Patna – Bihar, a state long familiar with the fury of floods, lightning, droughts, heatwaves, cold spells, and earthquakes, is observing this year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction with renewed urgency. The global theme, “Fund resilience, not disasters,” holds special relevance for Bihar, where natural calamities strike with devastating frequency and intensity.
According to a report by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), India recorded 321 major catastrophic events over the past two decades, resulting in around 80,000 deaths a large number of them in Bihar. The country also suffered an estimated economic loss of USD 80 billion during this period.
In Bihar alone, hundreds of lives are lost every year to natural disasters. Climate change, unplanned urbanisation, and non-resilient infrastructure have only worsened the risks, particularly in the flood-prone northern districts. Nearly 76 percent of the population in this region lives under constant threat of floods, which destroy homes, crops, and livelihoods each monsoon season, forcing thousands to relocate.
Geology expert Bhavuk Sharma of Patna University said that drought occurrences in Bihar have increased by 29 percent in the past 20 years, particularly in the southern districts where erratic rainfall severely impacts agriculture. “Of late, lightning has also emerged as one of the most dangerous disasters, killing hundreds, especially farmers working in open fields,” he said.
Sharma added that north Bihar, located in a seismically active zone, is highly vulnerable to earthquakes. While the government has implemented several programmes to reduce disaster impacts, he emphasised that more investment is needed in early warning systems and scientific planning. “The Kosi River, known as the ‘Sorrow of Bihar,’ floods large parts of north Bihar almost every year. We must study it in greater detail and develop megastructures in the Himalayas to reduce downstream flooding. Funds should also be directed towards exploring how excess water from flood-hit regions can be diverted to drought-affected areas,” he said.
Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) vice-chairman Uday Kant Mishra said that the government has made steady progress since introducing the state’s Disaster Risk Reduction Roadmap in 2015. “Our focus is on preparedness, prevention, and mitigation,” he said. “We are strengthening both structural and non-structural mechanisms to reduce disaster risks.”
Mishra highlighted key initiatives, including regular observance of safety weeks on road, fire, and earthquake awareness; training programmes for community stakeholders; the Safe School Programme; construction safety guidelines; and the establishment of free earthquake safety clinics.
As Bihar continues to face the challenges of climate extremes, officials and experts alike agree that sustained investment in resilience rather than reactive relief is crucial to protecting lives, livelihoods, and development gains across the state.