BMTPC is known for its Vulnerability Atlas of India (VAI) worldwide since it is one of its kind disaster preparedness tool which has endeavored to bring all the scientific & engineering data pertaining to natural hazards on GIS platform and developed state wise hazard maps and district wise risk tables in terms of earthquakes, wind/cyclones and flood. Ever since its first publication in 1997, BMTPC has been perpetually striving to update its database as and when any value-added information percolate from the authentic sources and as a result, BMTPC has been successful in delivering the Vulnerability Atlas of India 2006 and now its third edition in 2019. This humongous task of collating information from different sources, departments would not have been possible only because organizations namely, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Geological Survey of India (GSI), Survey of India (SOI), Census of India (COI), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Central Water Commission (CWC), Department of Earthquake Engineering, IIT, Roorkee, Structural Engineering Research Centre (CSIR-SERC), Chennai, extended their full S&T support and cooperation and shared their data. BMTPC wishes to acknowledge profusely their contribution and place on record deep appreciations for respective heads of the organizations and the officers deputed for the task. The maps, datasets of these organizations have been used freely in evolving the Atlas.
The seed of Vulnerability Atlas of India was sown in 1994 and therefore, I would be failing my duties, if I do not acknowledge the contributions made by predecessors for making the Atlas reality. We have just taken the legacy forward with more value-addition.
The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (erstwhile Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation / Ministry of Urban Development) deserves special mention in this effort for reposing faith in BMTPC and providing ministry's support in accomplishing the tedious tasks of bringing various organizations on one platform. I would like to place on record the invaluable contribution made by the Members of the Peer Group and the scientists and engineers for their enthusiastic cooperation extended in completing the various tasks.
The one person who germinated the idea of Vulnerability Atlas of India is Padamshree Prof. A.S. Arya who worked as a chairman for all the three Expert/Peer Groups responsible for bringing out three editions of Vulnerability Atlas of India. It is BMTPC's fortune to have him as Chairman and guide/mentor the entire proceedings and development of Atlas. Prof. Arya is the main force behind this huge task and we all worked under his direction and it can be safely said that Atals would not have been possible without his active support and encouragement. On behalf of BMTPC and Peer group, I wish to thank him for his effort and sincerely hope that he will help us further in developing many such documents. We salute to his vigor, undying approach and unstinted support to the cause of disaster management in India.
I also wish to thank the current Peer Group members, Shri Prabhas Pande, Former Addl.Director General, Geological Survey of India (GSI), Lucknow (in personal capacity); Prof. Y. Singh, Professor, Earthquake Engineering Department, IIT Roorkee; Dr. (Mrs.) S. Selvi Rajan, Chief - Scientist (Wind Engineering), Dr. K. Balaji Rao, Chief - Scientist (S.C.E&T/R.R.S.), Dr. P.Hari Krishna, Sr.Principal Scientist, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai; Dr. M. Mohapatra, Scientist G, Shri Charan Singh, Scientist E, National Weather Forecasting Centre, India Meteorological Department, New Delhi; Dr. Saibal Ghosh, Director, Geological Survey of India, New Delhi; Shri O.P. Gupta, Director (FE&SA), Central Water Commission, New Delhi; Dr. V. Bhanumurthy, Group Director, DMS Group & Project Director, NDEM, National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad, for their contributions, guidance and support for the development of the Atlas. I also place on record my deep appreciation to Shri Sharad Kr. Gupta, Dy.Chief (TDE&IC) & Shri J.K. Prasad, Former Chief (BM) of BMTPC for editing the maps, checking the text and bringing the Atlas to a presentable form.
Last but not the least, Shri Dalip Kumar, Sr.Field Officer (DC&E), BMTPC deserve special applaud and praise for preparing all the maps, vulnerability risk tables, digitization on GIS platform, date collection from agencies along with Mrs. Anita Kumar, Sr.Programmer and Ms. Charchika Shirivastava, GIS Assistant. The three editions of VAI are result of hard work and dedication of BMTPC team. The entire BMTPC family also deserves heartfelt thanks for supporting the work directly and indirectly
