Among 171 countries, India ranked 77 in disaster risk index of the world

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While Bangladesh is among the top five countries at risk of disaster, India ranks 77th on the World Risk Index — marginally better positioned than Pakistan which is placed 72.

The index is part of the World Risk Report 2016 released on Thursday by the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and Bundnis Entwicklung Hilft in cooperation with the University of Stuttgart in Germany.

The index assessed the risk of disaster in 171 countries through the combined analysis of natural hazards and societal vulnerabilities.

Ranking No.1, the island state of Vanuatu displayed the greatest risk in 2016.

The researchers concluded in the report that lack of critical infrastructure and weak logistic chains substantially increase the risk that an extreme natural event will become a disaster.

“When it comes to aid measures following extreme natural events, the challenges mostly lie in the ‘last mile’ of the logistics chain: organising transportation despite destroyed streets or bridges and ensuring fair distribution when there is a shortage of (for example) water, food, and shelter,” explained Peter Mucke, Project Manager of the World Risk Report and Managing Director of Bundnis Entwicklung Hilft.

Crumbling transport routes, unreliable electricity grids, and dilapidated buildings not only hinder humanitarian aid from overseas, but also delay crucial aid for those affected in the event of a disaster, Mucke noted.

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