Disasters And Management

a) Earthquake is quite common in India especially in the Northern mountain ranges like The Himalayas

b) Flood is common in India due to heavy rainfalls in places like Cherrapunji.

c) Landslide is common in India especially in the Western Ghats and the Himalayas

d) Volcanoes do not occur in India because there is no active mountain in India.

a) Southern Plateaus have no new fold mountains or there is no nearby plate.

b) In the Himalaya range there are new fold mountains, no balance are set up so it leads to frequent earthquakes.

c) Middle India no new fold mountains or there is no nearby plate.

d) Coastal Areas in India no new fold mountains or there is no nearby plate.

Damodar River in Bengal is known as the ‘Sorrow of Bengal’ because it floods its nearby districts lie Bardhaman, Hoogly, Medinipur and causes a lot of damage.

The Himalaya Mountains are young fold mountains. As a result due to improper balance, earthquakes are common in those areas. Due to earthquakes, the bold rocks become loose and they crash down the slope which results into a landslide.

In Western parts of India like Rajasthan, eastern Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh experience severe drought due to lack of rainfall.

The disaster which are caused due to change in the nature for a short time are known as natural disasters. Example- Earthquake, Drought, Volcano.

Earthquake is the shaking of the earth due to inner disturbances in the Earth which cause due to release of seismic waves. It is a natural disaster.

The process of moving, falling or crashing down of soil and rock downward from slopes is known as landslide.

When there is surcharge of water which leads of overflow or breakdown of river banks and spreading all over the place, this is called flood. It causes due to heavy rainfall.

Damodar River in Bengal is known as the ‘Sorrow of Bengal’ because it floods its nearby districts lie Bardhaman, Hoogly, Medinipur and causes a lot of damage.

Kosi River is known as the ‘Sorrow of Bihar’ because it floods nearly 21,000 sq km and destroys the agricultural land.

Lack of Rainfall or uneven rainfall is the main cause of a drought.

Disaster Management is the proper way to giving a relief to the people after a certain disaster takes place. It should be taken care that the proper lifestyle is returned as fast as possible. The main things include:-

a) Financial condition.

b) Food and Home

c) Social help

d) Transport and communication sources

e) Positive thoughts.

In India, the main earthquake occur in the Himalayan Range. These are new fold mountains and are in a position of rising up. So due to uneven balance, frequent earthquakes occur in these areas.

In India, most floods occur in the north-eastern regions like West Bengal, Bihar, Assam. Rivers like Kosi, Damodar, Ghagra, Ganga flood their banks due to large amount of rainfall and flood is very common in those areas.

In Severe drought, if the rainfall is so less that there is no grain, fooder or sufficient water, that state is known as ‘Trikal’. The ‘Trikal’ of Vikram Samvat 1956 is considered as the greatest famine.

Bhopal Gas Tragedy in 1984 was one of the greatest man-made disasters in India. Around 3000 people died due to leakage in the Union Carbide Gas chamber which was being used to make pesticides.

Anthrax is an infection caused by germ. It is studied that 100 gram of Anthrax can kill 30 lakh people of a city. In USA 2001, two postmen died due to infection of Anthrax.

The following steps should be followed to face earthquake:-

• The government should provide quick, relief assistance after the disaster.

• In earthquake prone areas special type of houses must be built to prevent a huge damage

• Quick shelter, food and water supply must be provided to the citizens

• Frequent awareness camps must be organised to make people cautious.

• During an earthquake all people should come under an open space

• Pet animals should be free

• Electric and gas ovens should be cut off

• Immediate medical assistance must be provided to the victims.

The main causes of landslides are as follows:-

A) Natural Causes:

• Climate- A change in climate has an impact on soil stability. If the soil is loosely bounded then by a heavy precipitation, it may result in a landslide.

• Earthquakes- Earthquakes in young fold mountains loosen the rocks and the steep becomes more.

• Weathering and Erosion- Weathering is brought about by chemical action of air, water, plants and bacteria. Erosion is the wearing away of soil particles by water and air currents, which leads to destruction of land and increase in landslide

B) Human Causes:

• Mining- Blasting of mines hugely increases the chances of landslide.

• Deforestation- As trees are cut down, the firm grip on the soil particles decreases resulting in a landslide.

• Construction- The construction of roads, bridges, tunnels, dams promotes landslides.

The main causes of floods are as follows:-

• Due to heavy rain which causes overflow of river banks and breaking of dams

• Lack of proper drainage system which causes the water to clog in the place.

• Destruction of forest and grassland which causes the soil to swept along with water leading to landslide along with flood.

• Unplanned construction of roads, canals, water reservoirs.

Steps that should be taken to fight against famine:-

• Water should be used religiously and should not be wasted.

• Proper building of Canals, Irrigation tanks, Wells which can store water.

• Introduction of many river programs like ‘Bhagirathi’ which provides food to heavy rainfall areas and water to less rainfall areas.

• Rainwater harvesting should be encouraged.

• Provide food and water to the victims of famine.

• Awareness camps on water management should be held.

Flood is caused due to heavy rainfall. The north-eastern part of India receives heavy rainfall. Rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Gomti, Ghaghra, Kosi in Bihar, Damodar in West Bengal overflow their banks and causes a great flood which leads to immense destruction. The Brahmaputra River Valley floods its area in every rainy season.

Solution to floods:-

• Tanks, irrigation canals, deep wells should be built in the areas which can store the water

• High Dams should be built to check the water and prevent the main river from flooding.

• Before rainfall, the capacity of the river should be increased, the embankments must be made strong so that they don’t break.

• Planting of more tress to check soil erosion.

• Protective houses should be made to rescue the people who are in need.

• Food, dairy, water and clothes should be provided to the victims.

Man-made disasters are those which are caused to some doings of man which leads to these mishaps.

• Fire- Fire is a very devastating disaster which is caused due to some silly mistakes. It can lead to loss of huge number of lives and property.

• Road Accidents- Road accidents are very common now-a-days. As the roads have been improved, the road accidents due to reckless driving, drinking and driving, speeding have increased to a great extent. It leads to loss of many lives.

• Air Accidents- Air accidents is caused to a very minor mistake which leads to loss of around 300-400 lives. It is caused to some technical fault, clashing with birds, plane hijack, terrorist attack etc.

• Railway Accidents- Although railway has immerged as the cheapest means of travel, the accident rate has also increased. These are normally caused due to some technical error like over speeding, damage of railway tracks, loss of fish-plate. Now-a-a-days, terrorist activities are quite common in the railway which leads to derail of the train thereby claiming more than 300 lives.

• Destructive weapons- With the advancement of technology, stronger and destructive weapons are also built which claim lakhs of lives as well as convert the whole city into a graveyard. Such kinds of weapons are used in the war.

• Nuclear accidents- Nuclear accidents are one of the most destructive man-made accidents. A core melt down in nuclear plant may result into a loss of a whole city and future generations are also affected by the deadly radiations.

• Chemical and industrial Accidents- Various chemicals are made which are used in many research activities, daily lives, water purification, farming. But mishandling those chemicals or careless faults may lead to a large casualty. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy is a burning example of these industrial hazards.

• Biological Disasters- Biological weapons can be made easily which is also known as the atom bomb of the poor. A deadly infectious bacteria or germ can be sprayed in some locality and a huge calamity breaks out. In USA 2001, Anthrax (caused by bacteria) claimed the life of two postmen.