The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has been working towards installing AI sensors in the cloudburst- and flood-prone areas of the upper regions of the country, in an effort to get real-time information to mitigate natural disaster risks. 

According to the research, India is highly prone to floods. “Out of the total geographical area of 329 million hectares (mha), more than 40 mha is flood-prone,” the NDMA’s website said.

Reinsurer Swiss Re noted that the devastating 2005 Mumbai flood resulted not only in more than 1,000 fatalities, it also caused extensive damage to infrastructure and businesses, denting the economy with claims of an estimated ₹2,250 crore ($500 million). It said that a repeat of this event today could cost as much as ₹20,000 crore ($2.3 billion). 

The central government is working on multiple technologies to mitigate the gap in the disaster alert systems and prevent major losses from natural disasters, such as cloudbursts, floods, and earthquakes, in the country.

“We have identified gaps on the part of state governments which can only be resolved with artificial intelligence, as the information is so much that until the artificial intelligence models for monitoring disasters are not deployed or trained, we cannot contain the impact,” people from NDMA aware of the matter said.

AI Factor

The government has upped its investments to plug in AI at the district, state, and national levels to get real-time data on disaster incidents. 

We have to make people at the district level capable of using the technology. The loss of life from the natural disaster should come down to zero

— Official from the National Disaster Management Authority

According to officials, the current technology used by the NDMA are on par or even better than several other countries, yet the government is now working on improving it further.

According to the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment, India reported 331 extreme weather incidents in 334 days in the first eleven months of 2025 – an increase from 295 days in 2024 and 292 in 2022.

Meanwhile, the NDMA is also planning to come up with ‘Cell Broadcast technology. “SMSs take time; they are sent sequentially, which takes time. Through this technology, the alerts or messages will go simultaneously even if the mobile phone is off,” the source said. 

SACHET App

To send out timely alerts, the NDMA uses multiple channels, including the SACHET app, a web portal, the RSS feed and a satellite receiver through which it sends disaster alerts to everyone, including fishermen in the coastal areas. 

SACHET provides warnings from authorised government sources and authorities to warn the public of a possible disaster situation. The app also provides various useful resources such as Dos & Don’ts, helpline numbers, alert effected area and satellite receiver connectivity feature. 

Now, the NDMA is integrating railways, radio stations and DTH through which it can alert people of upcoming events. “The proof of concept has been done and we are pushing MoIB to launch it as soon as possible,” sources said. 

According to IMD, approximately 2,760 fatalities were recorded across the country in 2025 as a result of various extreme weather events. Uttar Pradesh emerged as the most severely affected state, reporting over 410 deaths attributed to lightning, thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, floods, heatwaves, and coldwaves. 

Madhya Pradesh was also significantly impacted, with more than 350 fatalities linked to lightning, thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, floods, gales, and heatwaves. Maharashtra reported over 270 deaths, primarily due to heavy rainfall, flooding, lightning, thunderstorms, heat waves, and hailstorms. 

Jharkhand recorded more than 200 fatalities, largely caused by lightning associated with thunderstorms, as well as heavy rainfall and flooding. 

In addition, Bihar reported 174 deaths, Jammu and Kashmir 168, Himachal Pradesh 166, West Bengal 146, Uttarakhand 117, Odisha 110, and Rajasthan 107, with the remaining fatalities reported from other parts of the country. 

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)

Headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the National Disaster Management Authority is the apex body for disaster management in India.

NDMA focuses on mitigating the damage and destruction caused by natural and man-made disasters, through sustained and collective efforts of all government agencies, non-governmental organizations and people’s participation. This is planned to be accomplished by adopting a technology-driven, proactive, multi-hazard and multi-sectoral strategy for building a safer, disaster-resilient and dynamic India.

Set up under the Disaster Management Act of 2005, NDMA is responsible for laying down the policies, plans and guidelines for disaster management for ensuring timely and effective response to disasters in the country.