{"id":87115,"date":"2026-10-21T18:22:55","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T12:52:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=87115"},"modified":"2026-10-21T18:23:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T12:53:22","slug":"disaster-resilience-telecom-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-10-2026\/disaster-resilience-telecom-infrastructure","title":{"rendered":"Disaster Resilience of Telecom Infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Disaster Management, Infrastructure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A study by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has identified multi-hazard vulnerabilities in telecom towers across five high-risk states of India-Assam, Gujarat, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Findings of the Report<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The study mapped 48,416 telecom towers across <strong>Tamil Nadu<\/strong> and found <strong>57%<\/strong> face high or very high cyclonic wind risk.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In Gujarat and Uttarakhand, <strong>28% and 25%<\/strong> of telecom towers are exposed to very high cyclonic winds, respectively.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While<strong> 12%<\/strong> of Gujarat\u2019s telecom towers face flood exposure, 10% of those in Uttarakhand are located in areas with high landslide susceptibility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Additionally, all towers in Assam and Uttarakhand, and 12% of towers in Gujarat, are located in high and very high<strong> seismic zones (Zone IV and V).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Establishment:<\/strong> CDRI was established in <strong>2019<\/strong> under the leadership of the Government of India with the support of<strong> United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) <\/strong>during the <strong>United Nations Climate Action Summit in 2019 in New York.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Members:<\/strong> It is a multi-stakeholder global partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks, the private sector, and academic institutions.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Secretariat:<\/strong> New Delhi.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>CDRI aims<\/strong> to promote the resilience of infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The CDRI supports countries to upgrade their systems to ensure disaster and climate resilience of existing and future infrastructure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>National Disaster Management Authority<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is the apex statutory body for Disaster Management in India, established through the <strong>Disaster Management Act, 2005.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Act envisaged the creation of the NDMA, headed by the <strong>Prime Minister,<\/strong> and <strong>State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) <\/strong>headed by respective <strong>Chief Ministers<\/strong>, to spearhead and implement a holistic and integrated approach to Disaster Management in India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Functions &amp; Responsibilities;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Lay down policies <\/strong>on disaster management,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Approve plans<\/strong> prepared by the ministries or departments of the Government of India in accordance with the National Plan,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lay down guidelines<\/strong> to be followed by the state authorities in drawing up the State Plan,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coordinate the enforcement and implementation<\/strong> of the policy and plans for disaster management,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Recommend provision of funds<\/strong> for the purpose of mitigation etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Telecommunication Sector of India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is the<strong> second-largest telecommunications market<\/strong> globally as of 2026, with a total <strong>telephone subscriber base of 1,337.54 million<\/strong> and a<strong> tele-density of 93.69% <\/strong>as of April 2026.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The sector has contributed about<strong> 15% to global GDP<\/strong> in the past decade and is projected to reach a <strong>$2.8 trillion market by 2030.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The total internet subscribers<\/strong> in the country reached<strong> 1.09 billion <\/strong>at the end of March 2026.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As of April 2026, the Indian broadband market remains highly concentrated, with the<strong> top five service providers<\/strong> (Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., Bharti Airtel Ltd., Vodafone Idea Ltd , Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd.) accounting for<strong> 98.61<\/strong> percent of the total subscriber base.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e3c3a4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"792\" height=\"638\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-130.png\" alt=\"Telecommunication Sector of India\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-87116\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e3c3a4; aspect-ratio:1.2413852220126864;width:538px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-130.png 792w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-130-300x242.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-130-768x619.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 792px) 100vw, 792px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Initiatives taken by the Government<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>GatiShakti Sanchar Portal: <\/strong>A single-window clearance platform that fast-tracks Right-of-Way (RoW) permissions for laying optical fiber and telecom towers across states.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>BharatNet Project:<\/strong> Focuses on connecting all Gram Panchayats and rural habitations with high-speed optical fiber broadband, backed by the updated Digital Bharat Nidhi framework.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme:<\/strong> Encourages domestic manufacturing of telecom and networking products to reduce import dependency and drive local exports.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bharat 6G Vision:<\/strong> It aims to transform India from a consumer of telecom technology into a leading global provider, developer, and exporter of affordable, advanced communications systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Telecommunications Act, 2023:<\/strong> Replaces Indian Telegraph Act of 1885 to modernise spectrum management, strengthen public safety, and streamline licensing rules.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Improve local hazard mapping:<\/strong> Identify vulnerable sites at district and sub-district levels and prioritise investment according to overlapping risks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhance inter-agency coordination:<\/strong> Develop joint restoration protocols involving telecom operators, power utilities, road agencies and disaster management authorities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen restoration capacity: <\/strong>Maintain fuel reserves, emergency equipment and trained local teams to accelerate repairs following disasters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/assam\/cyclonic-winds-flooding-are-common-threats-to-telecom-towers-in-assam-tamil-nadu-finds-study-find\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> A study by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has identified multi-hazard vulnerabilities in telecom towers across five high-risk states of India-Assam, Gujarat, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Key Findings of the Report <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The study mapped 48,416 telecom towers across Tamil Nadu and found 57% face high or very high cyclonic wind risk. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> In Gujarat and Uttarakhand, 28% and 25% of telecom towers are exposed to very high cyclonic winds, respectively. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-10-2026\/disaster-resilience-telecom-infrastructure \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87115"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87118,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87115\/revisions\/87118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}