ABSTRACT
Disasters, many of which are exacerbated by climate change and which are increasing in frequency and intensity, significantly impede progress towards sustainable development. Evidence indicates that exposure of persons and assets in all countries has increased faster than vulnerability has decreased, thus generating new risks and a steady rise in disaster-related losses, with a significant economic, social, health, cultural and environmental impact in the short, medium and long term, especially at the local and community levels. In light of these factors, this paper will investigate where the principal model through which Bihar State Disaster Management model aligns with and supports the meeting of the targets and priorities that have been set out in the current UN framework, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) (UNISDR, 2015). In doing so, this paper will enable those working with BSDM concepts to understand where BSDM and the Sendai framework need to be meshed in order to reinforce the DRR aspects of their practice. It will also identify where gaps may exist between the capabilities, capacities and competences inhered within BSDM doctrine and practice and those of any other sectors, whose engagement with disaster risk reducing activities will undoubtedly be necessary to meet SFDRR targets at the local and national scales.
