DISASTERS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT

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 Definition --disaster
• Disaster is a sudden, calamitous event

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bringing great damage, loss, and destruction

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and devastation to life and property.

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• Losses exceed the ability of affected to cope

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with it using its own resources
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 Disaster
A disaster is defined as a sudden event or calamity that causes large-
scale damage and destruction of human life and property.

Types of Disasters

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Natural Disasters

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•Air-related – Hurricanes, cyclones, storms, etc.

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•Water-related – Floods, drought, etc.
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• Earth-related – Earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, etc.
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Man-made Disasters
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•Industrial accidents
•Wars, riots, terrorism, etc.
•Toxic spills
•Transportation accidents
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 Why is Disaster Management
Important to Us?

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 ◼ 57% of the land area is prone to Earthquakes
◼ 12% to Floods
◼ 8% to Cyclones

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70% of the cultivable land is prone to drought

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◼

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◼85% of the land area is vulnerable to number of

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natural hazards
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◼ 22 states are prone to multi hazards.
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 DM act defines

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 Disasters Management
• Certain natural phenomenon produce environmental disequilibrium
or disaster causing large scale destruction of human life and

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property. These disasters are accidental and mostly human do not

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play any role in these. However some times human activities are

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also responsible for the process.

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• Disaster management is an important serious issue that needs
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serious consideration. Some of the disasters are
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• Floods
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• Earth Quakes
• Cyclones
• Landslides
• Droughts

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Earthquake

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release

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of energy in the Earth's crust that creates

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seismic waves. It is caused when large amount

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of energy is suddenly released in the Earth’s

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crust. I t is impossible to predict the occurrence
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of an earthquake. The point at which the
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earthquake originates is called the focus or

hypocentre and the point directly above the
hypocentre is called epicentre.
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 Causes.......
• Earthquake occurs due to the movements in the interior of earth or

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in the tectonic plates. It may be caused naturally or human activities.

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Earthquake of smaller magnitude may be caused by volcanic

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activity, landslides, nuclear experiments and mine blasts. Following

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may be some of the causes:
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• Sudden movement of hot gases and magma
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• Volcanic activities

• Stress caused by dams

• Tectonic stress generated by movement of tectonic plates.

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The intensity of earthquakes is measured from 1 to 10 on Richter
scale using a seismometer or seismograph. Accordingly,
earthquakes with intensity greater than 5.5 are categorized as

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strong as, greater than 6.2 as destructive, greater than 7 as

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disastrous and those with intensity greater than 8.1 are categorized

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as catastrophic earthquakes.

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After an earthquake ??
Effects…….
Destruction and demolition of houses, dams, factories and other
human constructions.

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Increased incidence of fire, landslides, etc.

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Increased intensity and height of sea swells known as Tsunami

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waves

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Death of thousands of people, cattle, etc.
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 Management..................
• Identification of earth quake prone areas: Prone areas should be
recognised and earthquake resistant buildings, dams, bridges

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should be constructed .

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• Strategic placement of vibration absorbers should also be ensured.

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• Relief Measures: Appropriate relief measures by individuals and
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govt. and non govt organisations should be provided to the affected
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areas as soon as possible.
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• Awareness should be spread among the people educating and

training them regarding the things to do in case of an emergency.

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 Landslides
• It is a natural phenomena during which large amount of land

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mass slide downwards from hilly areas, mainly owing to

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gravity, destroying everything coming in the path. The

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Himalayas and Western Ghats are the two regions in India

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that are most vulnerable to landslides.

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• The slides in the Himalayan region are bigger and most
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massive than the ones experienced by the Western Ghats
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and in most cases they are triggered by seismic factors.

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Landslides: A landslide is the gravitational movement of a mass of rock,
earth or debris down a slope.

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UTTRAKHAND DISASTER
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What causes landslides to occur ?

Earthquakes

Volcanic Eruptions

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Glaciers

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Torrential rain (Heavy rains and melting of glaciers)

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Construction of dams, bridges, tunnels, roads, etc.
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Use of explosives for breaking rocks during mining.

Destruction of vegetation from the slopes.

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Effects of landslides

•Rocks, large debris, landmasses of landslides destroy

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urban and rural habitation.

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•Landslides damage roads, dams, bridges, etc.

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•Landslides impede river flow increasing the incidence of

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flood.
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•Landslides severely damage crops and agricultural lands.
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 Management.........
• The susceptibility of slopes to landslides may be assessed by

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using remote sensing techniques.

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• Construction activities should be done only after properly

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evaluating the geological and geographical conditions.

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• Regulating the rate of flow of water also helps to control

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landslides .
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• Relief measures through economic help , supporting
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resettlement and rehabilitating the affected people.
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Hydrological disaster
Floods

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 Floods
Among the natural disasters flood is the most wide spread. The
accumulation of a large quantity of water at a place or the
pressure of more water than what can be handled by the

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drainage of the area is known as flood.

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Occurrence of flood at any particular place depends on various

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factors such as climatic conditions of the area , nature of the

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collecting basin , nature of the streams , soil .
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 Types of floods
• Flash floods: These occur within heavy rainfall and are usually

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associated with towering cumulus clouds, severe thunder storms and

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tropical cyclones . These types of floods may also be caused by dam failure

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or other river construction.

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• River Floods: These type of flood generally occur due to the

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precipitation over large catchment areas or melting down of snow or
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sometimes both .These floods normally build up slowly or seasonally and
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may continue for days, weeks as compared to flash floods.
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• Coastal floods: Coastal floods are associated with cyclonic activities

such as hurricanes, tropical cyclones etc. These are generally accelerated
by wind induced storm surges along the coast.

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Causes of floods

Deforestation: Root system in forests provide some

protection from floods by trapping and absorbing

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precipitation.

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Urbanization: Faulty town planning is another

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factor that contributes in causing floods.

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Change in river course: Due to the high pressure
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of torrential rains, river channel changes its course
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causing water spread in adjacent areas.

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 Causes of floods

Man-made impediments in river channels:

Man made ponds, dams, power houses , roads,

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railway bridges, play grounds etc restrict the natural

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flow of rivers and cause floods.

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Uncertainty of rain : In most of the arid and

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semi arid regions , low and erratic rainfall slowly
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reduces the depth and width of streams and river
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channels.
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Effects of floods

Damage to life and properties

Disturbances in transportation

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Promote disease vectors and pathogens

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Loss of biodiversity

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Economic crisis si
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Crop damage

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 Management…….
• Plantation on slopes
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Drainage management

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• Flood plain zoning

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• Forecasting

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Cyclones

A cyclone is a storm characterized by a low-pressure centre

surrounded by a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that
produce strong winds and heavy rain.

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 Meteorological disaster

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 Cyclones
In northern hemisphere, a cyclone refers to an area of low atmospheric
pressure surrounded by a wind system in a counter-clockwise direction.

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Effects of cyclones

• Cyclones generate storm surges and as a result, sea water inundates

low lying areas of coastal regions drowning human beings and live-
stock, eroding beaches and embankments, destroying vegetation and

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reducing soil fertility.

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•Very strong winds may damage installations, dwellings, communication

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systems, trees, etc. resulting in loss of life and property.

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•Heavy and prolonged rains due to cyclones may cause river floods and
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submergence of low-lying areas by rain causing loss of life and property.
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•Cyclones pollute drinking water sources causing outbreak of epidemics

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Management of Cyclones

•Forecasting

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•Proper construction of houses

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•Relief tasks

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•Development of warning systems

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•Construction of cyclone shelters in the cyclone-prone areas
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•Community preparedness at all levels to deal with emergency situations

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Management of natural disasters

Construction of houses, factories, dams, bridges, etc. in sensitive areas with

appropriate design and materials.

Forecasting and early prediction of natural disasters and warning the inhabitants

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regarding the possibility of the event.

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Relief measures through timely support by individuals and government and non-
government organizations.

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Construction activities should be done only after properly evaluating the geological
and geographic conditions. si
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Relief task through economic helps supporting resettlement and rehabilitation of

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affected people at individual, community and organizational levels

Rapid dissemination of warnings to the Government Agencies and to the General

Public.

Community
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 Nodal Agencies for Disaster Management
• Floods : Ministry of Water Resources
• Cyclones : Indian Meteorological Department
• Earthquakes : Indian Meteorological Department

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• Epidemics : Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

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• Avian Flu: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Ministry

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of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry

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• Chemical Disasters : Ministry of Environment and Forests

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•
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Industrial Disasters : Ministry of Labour
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• Rail Accidents : Ministry of Railways
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• Air Accidents : Ministry of Civil Aviation

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• Fire : Ministry of Home Affairs

• Nuclear Incidents : Department of Atomic Energy
• Mine Disasters : Department of Mines
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 New Directions for Disaster
Management in India
• The National Disaster Management Authority

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(NDMA) has been set up as the apex body for

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Disaster Management in India, with the Prime

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Minister as its Chairman.

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• Disaster Management Authorities will be set up at
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the State and District Levels to be headed by the
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Chief Ministers and Collectors/Zilla Parishad
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Chairmen respectively.

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