Enhancing Telecom Resilience: India's New Disaster Risk and Resilience Framework

Disaster Management Disaster Management in India

Posted by newadmin on 2025-03-28 09:01:50 |

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The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in collaboration with the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), has launched the Disaster Risk and Resilience Assessment Framework (DRRAF) to strengthen India's telecom sector against natural disasters. The report is part of a broader study on disaster risk and resilience, aiming to reduce infrastructure damage and ensure continuous telecom services during emergencies.

India is highly vulnerable to disasters, ranking 35th on the UN INFORM Risk Index. The country faces various risks, including earthquakes, floods, cyclones, and tsunamis, which threaten vital telecom infrastructure. DRRAF, developed by CDRI, DoT, and NDMA, adopts a system-scale approach covering all connectivity levels and regions, aligning with the UN's Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative, aimed at ensuring global protection by 2027.

The framework assesses disaster resilience across five key dimensions: technical planning and design, operations and maintenance, policy, financial arrangements, and expertise. It has revealed alarming findings at the state level, with 100% of telecom infrastructure in Assam and Uttarakhand exposed to earthquakes. At the national level, 75% of telecom towers are vulnerable to lightning, and 57% are at risk from cyclones.

The DRRAF highlights the need for targeted resilience measures to safeguard telecom infrastructure, ensuring robust connectivity in the face of increasing natural disasters, and supports India’s efforts to build disaster-resilient infrastructure.

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