NEW DELHI: To strengthen disaster management and minimise casualties, the Centre has designated specific ministries and departments to monitor, issue early warnings, and oversee prevention, mitigation, and preparedness measures under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

According to a notification issued by the Union home ministry, avalanches and oil spills will be handled by the Ministry of Defence. The Ministry of Earth Sciences will provide early warnings for cold waves, cyclones, tornadoes, earthquakes, heat waves, lightning, tsunamis, hailstorms, and heavy rainfall. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will be responsible for biological disasters.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare has been assigned frost, cold waves, drought, hailstorms, and pest attacks, while the Ministry of Jal Shakti will handle floods and glacial lake outburst floods. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will take responsibility for urban floods (excluding early warning).

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will oversee forest fires as well as industrial and chemical disasters. Landslides will be handled by the Ministry of Mines, while the Department of Atomic Energy will manage nuclear and radiological emergencies.

"In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) read with clause (ha) of sub-section (2) of section 35 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (53 of 2005), the Central government hereby notifies the ministries and departments of the Government of India which shall have the responsibility for monitoring, early warning, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and capacity building with regard to disasters arising from various hazards," the notification said.