PRINCIPLES OF NATECH RISK MANAGEMENT

• Conduct Multi-Hazard, Systematic Risk and Ecological Impact Assessment 


  NATECH risk management calls for a holistic risk assessment in all its dimensions of vulnerability, capacity and exposure of community, assets and environment 18 to multiple hazards. It should include assessing the systemic interdependencies between natural hazards and technological hazards in a built environment and evaluating the effectiveness of existing capacities with respect to likely risk scenarios.
• Enable Coordinated Policy and Planning among Local Government and Industrial Clusters 


  Each State has the primary responsibility to establish and put in place a systems of risk governance comprising of institutions, mechanisms and policies for implementation of the present framework at national, sub-national and on-site level.
• Develop and Implement Safety Codes


  Safety codes and regulations should be developed at national and sub-national levels catering to various aspects of structural and non-structural safety with an all-hazards approach. These include norms for land use, construction, design, materials and usage for ensuring sustainable and resilient infrastructure. Codes, tailor-made to national and local needs, should incorporate global and regional experiences
• Enhance Offsite and Onsite Risk Communication


  Comprehensive risk assessment is a pre-cursor to efficient risk communication. Risk communication provides a ground for informed decision making for effective risk management and includes understanding and building the risk perception of the stakeholders. Effective risk communication should take place between the scientic & academic community and the policy makers; amongst the personnel of industrial and hazardous installations; between such installations and the nearby exposed community.
• Strengthen Internal Capacities


  Capacity development includes skill development, resource mapping and scaling up of required resources (both human, equipment and nancial). In-charge of each hazardous and industrial installations are responsible for developing on-site capacity for mitigation, prompt response and rapid recovery commensurable to the nature and quantum of risks assessed They are also responsible for enhancing the coping capacity of the off-site community.
• Build and Reinforce Critical Infrastructure


  The critical infrastructure at national and sub-national levels needs to be strengthened and made resilient by respective authorities for ensuring continued social and economic functioning of the community even during times of disasters. The resilient lifeline infrastructure of health, re and emergency response aids in substantial reduction of life loss & injuries and in prompt containment of damage and losses to assets
• Enhance Response Capacities


  The litmus test for response mechanism is the number of lives saved and quantum of damage & destruction prevented. It relies on NATECH risk-informed preparedness measures, readiness and response capacities of on-site and off-site responders including the communities.
• Promote Business Continuity Management


  Each industry and business should analyze the NATECH risk and put in place arrangements including processes, robust supply chains, nancial mechanism for ensuring continued functioning of business, commercial activities and services in aftermath of NATECH.
• Plan for Recovery


  The sub-national and on-site authorities are responsible for safe disposal and management of hazmat, if any, released during the NATECH. This is followed by prompt restoration of services, livelihood and normalcy in the affected community. The process of recovery should be aligned with principles of sustainable development and should be guided by the building back better approach so as to prevent creation of future risks
• Foster Multi-Stakeholders Partnerships


  NATECH risk management is an inter- and trans-disciplinary field and seeks coming together of academicians, practitioners and policy makers at multiple levels. Depending on the nature of technological disaster, NATECH sometimes calls for trans-boundary cooperation for its management. It is the responsibility of authorities at relevant levels to nurture such partnerships.