Local approaches to harmonising climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction policies: Lessons from India

The document highlights the disconnect between climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction policies in India, noting that a lack of coordination among ministries renders these policies inefficient on the ground. Research conducted by the Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS) in the arid regions of Barmer and Leh indicates that while climate change is increasing the frequency and scale of disasters, local knowledge and multi-stakeholder platforms are essential for creating effective, converged risk reduction strategies.

• Climate change is altering the scale, frequency, and nature of disasters in India, with the most severe impacts occurring in the country's most arid regions.
• Operational inefficiencies in disaster and climate change policies result from a lack of coordination between various government departments and ministries.
• Local innovation and multi-stakeholder platforms are critical for aligning disaster and climate policies, although these platforms require mechanisms for sustained action to be fully effective.
• Urbanization that is rapid and poorly planned has heightened the risk of flash floods in certain areas, while other regions experience 'invisible disasters' that remain unreported.

APA

Sharma, A., Chauhan, S., & Kumar, S. (2014). Local approaches to harmonising climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction policies: Lessons from India. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/resource/harmonising-climate-adaptation-and-disaster-risk-reduction-india

Chicago

Sharma, Anshu, Sahba Chauhan, and Sunny Kumar. Local approaches to harmonising climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction policies: Lessons from India. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2014. https://cdkn.org/resource/harmonising-climate-adaptation-and-disaster-risk-reduction-india.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sharma |first1=Anshu |last2=Chauhan |first2=Sahba |last3=Kumar |first3=Sunny |title=Local approaches to harmonising climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction policies: Lessons from India |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=12 June 2014 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/harmonising-climate-adaptation-and-disaster-risk-reduction-india |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sharma2014local, author = {Sharma, Anshu and Chauhan, Sahba and Kumar, Sunny}, title = {{Local approaches to harmonising climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction policies: Lessons from India}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2014}, month = jun, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/harmonising-climate-adaptation-and-disaster-risk-reduction-india}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }