Earthquake

An earthquake is the shaking of the surface of the earth due to the sudden release of energy
in the earth’s crust. As a result, seismic waves (also known as S waves) are created. The
seismic activities in an area determine the type and intensity of the earthquake.

Effects of an Earthquake
Following are the effects of the earthquake:

 Ground shaking: Surface waves that are near the epicenter are responsible for the
earthquake. The intensity of ground shaking depends on the duration, local geology,
and distance.

 Damage to a man-made structure.

 An outbreak of fire and spilling of hazardous chemicals.

 Earthquake zones in India

There are a total of 5 earthquake zones in India, and they are:

 Zone 5: Highly prone to earthquakes. Punjab, Kashmir, and North-East India.

 Zone 4: Parts of Delhi, Jammu, Bihar, and Indo-Gangetic basin.

 Zone 3: Moderate damage risk. Western Himalayan plains, Andaman and Nicobar
Islands.

 Zone 2 and 1: Low damage risk.

The Earthquake Risk in India

 India's increasing population and extensive unscientific constructions mushrooming
all over, including multistoried luxury apartments, huge factory buildings, gigantic
malls, supermarkets as well as warehouses and masonry buildings keep - India at
high risk. During the last 15 years, the country has experienced 10 major
earthquakes that have resulted in over 20,000 deaths. As per the current seismic
zone map of the country (IS 1893: 2002), over 59 per cent of India’s land area is
under threat of moderate to severe seismic hazard-; that means it is prone to
shaking of MSK Intensity VII and above (BMTPC, 2006). In fact, the entire Himalayan
belt is considered prone to great earthquakes of magnitude exceeding 8.0-; and in a
relatively short span of about 50 years, four such earthquakes have occurred: 1897
Shillong (M8.7); 1905 Kangra (M8.0); 1934 Bihar-Nepal (M8.3); and 1950 Assam-
Tibet (M8.6). Scientific publications have warned of the likelihood of the occurrence
of very severe earthquakes in the Himalayan region, which could adversely affect the
lives of several million people in India.

Case Study: Gujarat EarthquakeA Powerful Earthquake of magnitude 6.9 on Richter-

Scale rocked the Western Indian State of Gujarat on the 26 th of January, 2001. It
caused extensive damage to life & property. This earthquake was so devastating in
its scale and suffering that the likes of it had not been experienced in past 50 years.
Leaving thousands seriously injured, bruised and handicapped; both physically,
psychologically and economically. The epicenter of the quake was located at 23.6
north Latitude and 69.8 east Longitude, about 20 km Northeast of Bhuj Town of the
Kutch district in Western Gujarat. At a depth of only 23 kms below surface this quake
generated intense shaking which was felt in 70% region of India and far beyond in
neighbouring Pakistan and Nepal too. This was followed by intense after shocks that
became a continued source of anxiety for the populace.

Emergency Response Fortunately, the number of fatalities in the earthquake was

relatively less at about 100 as compared to about 800 in the 1991 Uttarkashi
earthquake. Interestingly, at the time of earthquake a popular movie was being
screened by a TV channel and many people who were awake could easily escape.
The area has major Hindu shrines and draws huge tourist traffic during May to
October; the timing of this earthquake was fortunately during the lean tourist
season. Hence, the task of search and rescue operations was easier and was carried
out by the local people. Army and paramilitary personnel were also called-in to help
in relief operations the very next day. Some cash compensation, food rations, and
cloth tents were provided by the state government. By March the winter is over, and
hence, cloth tents were sufficient for temporary shelters.
 DROUGHT

A drought is a period of time when an area or region experiences below-

normal precipitation. The lack of adequate precipitation, either rain or snow, can
cause reduced soil moisture or groundwater, diminished stream flow, crop damage,
and a general water shortage. Droughts are the second-most costly weather events
after hurricanes.

Droughts affect people in a several ways. Access to clean drinking water is essential

for all life, and sources of water may dwindle during a drought. Without the
presence of water, people must bring in enough water from elsewhere to survive.
Water is also needed for crops to grow. When not enough precipitation falls to
naturally water crops, they must be watered by irrigation. Irrigation is possible only
when there is enough water in nearby rivers, lakes, or streams, or
from groundwater. During a drought, these water sources are diminished and may
even dry up, preventing crops from being irrigated and causing them to die off.
Southern India’s 2016-2018 drought was the worst in 150 years

Southern India was hit by severe drought from 2016 to 2018 arising from low rainfall during
the northeast monsoon, which occurs during the winter. So severe was the impact that
a water crisis erupted in Chennai, India’s sixth-largest city of 11 million inhabitants, as four
of the city’s major reservoirs went bone-dry and groundwater levels plummeted. In the
summer of 2019, a “Day Zero” was declared and residents scrambled to obtain water from
tankers. 

Now, after examining rainfall data over the past 150 years, researchers in India and the US
conclude that the 2016-2018 northeast monsoon drought was unprecedented with more
than 40 percent deficit in northeast monsoonal rainfall during the three years. 
The recent drought was worse than the Great Drought of 1874-1876 that led to crop failure,
which in turn resulted in the Great Madras Famine of 1876 to 1878 that claimed millions of
lives. The team demonstrates that cool phases in the equatorial Indian and Pacific Oceans
are associated with the rainfall deficit. 

LANDSLIDES

A landslide is defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope.
Landslides are a type of "mass wasting," which denotes any down-slope movement of soil
and rock under the direct influence of gravity. The term "landslide" encompasses five modes
of slope movement: falls, topples, slides, spreads, and flows. These are further subdivided
by the type of geologic material (bedrock, debris, or earth). Debris flows (commonly
 referred to as mudflows or mudslides) and rock falls are examples of common landslide
types.

INDIA PRONE TO LANDSLIDES

Almost every landslide has multiple causes. Slope movement occurs when forces acting
down-slope (mainly due to gravity) exceed the strength of the earth materials that compose
the slope. Causes include factors that increase the effects of down-slope forces and factors
that contribute to low or reduced strength. Landslides can be initiated in slopes already on
the verge of movement by rainfall, snowmelt, changes in water level, stream erosion,
changes in ground water, earthquakes, volcanic activity, disturbance by human activities, or
any combination of these factors. Earthquake shaking and other factors can also induce
landslides underwater. These landslides are called submarine landslides. Submarine
landslides sometimes cause tsunamis that damage coastal areas. 

India has the highest mountain chain on earth, the Himalayas, which are formed due to
collision of Indian and Eurasian plate, the northward movement of the Indian plate towards
China causes continuous stress on the rocks rendering them friable, weak and prone to
landslides and earthquakes. The slow motion of the Indian crust, about 5 cm/year
accumulates stress to which natural disasters are attributed. Some landslides make unique,
and unparalleled catastrophes. Landslides and avalanches are among the major hydro-
geological hazards that affect large parts of India besides the Himalayas, the Northeastern
 hill ranges, the Western Ghats, the Nilgiris, the Eastern Ghats and the Vindhyans, in that
order, covering about 15 % of the landmass. The Himalayas alone count for landslides of
every fame, name and description- big and small, quick and creeping, ancient and new. The
Northeastern region is badly affected by landslide problems of a bewildering variety.
Landslides in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal as also those in Sikkim, Mizoram,
Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh pose chronic problems,
causing recurring economic losses worth billions of rupees. A different variety of landslides,
characterized by a lateritic cap, pose constant threat to the Western Ghats in the South,
along the steep slopes overlooking the Konkan coast besides Nilgiris, which is highly
landslide prone.

CYCLONE
In meteorology, a cyclone is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low
atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the
Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above. Cyclones are characterized by inward-spiraling
winds that rotate about a zone of low pressure.

How are Cyclones Formed?

The formation of cyclones takes place in low-pressure areas. The vulnerability of the place
where the cyclone strikes depend on the topography, intensity and frequency of the
cyclone.

There are 6 factors that can be held responsible for the formation of the cyclone:

 Ample amount of warm temperature at the surface of the sea.

 Instability in the atmosphere.

 How the Coriolis force is impacting the area so that low-pressure area can be
created.

 When the humidity is high in the lower to middle levels of the troposphere.

 Disturbance in the pre-existing low-level area.

 When the vertical wind shear is low.

Types of Cyclones

There are 4 types of cyclones and they are:

 Tropical cyclone

 Polar cyclone

 Mesocyclone

 Extratropical cyclone

Tropical Cyclone
The regions where the tropical cyclone occurs are over the tropical ocean. Hurricanes and
typhoons are the two types of tropical cyclone. Atlantic and Northeast Pacific are the
regions where hurricanes are found. Whereas, in the Northwest Pacific, typhoons are found.
A tropical cyclone is divided into 5 categories depending on the intensity and the wind
speed.

Polar Cyclone

The polar cyclone is also known as the “Arctic hurricane” in the Northern Hemisphere. This
is due to their energy sources. The heat is transferred from water to air and the latent heat
is released in the form of cloud condensation. The forecast of the polar cyclone is difficult as
they take less than 24 hours, and they are formed quickly. They are formed over the Arctic
and Antarctic seas.

Mesocyclone

The mesocyclone is considered to be one of the strong thunderstorms. The mesocyclone is

found within the convective storm in the form of a vortex of air. The air rises and rotates
along the vertical axis. The direction of this air and the low-pressure system are the same in
the given hemisphere. The mesocyclone is accompanied by the rotating air within the
thunderstorm.

Extratropical Cyclone

The cyclones that are formed in the middle latitudes along the frontal boundaries are either
known as extratropical cyclones or mid-latitude cyclones. The winds of the extratropical
cyclone are weaker however, the temperature gradients are sharp. The nor’easter is an
example of an extratropical cyclone that impacts the east coast of the United States.

INDIA’S LOSS DUE TO CYCLONE

Almost a third of the national population (nearly 320 million people) is vulnerable to the
impact of cyclones, according to a 2021 study by researchers at the National Institute of
Disaster Management (NIDM). “Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal on
the east coast and Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat on the west coast, and
some Union territories in the country, covering 84 coastal districts, are affected by tropical
cyclones.”

In 2020, the coastal areas of West Bengal close to the Bangladesh border such Gosaba,
Kumirmari, Hingalganj, Taki and Basirhat experienced the costliest tropical cyclone on
record for the North Indian Ocean. 

Cyclones Gonu (2007), Chapala (2015) and Mekunu (2018) landed in the Middle East
via the Bay of Bengal. Cyclones Mala (2006), Nargis (2008) and Gini (2010) landed in
Southeast Asia via the Arabian Sea.

Cyclone Phailin, traveling at a much higher wind speed of 260 km per hour, caused
less losses in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Andaman and Nicobar Islands at $1.5
billion.

Although the loss of lives has reduced significantly, India still incurs tremendous
economic losses with each cyclone. Last year, Cyclone Amphan cost 14 billion dollars,
according to a UN report. RMSI, a global consulting firm working on natural
calamities, pegged Cyclone Tauktae’s economic damage at Rs 15,000 crore.

CASE STUDY : Cyclone Tauktae

A low-pressure area over the Arabian Sea first concentrated into a depression and
later intensified into a cyclonic storm named ‘Cyclone Tauktae’. The West Coast of
India has been affected by the cyclone. It is the first cyclone of 2021

Tauktae originated from an area of low pressure in the Arabian Sea, which was first
monitored by the India Meteorological Department on May 13. The low drifted
eastward and organized into a deep depression by May 14. The storm soon took a
northward turn, continuing to gradually intensify because of warm waters near the
coast, and the system strengthened into a cyclonic storm and was
named Tauktae later that same day. Tauktae continued intensifying into May 15,
reaching severe cyclonic storm status later that day. Tauktae began to parallel the
coast of the Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, before rapidly
intensifying into a very severe cyclonic storm, early on May 16. Early on May 17,
Tauktae intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm, reaching its peak
intensity soon afterward. Later that same day, Tauktae underwent an eyewall
replacement cycle and weakened, before restrengthening as it neared the coast of
Gujarat, making landfall soon afterward.
The city experienced their highest ever recorded wind gust at 114 km/h (70 mph).
[13]
 Power outages and other electrical problems also prevailed in the impacted
regions. The cyclone made landfall in Gujarat the same day as India recorded its, at
the time, highest single-day COVID-19 death toll, with 4,329 deaths reported.[14] The
cyclone also caused a large amount of maritime incidents as it moved along the
coast of western India. Hundreds were missing from various barges; however, most
of them have been rescued.[14] Other larger ships also experienced problems, such as
structure or power losses. At least 174 people have been killed by the storm, with
over 80 still missing. Losses from Tauktae were calculated at ₹115 billion
or US$1.57 billion.[15][16][17][18]