Answer: The Indian Ocean region has experienced an alarming increase in the frequency and intensity of cyclones in recent years. This has resulted in devastating impacts on coastal communities and infrastructure. On average, India experiences around 5 to 6 cyclonic storms in a year.

Measures to enhance disaster preparedness: 

• Early Warning Systems: Utilize meteorological satellites, weather radars, and other advanced technologies to provide timely and accurate forecasts. Strengthen communication channels to disseminate warnings effectively to vulnerable communities.
• For Example, early warning systems during cyclone Fani helped in tracking the cyclone's path by IMD and reduced the severity of destruction.
• Community Preparedness: Conduct regular awareness campaigns and training programs to educate communities about cyclone preparedness and response strategies involving local authorities, NGOs, and community leaders.
• For example, conducting regular awareness campaigns by NDMA
• Evacuation and Shelter: Identify vulnerable coastal areas prone to cyclones and develop evacuation plans.
• Coastal Zone Management: Preserve natural coastal barriers like mangroves, coral reefs, and sand dunes to absorb the impact of storm surges and reduce erosion.
• For example, government is implementing Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan for this.
• Strict Regulation: Implement strict regulations on construction and development activities along the coastline to maintain buffer zones and protect vulnerable areas.
• For example, government is implementing Coastal Zone Management Rules for this purpose.
• Developing Resilient Infrastructure: Improve the resilience of critical infrastructure in coastal areas, including power grids, hospitals, schools, and transportation systems, to withstand cyclone impacts.
• For example, government is implementing Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project to strengthen the resilience of India’s coastline.
• International Cooperation: Strengthen regional and international collaborations on capacity building measures like sharing knowledge, expertise, and resources in cyclone preparedness and response.
• For example, India can learn best practices from countries like Japan, etc

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines in this regard:

• Establishing a state-of-the-art cyclone Early Warning System (EWS) involving observations, predictions, warnings and customized local-scale advice.
• Expanding the warning dissemination outreach by using the services of Direct-To-Home (DTH) transmission in remote and rural areas (Panchayats).
• Establishing a robust system of locating multi-purpose cyclone shelters and cattle mounds.
• Maintaining the full designed carrying capacity of main drains and canals along with feeder primary/secondary/ tertiary channels, creating additional flood flow canals in frequently inundated areas.
• Construction of saline embankments to prevent ingress of saline water associated with cyclonic storm surge.
• Mapping and delineation of coastal wetlands, patches of mangroves and shelterbelts, identification of potential zones for expanding bio-shield spread based on remote sensing tools.
• Developing Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) frameworks for addressing the sustainability and optimal utilization of coastal resources as also cyclone impact minimization plans.
• Developing integrated hazard mitigation framework taking into account cyclone and associated storm surge, wind hazard, rainfall-runoff, river flood and Geographical Information System (GIS) models.

To effectively mitigate the impact of cyclones in the Indian Ocean region, a multi-faceted approach is necessary. Government has launched the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) with the World Bank, aimed at enhancing India's preparedness and resilience to cyclones and other natural disasters.