Disaster Preparedness and Risk Reduction

As part of Disaster Risk Communication, Reliance Foundation delivers alerts about imminent risks and necessary actions to be taken. We also work with local governments and grassroots organisations to map vulnerability at the village-level and offer support in reducing risk.

Being prepared for disasters through pre-disaster warnings empowers communities with critical information to safeguard their lives and livelihoods.

Early Warning Systems

In partnership with the India Meteorological Department and the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, and in consultation with administration at the district level, Reliance Foundation disseminates early warnings for various disasters through mobile platforms.

Over 6 million (60 lakh) disaster response advisories have reached people to date. Key pre-disaster communications include weather-related advisories on heavy rains, and wind speed, and early warnings on cyclones, floods, heatwave, cold wave and storm surges. These advisories are disseminated through voice or text messages, and multimedia messages over WhatsApp.

Ahead of extreme events like cyclones, Reliance Foundation uses demographic and population data to identify high-risk areas and vulnerable populations using Geographic Information Systems. This helps in providing targeted and specific early warnings that are instrumental in saving lives and minimising damage.

As part of our risk reduction efforts, we use secondary data and historical information to map vulnerable areas. In partnership with local governments, we then conduct vulnerability assessments and devise risk reduction strategies.

Nature-based solutions for disaster risk reduction

Reliance Foundation is facilitating disaster risk reduction in communities using nature-based solutions. There is increasing global consensus that conservation and restoration of the natural environment is an effective and cost-efficient strategy to reduce vulnerability.

Conserving green belts and enhancing them results in disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, climate mitigation, and environmental management. We are increasingly leveraging tree plantation and mangrove conservation in vulnerable coastal and river ecosystems.