 66 2 651 9066/7
Fax: 00 66 2 651 9070
email@actionaidasia.org

India:
Action Aid India
3D Blessington Apartment
34 Serpentine Street
Bangalore-560025
Tel:91-80-2240399

Founded after World War II, CARE is one of the world's largest private international relief and development organisations, and a leader in sustainable development and emergency aid. CARE reaches out to millions of people each year in more than 60 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America.

CARE India works in eight Indian states -- Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

In the aftermath of the January 26, 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, India, CARE provided urgently needed medical care, food and non-food items, temporary shelters and safe water supply. CARE is now working to rebuild 10,000 homes in 30 villages. In Gujarat, CARE has forged an alliance with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), India's largest business federation, to strengthen the capacity and resources of the local people to restore their livelihoods.

Contact:

CARE India
27, Hauz Khas Village,
New Delhi - 110 016. India
Phone: 91 11 6564101/6969770
Fax: 91 11 6564081/4084
Website: www.careindia.org