TSUNAMI IN INDIA: PREPAREDNESS AND RISK MANAGENENT

1. INTRODUCTION
A tsunami is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large
volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions and other underwater explosions (including detonations, landslides, glacier
calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances) above or below water all have the
potential to generate a tsunami. Unlike normal ocean waves, which are generated by
wind, or tides, which are generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun,
a tsunami is generated by the displacement of water.

Tsunami waves do not resemble normal undersea currents or sea waves because their
wavelength is far longer. Rather than appearing as a breaking wave, a tsunami may
instead initially resemble a rapidly rising tide. For this reason, it is often referred to as
a tidal wave, although this usage is not favoured by the scientific community because
it might give the false impression of a causal relationship between tides and
tsunamis. Tsunamis generally consist of a series of waves, with periods ranging from
minutes to hours, arriving in a so-called "wave train". Wave heights of tens of metres
can be generated by large events. Although the impact of tsunamis is limited to
coastal areas, their destructive power can be enormous, and they can affect entire
ocean basins. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest natural
disasters in human history, with at least 230,000 people killed or missing in 14
countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
 2. CAUSES:
Earthquakes

It can be generated by movements along fault zones associated with plate boundaries. The
region where two plates come in contact is a plate boundary, and the way in which one plate
moves relative to another determines the type of boundary:

 spreading, where two plates move away from each other;

 subduction, where two plates move towards each other and one slides beneath the
other;
 transform where two plates slide horizontally past each other.

Most strong earthquakes occur in subduction zones where an ocean plate slides under a
continental plate or another younger ocean plate.

All earthquakes do not cause tsunamis. There are four conditions necessary for an earthquake
to cause a tsunami:

1. The earthquake must occur beneath the ocean or cause material to slide into the
ocean.
2. The earthquake must be strong, at least magnitude6.5 on the Richter Scale
3. The earthquake must rupture the Earth’s surface and it must occur at shallow depth –
less than 70km below the surface of the Earth.
4. The earthquake must cause vertical movement of the sea floor (up to several metres).
Landslides
A landslide which occurs along the coast can force large amounts of water into the sea,
disturbing the water and generate a tsunami. Underwater landslides can also result in
tsunamis when the material loosened by the landslide moves violently, pushing the water in
front of it.

Volcanic Eruption

Although relatively infrequent, violent volcanic eruptions represent also impulsive

disturbances, which can displace a great volume of water and generate extremely destructive
tsunami waves in the immediate source area. According to this mechanism, waves may be
generated by the sudden displacement of water caused by a volcanic explosion, by a volcanos
slope failure, or more likely by a phreatomagmatic explosion and collapse/engulfment of the
volcanic magmatic chambers.
One of the largest and most destructive tsunamis ever recorded was generated in August 26,
1883 after the explosion and collapse of the volcano of Krakatoa (Krakatau), in Indonesia.
This explosion generated waves that reached 135 feet, destroyed coastal towns and villages
along the Sunda Strait in both the islands of Java and Sumatra, killing 36, 417 people.

Extraterrestrial Collision
 
Tsunamis caused by extra-terrestrial collision (i.e. asteroids, meteors) are an extremely rare
occurrence. Although no meteor/asteroid induced tsunami have been recorded in recent
history, scientists realize that if these celestial bodies should strike the ocean, a large volume
of water would undoubtedly be displaced to cause a tsunami. Scientists have calculated that if
a moderately large asteroid, 5-6 km in diameter, should strike the middle of the large ocean
basin such as the Atlantic Ocean, it would produce a tsunami that would travel all the way to
the Appalachian Mountains in the upper two-thirds of the United States. On both sides of the
Atlantic, coastal cities would be washed out by such a tsunami. An asteroid 5-6 kilometres in
diameter impacting between the Hawaiian Islands and the West Coast of North America,
would produce a tsunami which would wash out the coastal cities on the West coasts of
Canada, U.S. and Mexico and would cover most of the inhabited coastal areas of the
Hawaiian islands.

3. EFFECTS
3.1 POSITIVE EFFECTS:

1 Positive Effects of Earthquakes: Engineering

Because earthquakes are unavoidable and unpredictable, scientists and engineers create
ways to make structures quake-resistant and more stable. Places like California, where
earthquakes constantly occur, have buildings and structures designed to survive
earthquakes. Engineers build quake-resistant buildings by using lighter materials and
creating structures that can handle sideway loads, as high-rise structures tend to “sway”
during major earthquakes.

2 Positive: Natural Process of Earth’s Cycle

Earthquakes happen because our planet needs to “adjust” itself in order to maintain its
proper equilibrium. Whether we like it or not, earthquakes are going to happen because
tectonic plates continuously adjust and release pressure. Aside from this regular “self-
correction,” earthquakes also allow nutrients and minerals to cycle from the ocean to the
earth’s surface. Hugh Ross, one of the astrophysicists in Royal Astronomical Society in
Canada, said that “In the absence of an earthquake or tectonic activity, the nutrients needed
by living on the land would be undermined from the continent and collected in the oceans.”

3.2 NEGATIVE EFFECTS

1. Devastation of Homes

Tsunamis can destroy entire buildings and can cause serious property damage. Many
individuals who live in an area hit by a tsunami lose everything they own, which leaves
them homeless and without resources in the initial aftermath. Some of the tsunami effects
include leveling homes down to their foundations and exposing bedrock. The rebuilding
process is expensive, time-consuming and psychologically tumultuous for people.

2. Loss of Life

Tsunami dangers are difficult to detect far out at sea, since waves do not begin to gain size
until they reach shallower waters. As a result, they strike with very little warning, often
resulting in a huge loss of human life. The tsunami that struck northern Japan after an
offshore earthquake on March 11, 2011, killed at least 14,340 people, which crushed
buildings and left thousands trapped under debris or pulled out to sea.

3. Damage to the Economy

Daily life for individuals in a nation affected by a tsunami changes because of the damage
the disaster causes to the economy. Locations that were previously popular destinations for
visitors suffer depression as a result of lost tourism, with people staying away out of fear
and during reconstruction. Rebuilding after a tsunami puts a significant financial strain on
governments as well, resulting in an economic downturn that can affect entire regions of the
world.

4. Disease and Contamination

After a tsunami, contaminated water and food supplies pose a risk to people's health. Flood
waters can carry many sources of contamination such as dirt or oil. In addition, infectious
diseases increase after a tsunami. Malaria and cholera may become more common. People
may have to stay in shelters or other close quarters that make spreading diseases easier.

5. Other Health Effects

Tsunamis can lead to other devastating health consequences. People may have traumatic
injuries from the destruction of property and landscapes. Many people may suffer from
broken bones or brain injuries. The loss of normal shelters can also leave them exposed to
wind and hot or cold temperatures. They may also suffer mental health issues such as post-
traumatic stress disorder or anxiety.

6. Serious Environmental Changes

After a tsunami strikes, landscapes that previously constituted picturesque beaches or
seaside towns become a wasteland. In addition to the destruction of human construction,
tsunamis destroy vegetation such as trees, resulting in landslides and coastlines that slip
into the sea as deep root systems that previously held land in place get ripped out. These
changes force human inhabitants to rebuild in an entirely different way, redesigning
their lifestyles and livelihoods around an altered environment.