UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS

World Tsunami Awareness Day 2026 will be observed on 5 November 2026 across the world.

The Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has received the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Certification, becoming India’s first disaster response force to achieve this recognition. The certification was officially awarded on October 8, 2026, following an audit conducted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

On 17 October 2026, a crowd disaster at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata killed 19 people and injured approximately 25 others.

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) is observed annually on 13 October to promote awareness about disaster prevention, preparedness and resilience.

To reduce the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in Uttarakhand, the state’s first Glacial Lake Early Warning System is being installed. 

Recent landslides in the Western Ghats, including the one affecting the under-construction twin tunnel project in Wayanad, Kerala, have once again highlighted the urgent need for a Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS) in India.

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) in Odisha has emerged as a significant policy innovation as India transitions toward scientific, integrated, and sustainable management of its vast marine and coastal resources.

Recently, a massive snow avalanche struck the Zojila Pass, disrupting traffic and highlighting the vulnerability of high-altitude Himalayan passes to extreme weather events.

A deadly explosion in an illegally operating rat-hole coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya, has resulted in the death of 25 miners. The incident has once again highlighted the persistence of illegal mining in the state despite a ban by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Supreme Court. It raises serious concerns about regulatory enforcement, governance failure, labour safety, and disaster management preparedness.

A series of major disasters struck India in 2025, exposing serious gaps in the identification and management of disaster victims.In response, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has released India’s first comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for handling Mass Fatality Incidents (MFIs). The guidelines, titled “National Disaster Management Guidelines on Comprehensive Disaster Victim Identification and Management”, were released on Republic Day by the Ministry of Home Affairs, marking 25 years since the 2001 Gujarat earthquake.