21/05/2023, 02:45 Major Historical Disasters in India: Bharat Katha - GS SCORE

Major Historical Disasters in India

Categories Published
Disaster Management: the necessity of a country 8th Mar, 2022

Introduction

India is a diverse country in terms of climate, terrain and relief and thus is prone to different types of disasters which include manmade
disasters as well as natural disasters.
Rapid industrial development and urbanization coupled with effects of climate change has aggravated the disasters in India. India has
witnessed a large number of disasters since Independence.

This brief aims to analyse the major disasters in India since its independence and also assess how the government has managed them.

A. Industrial Disasters

1.Chasnala Mining Disaster (1975)

The Chasnala mining disaster occurred on December 27, 1975 in a coal mine near Dhanbad in present day Jharkhand.
The incident occurred due to the collapse of a 80-feet wall of coal between the active mine pit and another, abandoned mine which was full
of water and was situated above it.
About 1,35,000 cubic metres of water rushed into the active mine with the miners trapped in a watery grave. It led to the death of all the 375
miners and officials who were present in the mine.

2. Bhopal Gas Tragedy

Bhopal disaster was essentially a chemical leak which occurred in 1984 in the city of Bhopalthe capital city of Madhya Pradesh.
About 45 tons of the dangerous gas methyl isocyanate escaped from an insecticide plant that was owned by the Indian subsidiary of the
American firm Union Carbide Corporation.
The gas drifted over the densely populated neighborhoods around the plant, killing thousands of people immediately and creating a panic as
tens of thousands of others attempted to flee Bhopal.
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The final death toll was estimated to be between 15,000 and 20,000 apart from a half a million survivors who suffered respiratory problems,
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Magnitude 6.1 earthquake hit the Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Tehri in Uttarakhand and caused extensive damage to property. The tremors of
the quake were felt up to Delhi. More than 1000 people died in this earthquake.

5.Gujarat Earthquake, 2001

Magnitude 7.7 earthquakes hit the Bhuj district of Gujarat on January 26, 2001 causing death of over 20,000 people.
Several towns and villages were destroyed in the catastrophe. Being close to the epicentre, Bhuj was among the worst-affected areas
including Anjaar, Vondh and Bhachau.
Several buildings were damaged or destroyed in the quake. The famous Swaminarayan temple in the city of Bhuj was also partially
damaged.

C. Cyclones

1. Odisha Super Cyclone, 1999

The Orissa cyclone in the year of 1999 was the strongest storm to hit the Indian coast and was also the strongest tropical cyclones that
affected India.
The cyclone struck the Odisha coast on 29th October 1999. This Super Cyclone is also known as Paradip Cyclone. It hit Odisha with wind
speeds of up to 250 kmph.
It caused the deaths of about 10,000 people, and heavy to extreme damage in its path of destruction.
It caused inundation in large areas along the coastline and destroyed the coastal districts such as Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara,
Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Ganjam.

2. Bhola Cyclone (1970)

Although the cyclone hit the modern day Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), the nearly 20-foot storm surge created by winds as high
as 225.3 kmph (140 mph) devastated countless offshore islands, wiping out entire villages and destroying crops and livestock.
Over 45 percent of the population of 167,000 was killed in the most severely affected subdivision of Tazumuddin.

There was also widespread rain in West Bengal and southern Assam, damaging houses and crops in both states. The Cyclone is said to
be one of the reasons for formation of Bangladesh.

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3. Andhra Pradesh Cyclone, 1977
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E.Urban Floods

1.Mumbai Floods

On July 26, 2005, Mumbai received about 944 mm rain in just 24 hours which was essentially a 100-year record. Over 1,000 people lost their
lives in the deluge, while approximately 14,000 homes were destroyed.
The local trains were stopped, roads turned into rivers, and the city had to bear a direct loss of Rs 450 crore.
The city's proximity to the sea, combined with poor water management by the authorities, reportedly led the situation to worsen as
waterlogged roads turned into rivers and power supply was severely affected.

2.Chennai Floods, 2015

Chennai floods was one of the world’s most expensive natural disasters in that year, causing India over 50,000 crore rupees in losses.
A low-pressure area intensified into a depression, leading to huge amounts of rain in the coastal region of Tamil Nadu and Andhra
Pradesh.
Chennai recorded 266mm in the first 24 hours on November 2015 and 490mm the next day which eventually led to massive flooding.
60% of the city’s power supply was disconnected, leaving many hospitals nonfunctional and 40% of the city’s districts had submerged
due to floods.

More than 500 people died, over 50,000 homes were structurally damaged, and over 1.8 million people were displaced.

F.Tsunamis

1. Indian Ocean Tsunami, 2004

A magnitude-9.0 earthquake under the Indian Ocean on Dec. 26, 2004 triggered a tsunami that devastated southern India.
The Tsunami waves struck along the southern coast of India, affecting the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and
Pondicherry. India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands were also affected.
More than 12,405 people were killed and 5,640 went missing and 2.79 million affected by the wave. It also destroyed 11,827 hectares
of crops and ruined the livelihood of 300,000 fishermen.

More than 8,000 people were killed in Tamil Nadu, the hardest-hit part of the country. After this disaster, the government of India adopted a
policy after the disaster of not accepting foreign aid.
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