ANTHROPOGENIC

DISASTER

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 COURSE OBJECTIVES

To familiarize students with basics of

environmental sciences , disaster & waste
management.

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 MAN MADE DISASTER
• Disaster can be made where the cause is
intentional or unintentional.

• A disastrous event caused directly and

principally by one or more identifiable
deliberate or negligent human actions.
Also called human-made disaster. 

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 TYPES OF MAN MADE DISASTER
• Nuclear disaster
• Biological Disaster
• Chemical Disaster
• Fire accidents
• Road accidents
• Terrorism

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 NUCLEAR DISASTER
• It is a type of explosion driving its force from nuclear reactions of fusion and
fission.

• A nuclear and radiation accident is defined by the international atomic energy

agency as “ an event that has led to significant consequences to people,
environment or the facility”.

• When large radioactive substances are released into environment because of

calamities, human error or failure is considered as nuclear accidents.

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 CONSEQUENCES
• Direct contact leads to radioactive sickness which may lead to death.
• Cancer is major problem in affected areas and this effect may stay longer.
• Air and water will be contaminated due to radioactive steam and groundwater
mixing with radioactive substances.
• Land degradation.
• The ecological system gets disturbed.
• Birds and animals have affect on their reproductive systems.
• Gene disturbances and deformity in newly born.
• Nuclear radiation keeps on showing its effect for a considerable period of time
even after its explosion, and those who survive become mental and physical patient
due to the impact of nuclear radiation.

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 Precautions at the time of
nuclear accident:
• Listen the government plans and should act in accordance with official
communication.
• Common indicators of these disasters are vomiting, nausea, dizziness etc.
• Close all doors and windows as radioactivity doesn’t penetrate into solid
structures.
• Evacuation of affected place when alarmed.
• Wearing mask is necessary.
• Not drinking tap water of affected area.
• Government should supply drinking water by tanks and other suppliers.

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 List of Nuclear Disasters
• 1945 -Hiroshima
• 1945 -Nagasaki
• 1957 -Operation Plumbbob
• 1961-
K-19 nuclear accident
• 1962- 
Thor missile launch failures
during nuclear weapons te
sting at Johnston Atoll
 
• 2011-
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear
disaster
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 The Chernobyl Disaster
• On April 25, 1986, when the worst civil nuclear
catastrophe in history occurred at the nuclear power plant
at Chernobyl, Soviet Union (which is now in Ukraine).
• More than thirty people were killed immediately.
• The accident occurred as workers were testing reactor
number four.
• Studies found that rates of thyroid cancer began to soar in
contaminated regions in 1990, four years after the
radiation release.
• Health officials in Turkey, 930 miles to the south, reported
that leukemia rates are twelve times higher than before
the Chernobyl accident.

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 Hiroshima
• 1945 Hiroshima
• On 6th August at 8.15 the first bomb was dropped on
the centre of Hiroshima. "Little Boy" uranium bomb .
• Research Foundation indicates a range of 90,000 to
166,000 deaths within the first four months.
• Three days later, on the morning of 9 August, a second
U.S. aircraft rose from the airbase at Tinian Island in
the Pacific Ocean. The nuclear bomb it carried was
code-named ‘Fat Man’.
• Casualty estimates by the Radiation Effects Research
Foundation for immediate deaths range from 60,000
to 80,000.

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 BIOLOGICAL DISASTER
• It defines the devastating effects that may
be caused by an enormous spread of a
certain kind of living organism- that may
spread off any disease, a virus, an
epidemics, or also just a sudden growth of
population of certain kind of plants and
animals e.g. Ebola, swine flu.

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 BIOLOGICAL DISASTER
• Biological disaster spreads through the organism that is developed in the form of BACTERIA or
MICROBES.
• Biological agent spread fast in the environment and then makes an attack on the human beings.

• The people inhale these microbes. When these microbes find themselves a host body, they start
affecting the immune systems of the body.
• Microbes also enter human body through open wounds or cuts.

• The attack of these microbes is generally slow but once they are spread in the body, it becomes
different to control them.
• It takes the life of the affected persons. Many a time, it becomes difficult to diagnose the illness
caused by these microbes and it proves to be fatal.
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Epidemic-
Types
Epidemic affecting a disproportionately large number of individuals within a
population, community, or region at the same time, examples being Cholera,
Plague, Japanese Encephalitis (JE)/Acute Encephalitis  Syndrome (AES); Ebola,
Cancer, Cardiovascular disease.
Pandemic -
Pandemic is an epidemic that spreads across a large region, that is, a continent,
or even worldwide of existing, emerging or reemerging diseases example
Influenza H1N1 (Swine Flu), Asian Flu, Cholera, HIV/AIDS, COVID -19, First
Plague, Second Plague, Plague of Justinian Black Death, Small Pox or Measles.

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 Causes of Biological disasters
• Poor sanitation practices: indiscriminate dumping, polluting of drainage
channels and sewers, consumption of contaminated water or food etc.
• Hospitals and medical centres dispose of medical wastes improperly
• Lack of understanding of the risks and causes of the hazards
• Hospitals have limited or non-existent quarantine capabilities to control the
spread of diseases or treat affected persons.
• Limited access to vaccines that prevent the spread
• No known cure or vaccine for biological agents
• Civil unrest, malicious intent or terrorist activity existing the country

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 Bubonic Plague 1994
• Between August and October 1994, India was struck by two
outbreaks of plague in succession- one of suspected bubonic
plague in the Beed district of the state of Maharashtra and
the other in the Surat city of the state of Gujarat.
• Pathogen bacteria Yersinia pestis
• The incident of plague caused a huge financial loss to the
economy of India.
• In Surat city alone the loss was estimated to be to the tune
of US$ 260 million.
• In addition, various countries like UAE decided to stop
agricultural import from India.
• Foreign travelers and tourists also suspended their visit to
India, which hit tourism industry badly.

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 CHEMICAL DISASTER
• Chemical disaster may be defined as the
manufacture, storage and transport of
chemicals which may lead accidents waiting to
happen.
• Chemicals can be corrosive, toxic, and they may
react, often explosively.
• An accident that is severe and involves a
chemical substance.
• Large-scale damage usually results, causing
injuries and loss of many animals, plants, or
humans, as well as the destruction of
an environment.
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 Causes
• Process and safety systems failures
– Human errors
– Technical errors
– Management errors
• Induced effect of natural calamities
• Accidents during the transportation
• Hazardous waste processing/ disposal
• Terrorist attack/ unrest leading to sabotage

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 Consequences
• Death, injury, physiological health effects and losses
• Damage to environmental resources, like land/soil, land-use, water
bodies/resources, air-quality and movements, local-climate, crops/forests and bio-
products.
• Disruption of environmental services, e.g. Water supply, aesthetic and recreation,
environmental & public health, sanitation, garbage management.
• Damage and losses to structures, buildings, machines/equipment, facilities.
• Psychological trauma, stress and lack of well-being
• Insurance losses, and economic losses related to disruption of productivity, wages,
remuneration, incentives.
• Increase in vulnerability to other hazards including natural and environmental
exposures.
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 Precautions
• Stringent safety measures and checkups in the factory and critical analysis of the working
condition of the factory will help to take timely measures.

• Proper maintenance of machines, equipment and infrastructural facilities

• Industries using hazardous chemicals or produce such chemicals, should have contingency
plan to help people if disaster take place.

• Inform Fire & Emergency Services, Police and medical services from safe location by calling
101, 100 and 108 respectively.

• Listen to PA (Public Addressal) System of the plant/ factory, local radio/ TV channels for
advice from district administration/fire/health/police and other concerned authorities

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 Bhopal disaster
• Gas leak on december 3, 1984-
MIC(Methyl Iso Cyanate)
• 8000 People died, 50,000 injured
• Gas leaked from union carbide
plant at night.
• Main effect-Pulmonary Edema,
Skin and eye Damage (total
blindness)
• Secondary effect- Bronchitis,
Bronchial pneumonia.

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 List of chemical disasters
• Bhopal Gas Tragedy, India
• The Banqiao Dam Collapse, china
• Benxihu Colliery Explosion, China
• The Halifax Explosion, Canada
• Savar Building Collapse, Bangladesh

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 Fire accidents
• Accidents that are caused due to fire and
are quite common.

• Fire results in heavy damage both in

terms of life and property.

• Loss of life is high in crowded building.

e.g. Building fire, Coal Fire

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 Building Fire
• There are many causes of building fire such as-
1. Kitchen Stoves
2. Faulty Wiring
3. Smoking in Bed
4. Lighting
5. Flammable Liquids
6. Clothes Dryers
7. Candles
8. Home Heating
9. Children

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 Steps to avoid Building Fire
• Never leave the stove unattended.
• Check that electric cords, curtains, tea towels and oven cloths are at a safe distance from
the stove top.
• Double adaptors and power-boards can overload power points.
• Install safety switches and correct fuses.
• Smoking in bed can be fatal.
• Never leave burning candles unattended.
• Do not sleep with a burning candle.
• Make sure all appliances are professionally installed.
• Check that walls and floors are insulated from heat sources.
• Never leave children unattended near fires and heaters.
• Warn all children about playing with fire.
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 Forest Fire
• A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire in an area of
combustible vegetation that occurs in the
countryside.
•  Wildfires are characterized in terms of the cause of
ignition, their physical properties such as speed
of propagation, the combustible material present,
and the effect of weather on the fire.
• They pose a threat not only to the forest wealth
but also to the entire regime to fauna and flora
seriously disturbing the bio-diversity and the
ecology and environment of a region.

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 Classification of Forest Fire

• Natural or controlled forest fire.

• Forest fires caused by heat
generated in the litter and other
biomes in summer through
carelessness of people (human
neglect)
• Forest fires purposely caused by
local inhabitants

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 Effects of Forest Fire
• loss of valuable timber resources
• degradation of catchment areas
• loss of biodiversity and extinction of plants and
animals
• loss of wildlife habitat and depletion of wildlife
• loss of natural regeneration and reduction in forest
cover
• global warming
• loss of carbon sink resource and increase in
percentage of CO2 in atmosphere.

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 Oil Fire

• Oil well fires are oil or gas wells that have

caught on fire and burn.
• Oil well fires can be the result of human
actions, such as accidents or arson, or
natural events, such as lightning.
• They can exist on a small scale, such as an
oil field spill catching fire, or on a huge
scale, as in geyser-like jets of flames from
ignited high pressure wells.

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 Effects of Oil Fire
• Oil well fires can cause the loss of millions
of barrels of crude oil per day.
• Oil well fires such as those seen
in Kuwait(1991) can cause enormous
economic losses.
• Smoke from burnt crude oil contains
many chemicals, including sulfur dioxide,
carbon monoxide, soot, benzopyrene,
Poly aromatic hydrocarbons, and dioxins.
• Air pollution

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 Worst fires accidents in India
• December 1995 -Haryana
The worst of fire incident in the county, Dabwali fire accident  occurred on 23 December 1995 at Mandi Dabwali in
Haryana. 540 people were killed due to fire caused by an electric generator short-circuited and the stampede .
• December 2011 -Kolkata
In the AMRI hospital of Kolkata 89 people were killed by a hazardous fire and due to suffocation caused by carbon
monoxide spread across the hospital premises.
• April 2006 – Meerut
In Brand India Fair at Meerut Victoria Park fire Uttar Pradesh, a major fire broke out and killed 100 people on April
2006.
• July 2004 -Tamil Nadu
In the Sri Krishna Aided Higher Secondary School at Kumbakonam in the Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu 94 children
were dead and many injured. Erwadi fire incident was another worst fire incident in Tamil Nadu.
• September 2012 -Tamil Nadu
A catastrophic explosion in a private fireworks factory at Mudalipatti near Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu claimed lives of 54
while 78 were injured

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 Recent fire accidents in India
According to local reports  and
eyewitnesses, the explosion and fire were
caused by sparks from a firecracker being
used in a competitive fireworks display
igniting fireworks in a concrete storehouse.
The temple did not have permission
from Kerela government authorities to
conduct a "competitive fireworks display".
About 15,000 pilgrims were visiting the
temple to mark local Hindu celebrations
during the last day of a seven-day festival
of the goddess Bhadrakali.

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 Road accidents

• Traffic collision, also known as a motor

vehicle collision, traffic accident, motor
vehicle accident, car accident, road traffic
collision, road traffic accident, wreck, car
crash occurs when a vehicle collides with
another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road
debris, or other stationary obstruction, such
as a tree or utility pole.
• Traffic collisions may result in injury, death
and property damage

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 Causes of Road accidents
• Increased number of Vehicles
• Violation of traffic rules
• Poor maintenance of vehicles as well as of roads
• Distracted Driving
• Speeding
• Drunk Driving
• Reckless Driving
• Teenage Drivers
•  Unsafe Lane Changes
• Wrong-Way Driving
• Tailgating

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 Road accidents
Following safety measures can be adopted:
• Look on either side of the road before crossing.
• Wear helmet while riding a two-wheeler.
• Use seat belt provided in your car.
• Drive only if you possess a proper driving license.
• Be familiar with road markings and honour them.
• Maintain a safety distance from the vehicle in front.
• Do not jump lanes. It becomes difficult for other vehicles, on the road to anticipate your move.
• While driving avoid sudden acceleration and deceleration.
• Replace the worn tyres and faulty headlamps.
• Check the tyre pressure, radiator water, brake oil and fuel frequently.
• Overcome impatience, anger and intoxication during driving. Road rage is dangerous.

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 Road accidents

• As per the data cited in the report, the country recorded at

least 4,80,652 accidents in 2016, leading to 1,50,785 deaths.
• The number suggests that at least 413 people died everyday in
1,317 road accidents.
• Further breaking down the statistics, the data reveals that at
least 17 deaths occurred in road accidents in 55 accidents
every hour in the given time period.

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 Rail accidents
• A train wreck or train crash is a type of disaster involving one
or more trains.
• Train wrecks often occur as a result of miscommunication, as
when a moving train meets another train on the same track; or
an accident, such as when a train wheel jumps off a track in a
derailment or when a boiler explosion occurs.
• The most common type of rail accident is derailment due to
human error, natural landslide in a hilly track, or fire.
• Rail accidents lead to large number of casualties and material
damage.
• Indian Railways incur heavy loss due to such accidents every
year.

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 Rail accidents
Some of the common safety measures are:-
• At railway crossings pay attention to the signal and the swing barrier. Do not get
underneath and try to get across.
• In case of a unmanned crossing, get down from the vehicle and look at either sides of
the track before crossing.
• Do not stop the train on a bridge or tunnel where evacuation is not possible.
• Do not carry inflammable material in a train.
• Do not lean out of a moving train.
• Do not smoke in train.
• Do not pull the emergency cord unnecessarily.

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 Rail accidents
• November 20, 2016 – Over 124 people were killed and 260 injured after Indore-Rajendra Nagar
Express 19321 derailed.
• May 25, 2015 – Muri Express derailed and killed four people and injured 50.
• March 20, 2015 – Dehradun-Varanasi Janta Express derailed and killed 58 people and injured
150.
• February 13, 2015 – Bangalore City-Ernakulam Intercity Express 12677 derailed in which 12
people lost their lives and more than 100 were injured.
• June 25, 2014 – Dibrugarh-Rajdhani Express 12236 derailed near Chapra town of Bihar, killing
four and injuring eight.
• Utkal Express derailment, Aug 18, 2017- At least 23 people were killed and over 40 others
injured when 14 coaches of Puri-Haridwar-Kalinga Express train derailed in Khatauli in Uttar
Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district.

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 Air accidents
• An aviation accident is defined as an occurrence
associated with the operation of an aircraft, which
takes place between the time any person boards
the aircraft with the intention of flight , where a
person is fatally or seriously injured, the aircraft
sustains damage or structural failure or the aircraft
is missing or is completely inaccessible
• Air accidents may occur due to technical
problems, fire, poor landing and take-off, weather
conditions, hijacking, bombing etc.

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 Air accidents
Some of the common safety measures are:
• Pay attention to the flight crew safety demonstration.
• Carefully read the safety card in the pocket.
• Know where is the nearest emergency exit and learn how to open it.
• Always keep your seatbelt fastened when seated.
• Stay calm, listen to the crew members and follow their instructions.
• Before you try to open any emergency door yourself, look outside the window. If
you see a fire outside the door, do not open it or the flame may spread into the
cabin. Try to use an alternate route for escape.
• Remember, smoke rises. So try to stay down if there is smoke in the cabin.

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 Air accidents
• Air India Flight 855 crashed off the coast of Bandra, Bombay, on 1 January 1978 when the captain became
spatially disoriented after the failure of one of the flight instruments in the cockpit. All 213 aboard were killed.
• 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, the Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763 collided in mid-air with Kazakhstan
Airlines Flight 1907 on 12 November 1996. The cause was determined to be pilot error by the Kazakhstan
Airlines pilot. All 349 people on board both flights were killed, making it the deadliest mid-air collision in
history.
• Indian Airlines Flight 113 crashed on its final approach to Ahmedabad airport due to pilot error on 19 October
1988. Deaths were 130.
• Indian Airlines Flight 427 was hijacked by a single individual on 24 April 1993. The hijacker demanded passage
to Afghanistan, but was denied overflight permission by Pakistani authorities and the pilot diverted
to Amritsar. The hijacker was killed after security forces stormed the aircraft.
• Indian Airlines Flight 814 was hijacked by suspected Pakistani extremists on 24 December 1999 while in Indian
airspace. The aircraft was flown to Kandahar, Afghanistan. One passenger was killed by the hijackers; the other
192 aboard survived.

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 TERRORISM
• A surprise attack involving the deliberate use of
violence against civilians in the hope of attaining
political or religious aims.
• Terrorist act can be defined as the calculated use
of violence (or the threat of violence) against
civilians in order to attain goals that are political
or religious or ideological in nature.
• This is another type of disaster that results in loss
of life and property. Terrorist use violence and
strike without warning. They use bombs, guns etc
to terrorize people.

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 TERRORISM
• There was a series of coordinated attacks by Al-Qaeda
on America on September 11, 2001. Four commercial
passenger jet airliners were hijacked by 19 Al-Qaeda
members and they intentionally steered two of the
planes towards the Twin Towers of World Trade
Center, consequently bringing them down to earth.
The third airliner was crashed into The Pentagon in
Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. and
the fourth one crashed into a field near Shanksville in
rural Pennsylvania. There were no survivors from any
of the flights. This event triggered many changes in the
world as a whole and was the beginning of a very
horrendous film for the humans across the globe.

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 TERRORISM
• Mumbai terrorist attack - also referred to as November
26 or 26/11
• Series of 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks
across Mumbai by Islamic terrorists.
• It affected the Indo-Pak relation immensely and the
bilateral relations were debilitated which have never
returned to normalcy since.
• Attack type- Bombings, shootings
• Deaths- Approximately 166 (plus 9 attackers)
• Non-fatal injuries- 600+
• Perpetrators- Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi and Lashkar-e-
Taiba

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 COURSE OUTCOMES
Understudies will be able to identify different dimensions of
environmental studies; problems related to the environmental
degradation & will be able to take remedial steps.
Disciples will learn about different type of disaster that occur in
nature consequently learning to develop the preparedness and
remedial techniques.
Upon learning the problems related to environmental waste
students will be able to segregate the waste in different categories
and will learn its effective management techniques.
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