CURRENT AFFAIRS

India is a geographically and climatically diverse country, making it highly vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones, droughts, landslides, heatwaves, cold waves, and forest fires. According to various reports, disasters cause nearly 2% loss to India’s GDP every year. This underscores the need for a robust, scientific, and community-centered disaster management system.

A cloudburst and heavy rains caused a flash flood in the Kheer Ganga river in Dharali, Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand on August 5, 2025, which caused massive destruction.

Extreme weather events such as floods, landslides and droughts are becoming more frequent and unpredictable due to climate change in India. Traditional insurance models are inadequate to deal with these unpredictable and frequent disasters.

On May 28, 2025, a huge chunk of the Birch Glacier broke off and slid down the mountain slope in the alpine village of Blatten, located in the Lötschental Valley in southern Switzerland, burying nearly 90% of the village under debris.