UNITIV

CHAPTER- 7 NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS:

CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES AND MANAGEMENT

This unit deals with• Floods and droughts• Earthquakes and tsunami• Cyclones • Landslides

NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS

What is a Disaster?
―Disaster is an undesirable occurrence resulting from forces that are largely outside human control,
strikes quickly with little or no warning, which causes or threatens serious disruption of life and
property including death and injury to a large number of people, and requires therefore,
mobilisation of efforts in excess of that which are normally provided by statutory emergency
services‖.
disasters as a consequence of natural forces; and human beings were treated as innocent and
helpless victims in front of the mighty forces of nature.
TYPES OF DISASTERS
NATURAL:
1. EARTH QUAKES. 2. VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS 3. LANDSLIDES 4. FOREST FIRES
5. FLOODS 6.TSUNAMIES 7. DISEASES
MAN MADE DISASTERS
1. NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS 2. EARTH QUAKES CAUSED BY DAM CONSTRUCTION
3.HIV AIDS 4 MINING 5. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION 6. LEAKAGE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL
Establishment of National Institute of Disaster Management, India, Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, 1993 and the World Conference on Disaster Management in May 1994 at Yokohama, Japan,
etc. are some of the concrete steps towards this direction initiated at different levels.
Natural Hazards are elements of circumstances in the Natural environment that have the potential
to cause harm to people or property or both.
Natural disasters are relatively sudden and cause large scale, widespread death, loss of property
and disturbance to social systems and life over which people have a little or no control.
Thus, any event can be classed as disaster when the magnitude of destruction and damage caused
by it is very high. Generally, disasters are generalized experiences of people the world over, and no
two disasters are similar and comparable to each other. Every disaster is unique in terms of the
local socio-environmental factors that control it, the social response it generates, and the way each
social group negotiates with it.
However, the opinion mentioned above is indicative of three important things.
1. Firstly, the magnitude, intensity, frequency and damages caused by natural disasters have
increased
over the years.
2.Secondly, there is a growing concern among people the world over to deal with the menace
created by these so that the loss of human life and property can be minimized.
3.finally, significant changes have taken place in the pattern of natural disasters over the years.
There has also been a change in the perception of natural disasters and hazards. Areas prone to
natural hazards, were more vulnerable to disasters.
Hence, this issue was raised at the U.N. General Assembly in 1989 and it was finally formalized at
the World Conference on Disaster Management in May 1994 at Yokohama, Japan. This was
subsequently called the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World.
Table 7.1 : Some Natural Disasters Since 1948
Year Location Type
1948 The Soviet Union (now Russia) Earthquakes
1949 China Floods
1954 China Floods
1965 East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) Tropical Cyclones
1968 Iran Earthquakes
1970 Peru Earthquakes
1970 East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) Tropical Cyclones
1971 India Tropical Cyclones
1976 China Earthquakes
1990 Iran Earthquakes
2004 Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, etc. Tsunamis
2005 Pakistan, India Earthquakes
2011 Japan Tsunami

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Source : United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), 1991
*News Report from National Institute for Disaster Management, Government of India, New Delhi
Table 7.2 : Classification of Natural Disasters

Yokohama Strategy and International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR)
Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World
All the member states of the United Nations and other states met at the World Conference on
Natural Disaster Reduction in the city of Yokohama from May 23rd- 27th 1994. It acknowledged
that the impact of natural disasters in terms of human and economic losses has risen in recent
years, and society, in general, has become vulnerable to natural disasters. It also accepted that
these disasters affected the poor and disadvantageous groups the worst, particularly in the
developing countries, which are ill-equipped to cope with them.

Hence, the conference adopted the Yokohama strategy as a guide to rest of the decade and beyond,
to mitigate the losses due to these disasters.
The resolution of the World Conference on Natural Disasters Reduction is as mentioned below:
(i) It will note that each country has the sovereign responsibility to protect its citizens from natural
disasters;
(ii) It will give priority attention to the developing countries, particularly the least developed, land-
locked countries and small-island developing states;
(iii) It will develop and strengthen national capacities and capabilities and, where appropriate,
national legislation for natural and other disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness, including
the mobilisation of non-governmental organisations and participation of local communities;
(iv) It will promote and strengthen sub-regional, regional and international cooperation in activities
to prevent, reduce and mitigate natural and other disasters, with particular emphasis on:
(a) human and institutional capacity-building and strengthening;
(b) technology sharing: the collection, the dissemination and utilisation of information; and
(c) mobilisation of resources.
It also declared the decade 1990-2000 as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction
(IDNDR).

NATURAL DISASTERS AND HAZARDS IN INDIA

REASONS FOR MORE DISASTERS IN INDIA

1.India is vast and diverse in terms of its physical and socio-cultural attributes.
2.It is largely due to its vast geographical area,
3.Environmental diversities and cultural pluralities that scholars often described it using two
meaningful adjectives like the ‗Indian-subcontinent‘ and the ‗land of unity in diversity‘.
4.Its vastness in terms of natural attributes combined with its prolonged colonial past, continuing
various forms of social discriminations and also equally large population have enhanced its
vulnerability to natural disasters.
Earthquakes
Earthquakes are by far the most unpredictable and highly destructive of all the natural disasters.
CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKES
1. NATURAL
A. tectonic B. volcanic C land slides
2.MAN MADE
1. mining 2. Nuclear explosion 3. Dam induced
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Earthquakes that are of tectonic origin have proved to be the most devastating and their area of
influence is also quite large.

These earthquakes
result from a series of
earth movements
brought about by a
sudden release of
energy during the
tectonic activities in
the earth‘s crust. As
compared to these, the
earthquakes associated
with volcanic eruption,
rock fall, landslides,
subsidence, particularly
in the mining areas,
impounding of dams and
reservoirs, etc. have
limited area of
influence and the scale
of damage.

National Geophysical
Laboratory, Geological
Survey of India,
Department of
Meteorology,
Government of India, along with
the recently formed National Institute of Disaster Management, have made an intensive analysis of
more than 1,200 earthquakes that have occurred in India in different years in the past, and based on
these, they divided India into the following five earthquake zones:

(i) Very high damage risk zone

(ii) High damage risk zone
(iii) Moderate damage risk zone
(iv) Very low damage risk zone.

1.Out of these, the first two zones had

experienced some of the most devastating
earthquakes in India. As shown in the Figure
areas vulnerable to these earthquakes are the
North-east states, areas to the north of
Darbhanga and Araria along the Indo-Nepal
border in Bihar, Uttarakhand, Western
Himachal Pradesh (around Dharamshala) and
Kashmir Valley in the Himalayan region and
the Kuchchh (Gujarat).

2. These are included in the Very High

Damage Risk Zone.
Similarly, the remaining parts of Jammu and
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Northern parts of
Punjab, Eastern parts of Haryana, Delhi, Western Uttar Pradesh, and Northern Bihar fall under the
High Damage Risk Zone.
3. Remaining parts of the country fall under moderate to very Low Damage Risk Zone.
Most of the areas that can be considered safe are from the stable landmass covered under the
Deccan plateau.

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Socio-Environmental Consequences of Earthquakes
The idea of an earthquake is often associated with fear and horror due to the scale, magnitude and
suddenness at which it spreads disasters on the surface of the earth without discrimination. It
becomes a calamity when it strikes the areas of high density of population. It not only damages and
destroys the settlements, infrastructure, transport and communication network, industries and
other developmental activities but also robs the population of their material and socio-cultural gains
that they have preserved over generations. It renders them homeless,
which puts an extra-pressure and stress, particularly on the weak economy of the developing
countries.

Effects of Earthquakes
Earthquakes have all encompassing disastrous effects on the area of their occurrence. Some of the
important ones are listed in Table 7.3.
Table 7.3 : Effects of Earthquakes

Earthquake Hazard Mitigation

Methods to decrease the effects of Earthquake

(i) Establishing earthquake monitoring centres (seismological centres) for regular monitoring and
fast dissemination of information among the people in the vulnerable areas. Use of Geographical
Positioning System (GPS) can be of great help in monitoring the movement of tectonic plates.
(ii) Preparing a vulnerability map of the country and dissemination of vulnerability risk information
among the people and educating them about the ways and means minimizing the adverse impacts of
disasters.
(iii) Modifying the house types and building designs in the vulnerable areas and discouraging
construction of high-rise buildings, large industrial establishments and big urban centres in such
areas.
(iv) Finally, making it mandatory to adopt earthquake-resistant designs and use light materials in
major construction activities in the vulnerable areas.

Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that cause the sea-floor to move abruptly resulting in sudden
displacement of ocean water in the form of high vertical waves are called tsunamis

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(harbour waves) or seismic sea waves. Normally, the seismic waves cause only one instantaneous
vertical wave; but, after the initial disturbance, a series of after waves are created in the water
that oscillate between high crest and low trough in order to restore the water level.
The speed of wave in the ocean depends upon the depth of water.
It is more in the shallow water than in the ocean deep.
As a result of this, the impact of tsunami is less over the ocean and more near the coast where they
cause large-scale devastations.
when a tsunami enters shallow water, its wave-length gets reduced and the period remains
unchanged, which increases the wave height. Sometimes, this height can be up to 15m or more,
which causes large-scale destructions along the shores. Thus, these are also called Shallow Water
Waves.
Tsunamis are frequently observed along the Pacific ring of fire, particularly along the coast of
Alaska, Japan, Philippines, and other islands of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri
Lanka, and India etc.

The effect of tsunami is more along the coast because the density of population is high.

MITIGATION

It is beyond the capacity of individual state or government to mitigate the damage. Hence,
combined efforts at the international levels are the possible ways of dealing with these disasters as
has been in the case of the tsunami that occurred on 26th December 2004 in which more than
300,000 people lost their lives. India has volunteered to join the International Tsunami Warning
System after the December 2004 tsunami disaster.

Tropical Cyclone
Tropical cyclones are intense low-
pressure are as confined to the area
lying between 30° N and 30° S
latitudes, in the atmosphere around
which high velocity winds blow.
Horizontally, it extends up to 500-
1,000 km and vertically from surface
to 12-14 km. A tropical cyclone
or hurricane is like a heat engine
that is energized by the release of
latent heat on account of the
condensation of moisture that the
wind initial conditions for the
emergence of a tropical cyclone
are:
(i) Large and continuous supply of
warm and moist air that can release enormous latent heat.
(ii) Strong Coriolis force that can prevent filling of low pressure at the centre (absence of Coriolis
force near the equator prohibits the formation of tropical cyclone between 0° -5°latitude).
(iii) Unstable condition through the troposphere that creates local disturbances around which a
cyclone develops.
(iv) Finally, absence of strong vertical wind wedge, which disturbs the vertical transport of latent
heat.

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Structure of Tropical Cyclone

Tropical cyclones are characterised by large pressure gradients. The centre of the cyclone is mostly
a warm and low-pressure, cloudless core known as eye of the storm. Generally, the isobars are
closely placed to each other showing high-pressure gradients. Normally, it varies between 14-
17mb/100 km, but sometimes it can be as high as 60mb/100km. Expansion of the wind belt is about
10-150 km from the centre.
Spatio-temporal Distribution of Tropical Cyclone in India
The tropical cyclones in India also originate in Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal
Though most of the cyclones originate between 10°-15° north latitudes during the monsoon season,
Yet in case of the Bay of Bengal, cyclones mostly develop during the months of October and
November. Here, they originate between 16°-2° N latitudes and to the west of 92° E. By July the
place of origin of these storms shifts to around 18° N latitude and west of 90°E near the Sunderban
Delta.
Consequences of Tropical Cyclones

It was mentioned that the energy to the tropical cyclone comes from the latent heat released by the
warm moist air. Hence, with the increase in distance from the sea, the force of the cyclone
decreases. In India, the force of the cyclone decreases with increase in distance from the Bay of
Bengal and the Arabian Sea. So, the coastal areas are often struck by severe cyclonic storms with an
average velocity of 180 km/h. Often, this results in abnormal rise in the sea level known as Storm
Surge.
A surge is generated due to interaction of air, sea and land. The cyclone provides the driving force
in the form of very high horizontal pressure-gradient and very strong surface winds. The sea water
flows
across the coast along with strong winds and heavy downpour. This results in inundation of human
settlements, agricultural fields, damaging crops and destruction of structures created by human
beings.

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 Floods
Causes of Floods
1. Sudden and Heavy rainfall
2. Loose soil
3. Deforestation
4. Unconsolidated material
5. Encroachment of rivers by the settlements
Areas of India frequently affected by floods

.
Rashtriya Barh Ayog (National Flood Commission) identified 40 million hectares of land as flood-
prone in India.
Consequence and Control of Floods
1.Frequent inundation of agricultural land and human settlement, particularly in Assam, West Bengal,
Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh
(flooding rivers), coastal areas of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (cyclone) and
Punjab, Rajasthan, Northern Gujarat and Haryana (flash floods) have
2.Serious consequences on the national economy and society.
3.Floods do not only destroy valuable crops every year but these also 4. damage physical
infrastructure such as roads, rails, bridges and human settlements.
5. Millions of people are rendered homeless and are also washed down along with their cattle in the
floods.
6.Spread of diseases like cholera, gastro-enteritis, hepatitis and other water-borne diseases spread
in the flood-affected areas.
7. Every year, floods deposit fertile silt over agricultural fields which is good for the crops.
8.Majuli (Assam), the largest riverine island in the world, is the best example of good paddy crops
after the annual floods in Brahmaputra.
METHODS TO CONTROL THE FLOODS
1. Construction of flood protection embankments in the flood-prone areas,
2. Construction of dams,
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3. Afforestation
4. Discouraging major construction activities in the upper reaches of most of the flood-creating
rivers
5. Removal of human encroachment from the river channels 6. depopulating the flood plains can be
the other steps.
7. Establishment of Cyclone centres may provide relief in coastal areas which are hit by a storm
surge.

Droughts
The term ‗drought‘ is applied to an extended period when there is a shortage of water availability
due to inadequate precipitation, excessive rate of evaporation and over-utilization of water from
the reservoirs and other storages, including the ground water.

Drought is a complex phenomenon as it involves elements of meteorology like

1. Precipitation
2. Evaporation,
3. Evapotranspiration,
4. Ground water,
5. Soil moisture,
6. Storage
7. Surface run-off,
8. Agricultural practices, particularly the types of crops grown, socio-economic practices and
ecological conditions.

Types of Droughts
Meteorological Drought : It is a situation when there is a prolonged period of inadequate rainfall
marked with mal-distribution of the same over time and space.

Agricultural Drought: It is also known as soil moisture drought, characterised by low soil moisture
that is necessary to support the crops, thereby resulting in crop failures. Moreover, if an area has
more than 30 per cent of its gross cropped area under irrigation, the area is excluded from the
drought-prone category.
Hydrological Drought: It results when the availability of water in different storages and reservoirs
like aquifers, lakes, reservoirs, etc. falls below what the precipitation can replenish.
Ecological Drought : When the productivity of a natural ecosystem fails due to shortage of water and
as a consequence of ecological distress, damages are induced in the ecosystem

Drought Prone Areas in India

Droughts and floods are the two
accompanying features of Indian
climate.
According to some estimates, nearly 19 per
cent of the total geographical area ofthe
country and 12 per cent of its total
population suffer due to drought every year.
About 30 per cent of the country‘s total
area is identified as drought prone affecting
around
50 million people.
It is a common experience that while some
parts of the country reel under floods, there
are regions that face severe drought during
the same period. Moreover, it is also a
common sight to witness that one region
suffers due to floods in one season and
experiences drought in the other. This is
mainly because of the large-scale variations
and unpredictability in the behaviour of the
monsoon in India.
On the basis of severity of droughts, India
can be divided into the following regions:

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Extreme Drought Affected Areas : most parts of Rajasthan, particularly areas to the west of the
Aravali hills, i.e. Marusthali and Kachchh regions of Gujarat fall in this category. Included here are
also the districts like Jaisalmer and Barmer from the Indian desert that receive less that 90 mm
average annual rainfall.

Severe Drought Prone Area: Parts of eastern Rajasthan, most parts of Madhya Pradesh, eastern parts
of Maharashtra, interior parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka Plateau, northern parts of interior
Tamil Nadu and southern parts of Jharkhand and interior Orissa are included in this category.

Moderate Drought Affected Area : Northern parts of Rajasthan, Haryana, southern districts of Uttar
Pradesh, the remaining parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra except Konkan, Jharkhand and Coimbatore
plateau of Tamil Nadu and interior Karnataka are included in this category.
The remaining parts of India can be considered either free or less prone to the drought.
Consequences of Drought
1.Crop failure leading to scarcity of food grains (akal),
2.fodder (trinkal),
3.inadequate rainfall, resulting in shortage of water (jalkal),
4.and often shortage in all the three (trikal) is most devastating.
5.Large-scale death of cattle and other animals,
6.migration of humans and livestock are the most common sight to be seen in the drought affected
areas.
7.Scarcity of water compels people To consume contaminated water resulting in spread of many
waterborne diseases like gastro-enteritis, cholera, hepatitis, etc.

MITIGATION
1. Provision for the distribution of safe drinking water,
2. Medicines for the victims
3. Availability of fodder and water for the cattle
4. shifting of the people and their livestock to safer places,
5 .Identification of ground water potential in the form of aquifers,
6. Transfer of river water from the surplus to the deficit areas,
7. Planning for inter-linking of rivers
8. Construction of reservoirs and dams,
9. Remote sensing and satellite imageries can be useful in identifying the possible river-basins that
can be inter-linked and in identifying the ground water potential.
10. Dissemination of knowledge about drought-resistant crops and proper training to practice the
same can be some of the long-term measures that will be helpful in drought-mitigation.
11. Rainwater harvesting can also be an effective method in minimizing the effects of drought.

Landslides
1.landslides are largely controlled by highly localised factors. Hence, gathering information and
monitoring the possibilities of landslide is not only difficult but also immensely cost-intensive.
2.It is always difficult to define in a precise statement and generalize the occurrence and behavior
of a landslide.
CONTROLLING FACTORS :1. Geology 2.Geomorphicagents 3.Slope, 4.Land-use 5.Vegetation cover
and
6.Human activities
India has been divided into a number of zones.

Landslide Vulnerability Zones

Very High Vulnerability Zone : Highly unstable, relatively young mountainous areas in the Himalayas
and Andaman and Nicobar, high rainfall regions with steep slopes in the Western Ghats and Nilgiris,
the north-eastern regions, along with areas that experience frequent ground-shaking due to
earthquakes, etc. and areas of intense human activities, particularly those related to construction
of roads, dams, etc. are included in this zone.

High Vulnerability Zone : Areas that have almost similar conditions to those included in the very
high vulnerability zone are also included in this category. The only difference between these two is
the combination, intensity and frequency of the controlling factors. All the Himalayan states and the
states from the north-eastern regions except the plains of Assam are included in the high
vulnerability zones.

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Moderate to Low Vulnerability Zone : Areas that receive less precipitation such as Trans Himalayan
areas of Ladakh and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh), undulated yet stable relief and low precipitation
areas in the Aravali, rain shadow areas in the Western and Eastern Ghats and Deccan plateau also
experience occasional landslides. Landslides due to mining and subsidence are most common in
states like Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Kerala.

Other Areas : The remaining parts of India, particularly states like Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal (except district Darjiling), Assam (except district Karbi Anglong) and
Coastal regions of the southern States are safe as far as landslides are concerned.

Consequences of Landslides
1. roadblock,
2. destruction of railway lines
3. channel-blocking due to rock-falls have far-reaching consequences.
4 Diversion of river courses due to landslides can also lead to flood and
5 .loss of life and property.

Mitigation
1. Restriction on the construction and other developmental activities such as roads and dams,
2. limiting agriculture to valleys and areas with moderate slopes,
3. control on the development of large settlements in the high vulnerability zones,
4. promoting large-scale afforestation programmes
5. construction of bunds to reduce the flow of water.
6. Terrace farming should be encouraged in the northeastern hill
states where Jhumming (Slash and Burn/Shifting Cultivation) is still prevalent.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
1. Construction of cyclone shelters, embankments, dykes, reservoirs
2.Afforestation to reduce the speed of the winds are some of the steps that can help in minimizing
the damages by cyclones
3. implementation of The Disaster Management Bill, 2005,

CONCLUSION

MITIGATION AND PREPAREDNESS.

There are three stages involved in disaster mitigation and management:
(i) Pre-disaster management involves
1. generating data and information about the disasters,
2. preparing vulnerability zoning maps
3. spreading awareness among the people about these
4. disaster planning,
5. preparedness and preventive measures are other steps that need to be taken in the vulnerable
areas.
(ii) During disasters,
1. rescue and relief operations such as
A. evacuation, B .construction of shelters C. relief camps, D. supplying of water, food, clothing and
medical aids etc. should be done on an emergency basis.
(iii) Post-disaster operations should involve
A. rehabilitation
B. recovery of victims.
E. concentrate on capacity building in order to cope up with future
disasters, if any.

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