DISASTER MANAGEMENT

FLOODS AND EARTHQUAKES

Presented by:
A Anjana
Harsh Gupta
Abhishek Kumar
Anamika Sinha
Amrita Rajan
A disaster, whether natural or human induced is an event that results in great
amount of human loss, accompanied by loss of property and livelihood.

On a large scale, a disaster is obviously a big blow to the country’s economy.

Disaster management is how we deal with the human, material, economic or

environmental impacts of said disaster, it is the process of how we “prepare for,
respond to and learn from the effects of major failures” . Though often caused by
nature, disasters can have human origins.

Two of the most fatal natural disasters are floods and earthquakes.

Floods
A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land that is usually dry. Human
changes to the environment often increase the intensity and frequency of
flooding, for example land use changes such as deforestation and removal of
wetlands, changes in waterway course or flood controls such as with levees, and
larger environmental issues such as climate change and sea level rise.
What are the causes of flood?
Following are the causes of flood-

Natural causes

 Heavy rainfall

Heavy rainfall in the catchment area of a river causes water to overflow

resulting in floods in nearby areas.

 Snow melting in summer

Himalayan rivers like Ganga cause flood in summer too due to the melting of
snow.

The floods of Brahmaputra river are due to both rainfall and snowmelt.

 Geography

The heavy rainfall in hilly region causes floods in low lying nearby areas.

 Deposition of sediment

River beds become shallow due to continuous sedimentation.

The rivers bring huge amount of sedimentation reducing water carrying

capacity which results in overflow of water in huge amount.

 Change in course of the rivers

Meandering nature of rivers in youthful stages cause in the change of course

and brings floods.
  Landslides

 Tsunami and cyclones: Tsunami brings huge amounts of water to the

coasts and flooding occurs.

Anthropogenic causes

 Deforestation

1. Vegetation restricts the flow of water and helps in percolation.

2. The deforestation makes land obstruction-free.
3. The deforestation also accelerates soil erosion and silting of river beds
reducing its carrying capacity faster.

 Trespassing and interference of Drainage system

1. The ill-planned construction of railways, roads, bridges and canals without

paying heed to the natural fluvial regime cause floods.
2. Encroachment of natural floodplains for agriculture, infrastructure
development reduces the retention capacity of the rivers.

 Population pressure

1. Population pressure, especially in urban areas, causes faulty land use

patterns, surface sealing that increases runoff.
2. The encroachment of water reservoirs like lakes in urban areas.

Effects of floods

 Loss of life

Floods cause huge losses of life.

Kerala floods of 2018 caused the death of 445 people

 Agriculture

Recurrent floods submerge fields of agriculture leading to loss of harvest.

The flood may render soil infertile by affecting its ingredients.

 Infrastructure

Floods cause immense damage to the infrastructure like railways, roads,

bridges.

Electricity generation and distribution infrastructure is damaged.

 Health issues

Lack of cleanliness, death of livestock and polluted water creates many health
issues

The floods bring an outbreak of a disease like malaria, diarrhea and other
waterborne disease.

In fact, more deaths are caused due to after flood outbreaks than actual floods
some times.

 Economy

Economy faces double impact of destruction of infrastructure and cost of

rebuilding.

The funds must be released for rescue, relief, and rehabilitation that may
have been planned for developmental work
  Environment

The floods occurring in forest areas damage the ecosystem.

There is a loss of flora and fauna.

Mitigation measures

Structural measures

1. Levees: A levee is an embankment constructed by engineers out of organic

materials such as earth and stone, in order to prevent the flooding from a
free flowing body of water in a specific location such as a residential
community.
2. Flood walls: Flood walls are constructed out of materials such as concrete
or steel in order to control the flow of flood waters and prevent the
flooding of specific areas.
3. Fills: A fill is an area of land dug out usually behind a levee in order to
capture excess flood waters and prevent flood damage to human
structures.
4. Dams: The primary purpose of this structure unlike a levee is to retain
water, not to manage flood water. A dam can produce hydroelectricity as
well as regulate water levels by opening and closing the retaining doors.
5. Reservoirs: The man-made lakes produced as a result of the creation of a
dam which can slow the flow of the river downstream. Furthermore, a
reservoir can be used for fresh water for a community as well as a
preserve for fish and wildlife.
6. Reducing bed roughness: This method of mitigation smooths the bed of
the river, which allows for the river to flow faster and reduces the
likelihood of a flood.
Non-structural measures

Land use planning and zoning tools: Local municipalities can institute zoning
laws in their comprehensive plans in order to prevent development of
residential and commercial properties in high risk flood prone areas. This
planning can further restrict where buildings can be constructed, as well as if
these buildings must be flood-proofed. Flood-proofing is a process that involves
raising the foundation of the building, berms, flood walls, and/or sealant in order
to prevent or reduce the damages inflicted from flood waters.

Education: Homeowners and renters need to educate themselves before moving

into a new home to determine if their home is in a floodplain area. By identifying
if your potential home is in a floodplain area, you can decrease your risk of being
a flood victim.

Environmentally sensitive area protection: Areas such as wetlands can be

protected by local municipalities by preventing development in those areas.

Flood forecasting and warning methods: By using methods, such as a stream

gauge, local officials can determine whether or not a river or creek will flood
based on the level of the water and how quickly it is rising.