Assignment #1

Zarak Khan Mahsud

CU-255-2016

Civil-B

20/03/2020

“Hazard & Disaster”

What is a Hazard?
A hazard is a situation where there is a threat to life, health, environment, or
property. Earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, wildfires, landslides, droughts, and volcanic
eruptions are natural hazards that cause a lot of destruction. They are natural phenomenon
that take place without regard to humans and do not strike a place taking into account the
built environment or the population. When any of these hazards takes place in an area that
is desolate, it causes no harm to human lives or property. Hence, it is not called a disaster
though technically it is the same phenomenon that would have raised an alarm had it taken
place in an area that was thickly populated. It is clear then that a hazard is an event that has
the potential to cause widespread destruction and loss of lives and property. But, when a
hazard strikes an area that has no human population, though it still has destructive
properties, it is not termed as a disaster.

When there are natural hazards, they cannot be prevented. But we can certainly learn to
live in harmony with nature by not taking steps that can turn hazards into major disasters. If
one takes into account the cost that we finally pay when a disaster strikes and the cost of
averting it, we come to a conclusion that it is prudent to be prepared rather than inviting the
wrath of nature on a very large scale.

What is a Disaster?
A disaster is an event that completely disrupts the normal ways of a community. It brings on
human, economical, and environmental losses to the community which the community
cannot bear on its own. Earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, wildfires, landslides, droughts, and
volcanic eruptions are termed as disasters when they occur in places that are heavily
inhabited areas. Tornados and typhoons occur frequently in many parts of the world but are
labeled as disasters only when they take place where there is built environment and human
population.

There are factors that are manmade and that help in turning a hazard into a disaster. The
way and the speed in which deforestation is taking place in many parts of the world have
resulted in an increased frequency of floods that lead to widespread destruction.
Earthquakes in seismic zones that are prone to them cannot be prevented but high
concentration of human population and inadequately built houses that cannot withstand
earthquakes lead to disasters at a very high level resulting in loss of valuable lives.

What is the difference between Hazard and Disaster?

• A hazard is a situation where there is a threat to life, health, environment or property.

• A disaster is an event that completely disrupts the normal ways of a community. It brings
on human, economical, and environmental losses to the community which the community
cannot bear on its own.
• Hazards are natural or manmade phenomenon that are a feature of our planet and cannot
be prevented. In their dormant state, hazards just pose a threat to life and property.

• These hazards are termed as disasters when they cause widespread destruction of
property and human lives. Once a hazard becomes active and is no longer just a threat, it
becomes a disaster.

• Both hazards and disasters are natural as well as manmade.

• We can prevent hazards becoming disasters if we learn to live in harmony with nature and
take precautionary steps.
Example:
1- The active volcano existence is a hazard for the houses and when the eruption
occurs and the damaged caused to the residents in loss of life and property is a
disaster.
2- The running river stream along the residents have the potential i.e., is hazardous in
case of full flow and during flooding season causes disaster in the shape of
inundation,