ANALYSIS OF PANCHAYATS’ ROLE IN COMMUNITY-BASED DISASTER MANAGEMENT

ABSTRACT

India is one of the most vulnerable developing nations to suffer frequently from various natural disasters, such as drought, flood, cyclone, earth quake, landslide, forest fire, hail storm, locust, volcanic eruption, etc., which strike causing a devastating impact on human life, economy, and environment. This is due to the country’s tropical climate and unstable landforms, as well as its high population density, poverty, illiteracy, and lack Disasters also cannot just be understood as physical phenomena. The majority of disasters in the world today are caused by people, despite the fact that many of them were natural disasters. Disasters therefore have larger repercussions in terms of their causes, effects, and impacts. The availability of natural resources is a key element in the continued existence of civilizations, if the aforementioned is to be believed. Human communities could not exist and grow into large settlements without the availability of natural resources in and around them. Exploring natural resources is therefore crucial to the development of human settlements. However, the overuse of natural resources has resulted in several disasters around the world, inflicting significant loss of life and property. Additionally, a number of natural disasters including earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, and others are once again causing damage to property and loss of life due to the sheer nature of nature itself.

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