Context:
Recently, Kerala declares man-animal conflict as a state-specific disaster, becoming the 1st state to do.
State specific Disaster:
- Disasters within the local context in the State that are not included in the notified list of disasters of the Ministry of Home Affairs
- Announced by – State Government
- Funding mechanism – State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)
- Uses up to 10% of the funds available under the SDRF for providing immediate relief to the victims
- Responsible authority – State disaster management authority (SDMA) as per the Disaster Management Act 2005
- State level – The Chief Minister is the ex officio chairman of the SDMA
- District level – The district disaster management authority (DDMA) is headed by the district collector
- Powers – SDMA can take actions overriding other norms, including those under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Disaster Management Act (2005):
- Section 71 of the DM Act – No court (except the Supreme Court or a High Court) shall have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or proceeding in respect of anything done by relevant authorities in pursuance of any power conferred by this Act.
- Section 72 of the Act – The provisions of this Act will have an overriding effect on any other law during the specific period.
- Coverage – Natural disasters like Cyclone, drought, earthquake, flood, human-animal conflicts like snakebite etc.
| State specific Disasters | Declared State |
| Snakebite | Odisha |
| Lightning | Odisha, Kerala & Assam |
| Coastal Erosion | Kerala |
| Soil Piping | |
| Strong Wind | |
| Heat waves, Sunburn and Sunstroke |
Read more about: Behind escalating human-animal conflict in Kerala
Source: Indian Express
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements in respect of Trade Related Analysis of Fauna and Flora in Commerce (TRAFFIC):
1. TRAFFIC is a bureau under United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
2. The mission of TRAFFIC is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2017 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
Statement 1 is not correct:
TRAFFIC is a joint program of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and IUCN – the International Union for Conservation of Nature and not a bureau under UNEP.
