GS Paper III

News Excerpt:

According to a Global Status of Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems 2023 report from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the World Meteorological Organisation, half of the countries lack appropriate multi-hazard early warning systems.

Key findings of the report:

• Making good progress -

• • The trend of increasing numbers of countries reporting the existence of multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS) has continued – the number has doubled since 2015 and increased to 101 countries as of March 2023.
    • • Dramatic improvement has been witnessed in Africa and in the Asia and Pacific region.
      • Two-thirds of WMO members report having fully operational warning and alerting services and more than half incorporate hazard, exposure, and vulnerability information in their warning products.
      • Advances in science and technology, together with the increase in available observations have led to improvements in forecasts, especially lead times.
  • With ninety-five percent of the world’s population able to access a mobile broadband network, there are significant opportunities to leverage mobile networks and internet connectivity, especially in the context of hazards that can only be forecast on very short timescales (e.g., tsunamis).

• But significant gaps remain - 

• Issue with Low Developed Countries (LDCs):
• Low coverage in the Americas and the Caribbean and despite progress, persistent gaps in Africa. Coverage remains especially low (less than 50%) in LDCs.
• Lack of affordability continues to be a barrier to internet access, particularly in low-income economies.
• Lack of effective Plans and Policies to act on early warnings: 
• Less than one-third of countries reporting on Indicator G4 (Percentage of local governments having a plan to act on early warnings) indicated ‘substantial progress’ towards achieving MHEWS.
• The report also revealed that compared to last year, six more countries have reported having an early warning system, taking the total number of such countries to 101. The number has doubled since 2015.

• Indian Scenario:

• In India, disaster risk knowledge and management, warning, dissemination, and communication are not adequate.
• But preparedness, response capabilities, and detection, monitoring, and forecasting capabilities are available.
• The report praised the improved forecasting and activation of the Early Action Protocol taken by India during the cyclone Amphan in West Bengal.

Recommendations to meet the - ‘Early Warnings for All’ Goal: (Way Forward)

• Design EWS for scale: Best practice is to start small – on the priority hazards identified locally – and to develop, test, iterate, and expand the EWS over time.
• Share data and knowledge: Data sharing –  about hazards, vulnerability, exposure, risk or related information, such as local traditions and languages that affect the dissemination and understanding of warnings – is the foundation for any EWS.
• Ensure local ownership and an ‘all of society’ approach: local actors must be placed at the heart of EWS design, development, implementation, evaluation, improvement, and operation.
• Leverage flagship programs and existing initiatives: Every opportunity should be sought to align and leverage these activities and to ensure that time and resources are not wasted through duplication.
• Maximise innovations in science and technology: this includes social science– EWS can only be effective if warnings result in appropriate action.
• Harness sustainable, complementary funding: Current and potential funders (governments, donors, philanthropists, etc.) must be brought in, into the EW community and its conversations to ensure shared understanding, urgency, and action.