India faces cyclones, floods, earthquakes and droughts every year. The Disaster Management Act (2005) and the NDMA created the national framework for prevention, forecasting and preparedness, with authorities at national, state and district level.
Disaster Management
Disaster Management
India faces cyclones, floods, earthquakes and droughts. Since the Disaster Management Act (2005) created the NDMA, preparedness has been built up, and the results are striking: cyclone deaths fell from 10,000 in the 1999 Odisha super-cyclone to single or double digits per cyclone — and none in Cyclones Biparjoy (2023) and Dana (2024) — thanks to early warnings. In 2019 India launched the global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). This timeline traces the journey.
16
NDRF battalions (8 in 2006)
2019
India-led CDRI
2005
DM Act & NDMA
Cyclone deaths: 1999 Odisha → Biparjoy (2023), Dana (2024)
2005
Disaster Management Act
India passes the Disaster Management Act on 23 December 2005, creating the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister, with state and district authorities below it.
2016
First national plan
2019
CDRI launched at the UN
2023
Zero deaths in Cyclone Biparjoy
2025
Mission Mausam
2025
Disaster Management Act amended
2005
1milestones
20052025
Latest
Disaster Management Act
India passes the Disaster Management Act on 23 December 2005, creating the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister, with state and district authorities below it.
Why it matters Better forecasting, evacuation and resilient infrastructure save thousands of lives and billions in damage — and India now exports this expertise globally.
- Cyclone deaths 10,000 (1999) → single or double digits; zero in Biparjoy (2023) and Dana (2024)
- DM Act (2005), amended 2025; NDMA; NDRF from 8 battalions (2006) to 16; India-led CDRI (2019)
- Cyclone forecasts up to 4 days ahead more accurate in 2023–2025 than in 2020–2022: track by 15–45%, intensity by 15–35%, landfall by 10–30%
- Source: Ministries of Earth Sciences and Home Affairs, via PIB
History
Saving lives
The results are dramatic: the 1999 Odisha super-cyclone killed around 10,000; deaths from any cyclone are now in single or double digits, and there were none in Cyclones Biparjoy (2023) and Dana (2024), thanks to early warnings and evacuations. In 2019 India launched the global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
How it works
India's disaster system shifted from reacting to preventing. A tiered structure — the National Disaster Management Authority at the top, the NDRF as a specialist rapid-response force, and state and district bodies below — plans for and responds to floods, cyclones, earthquakes and more. The biggest gains come from early warning and evacuation: tracking a cyclone days out and moving people to shelters before it lands.
Outlook
The results are striking — cyclones that once killed thousands (like the 1999 Odisha super-cyclone) now cause a handful of deaths or none, thanks to early warnings and mass evacuation. India also leads a global initiative, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). The next frontier is building resilience into everything — climate-proofing infrastructure, preparing cities for heatwaves and floods, and getting recovery and insurance to reach the poorest fastest.
By the numbers
Cyclone deaths 10,000 (1999) → single or double digits, zero in Biparjoy (2023) and Dana (2024); DM Act (2005), NDMA; NDRF 8 → 16 battalions; India-led CDRI (2019), 53 member countries (2026); Mission Mausam ₹2,000 crore (2025); DM (Amendment) Act in force from 9 April 2025; cyclone track forecasts 15–45% more accurate (2023–2025 against 2020–2022). Sources: Ministries of Earth Sciences and Home Affairs, PIB.
Data current to: Cyclone deaths 1999–2024; milestones 2005–2025; forecast accuracy 2023–2025
Source: Ministry of Earth Sciences, Lok Sabha reply published by PIB (23 July 2025, linked) — the 1999 Odisha super cyclone caused 10,000 deaths; with modernised early warning, the death toll from any cyclone has fallen to single or double digits, with zero deaths in Cyclone Biparjoy (Gujarat, 2023) and Cyclone Dana (Odisha, 2024). Milestones from Home Affairs and Earth Sciences replies: Disaster Management Act passed on 23 December 2005; first National Disaster Management Plan in 2016; CDRI launched on 23 September 2019; NDRF grown from 8 battalions in 2006 to 16; Mission Mausam approved at ₹2,000 crore over two years and launched on 14 January 2025; the Disaster Management (Amendment) Act, 2025 received assent on 29 March 2025 and came into force on 9 April 2025 (Home Affairs, July 2025). An Earth Sciences reply published on 1 April 2026 says the accuracy of cyclone track, intensity and landfall forecasts up to four days ahead improved by 15–45%, 15–35% and 10–30% in 2023–2025 compared with 2020–2022. Milestones 2005–2025. · link