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INDEX
1 Introduction
2 MicroProject Proposal
3 Earthquakes
4 Tsunami
5 Floods
6 Drought
7 Man-Made Disasters
8 Bhopal Gas Tragedy (BGT)
9 CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR
DISASTER
10 Conclusion
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INTRODUCTION
Environmental studies are the study of human interaction with the
environment and in the interests of solving complex problems. Environment
includes which we are directly or indirectly dependent for our survival,
whether it is living component like animals, plants or non living component
like soil, air and water. Importance of environmental studies are (a) People
have to clarify modern environmental concept like how to conserve
biodiversity. (b) Usage of natural resources more efficiently. (c) Try to know
the sustainable way of living. The field encompasses study in basic principles
of ecology and environmental science, as well as associated subjects such as
ethics, geography, policy, politics, law, economics, philosophy, environmental
sociology and environmental justice, planning, pollution control and natural
resource management. The main factors influencing environmental behaviors:
there is waste management behaviors like waste reduce, reuse, Recycle and
Recycling Processes. Reduce: People should make a simple habit to reduce
waste by avoiding disposable items like paper products, straws, plastic covers
and single serving containers.
Pack your lunch or snacks in a box and it does not involve throwing
anything away. Avoid food wastes to your trash it prevents lost of nutrients.
Reuse: when we use something again is called reuse. Clothes are used to
reuse for the same purpose by washing dirty. People make a habit of
donating clothes or unused items to the orphanages or oldage homes.
Recycle: It involves collecting processing and selling products from old
materials. Cereal box made with 100% recycled paper and aluminum can only
be made from 40% recycled content.
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Micro-Project
Proposal
Impact of Natural Disasters and Manmade Hazards
Rationale
Natural and manmade hazards include, for instance, droughts,
desertification, floods, fires, earthquake and dispersion of radioactive gases
in the atmosphere. They have significant social, environmental and
economic impacts. The JRC carries out extensive work to continuously
monitor the situation, assess risks and potential impacts, and forecast future
events as accurately as possible in order to help prevent these phenomena
from happening or to limit their impact.
The JRC provides the knowledge base that helps EU countries and
international partners prepare for a respond to natural and manmade
disasters. An import part of this work is the development of methods and
tools to monitor the situation, assess risks and predict future developments.
Aims/Benefits of the Micro-Project
Disaster management aims to reduce, or avoid, the potential losses from
hazards, assure prompt and appropriate assistance to victims of disasters, and
achieve rapid and effective recovery. The disaster management cycle
illustrates the ongoing process by which governments, businesses, and civil
society plan for and reduce the impact of disasters, react during an
immediately following disasters, and take steps to recover after disasters has
occurred.
Develop an awareness of chronological phases of natural disasters
response refugee relief operations. This project aims to understand the
relationship of disaster phases to each other and linkage of activities from
one phase to next. Identify the major disaster types and understand the relief
system and the disaster victim.
Course Outcomes Achieved
1) Conserve Ecosystem and Biodiversity.
2) Apply techniques to reduce environmental pollution.
3) Manage social issues and environmental ethics as lifelong
learning.
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Actual Methodology Followed
Disasters can be defined as a sudden, accidental event of great
magnitude that causes considerable damage to life and property. They are
sudden, drastic and normally occur without any alarm or warning. Some
disasters may be short lived such as earthquakes and some other may be of
long duration, such as floods.
However, irrespective of the duration of a disaster, the damage in the
form of deaths, injuries and losses of property is immense. The magnitude of
the disasters can be judged by the fact that only during the past two decades,
occurrences of floods, earthquakes, landslides, cyclones, etc. have killed
several million people.
Most of the disasters have a natural origin, however, some disasters are
manmade as well. On this basis, disasters can be broadly classified into two
groups:
Natural disasters:
When disasters occur due to natural forces they are called natural disasters,
over which man has hardly any control. Some common natural disasters are
earthquakes, landslides floods, droughts, cyclones, etc. Tsunamis, volcanic
eruptions and wildfires are also included under
natural disasters. These disasters cause enormous loss to life and property.
Man-made disasters:
When the disasters are due to carelessness of human or mishandling of
dangerous equipment’s they are called man-made disasters. Common examples
of these disasters are train accidents, aero plane crashes, collapse of buildings,
bridges, mines, tunnels, etc.
Natural Disasters:
Some of the common natural disasters, their impact on environment, and their
prevention, control and mitigation are discussed below:
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EARTHQUAKES
An earthquake is the shaking of the earth’s surface caused by rapid
movement of the earth’s crust or outer layer. Ever since it came into existence
4.6 billion years ago, the earth has been a dynamic, evolving system. The
position of the different continents and oceans that we see today, has changed a
number of times in the earth’s history.
Impact of Earthquake on the Environment:
The destruction, an earthquake causes, depends on its magnitude and
duration or the amount of shaking that occurs. In the last 500 years, earthquakes
around the world have killed several million people. Earthquake is one of the
most catastrophic natural disasters. Massive loss of life and property occurs due
to collapse of buildings. Besides, roads, bridges, canals, electric poles, etc. are
severely damaged. Certain regions of the earth are more prone to earthquakes.
These are places located in the unstable regions of the earth crust, which are
subjected to tectonic activities. Countries like Japan, parts of Southeast Asia,
Turkey, Iran, Mexico, etc. are affected by severe earthquakes. In India, the
entire Himalayan region, parts of the Gangetic Plain, Kutch and Andaman and
Nicobar islands are in the earthquake hazard zone (Table 18.2).
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The major impacts of earthquakes are as follows:
Shaking of the ground and surface rupture:
This is the main cause of destruction in which buildings, bridges, roads,
canals and other structures are damaged.
Liquefaction:
Earthquakes make sands and silts to transform from a solid to liquid state. This
also results in building collapse.
Landslides:
Earthquakes of high intensity often trigger many landslides in the hilly regions.
Fires:
It is a major hazard associated with earthquakes. The shakings of the ground
and building damage often break the gas pipes and electric lines that cause fires.
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TSUNAMI
It is a Japanese term meaning ‘harbour waves’. Tsunamis are massive sea
waves that are mainly caused due to earthquakes in the ocean floor or possibly
due to an undersea landslide or volcanic eruption. When the ocean floor is tilted
or offset during an earthquake a set of waves is created similar to the concentric
waves generated by an object dropped into the water.
These waves are massive in size and gain height as they approach the
seashore. Tsunamis up to the height of 30 m are recorded (Fig. 18.2). Tsunamis
are the most catastrophic among natural disasters as they affect a very wide
geographical area. The tsunami of 26 December, 2004 killed around three lakh
people and affected parts of Indonesia, Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India,
Sri Lanka and even Somalia.
Prevention and Mitigation:
Despite the advances made by modem science, the exact time and place
where an earthquake may strike cannot be predicted. Hence, the occurrence of
an earthquake cannot be prevented. However, there are certain regions that are
earthquakes prone and so the administration must work before hand to minimize
the damages due to occurrence of earthquakes in such areas. The control and
mitigation measures in earthquake prone regions include hazard reduction
programmes, development of critical facilities and proper land use planning.
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Hazard reduction programmes:
i. Earthquake education and evacuation plans.
ii. Use of proper construction material that is not injurious even if the structures
collapse.
iii. Construction of quake resistant buildings having proper structural design.
Development of critical facilities:
i. Establishment of earthquake regulatory agencies for fast relief.
ii. Establishment of specific health care units for treating earthquake injuries
Proper land use planning.
iii. Mapping of faults and weak zones in earthquake prone areas.
iv. Buildings such as schools, hospitals, offices, etc. should be in areas away
from active faults.
FLOODS
Floods refer to the ‘inundation of large parts of land which otherwise
remain dry by water for some duration of time’. Floods are one of the most
common natural disasters occurring in many parts of the world every year. Floods
occur due to heavy rainfall within a short duration of time in a particular region
which causes the rivers and streams to overflow.
Since most of the precipitation occurs within span of two to three months
during the rainy season, most floods occur during that time. The floods in the
mountainous regions due to cloudbursts or damming of streams are referred to as
flash-floods. In flash-floods, the water drains away quickly but only after causing
extensive damage. The plain areas of a region which are drained by a number of
rivers, are the places most affected by floods.
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In India, states like Assam, Bihar and parts of Gangetic Uttar Pradesh are quite
prone to floods during the rainy season (Fig. 18.3). The Ganga and Brahmaputra
rivers and their tributaries are most susceptible to floods. However, heavy rains
cause occasional floods in parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu. Flooding, in India, is a major problem and some part or the other is affected
by the fury of floods usually during the months from July to September.
Floods cause untold miseries to the affected regions in the form of huge
losses of life and property. There is great damage to agriculture and livestock.
Flood affected areas face acute shortages of food and drinking water. Besides,
floods cause a number of water borne diseases such as diarrhea, gastroenteritis,
jaundice, malaria, etc.
Impact on the Environment:
Though the lives lost in floods may not be as high as in case of earthquakes or
cyclones, the damage to the environment is immense. The problem is further
aggravated if the floods last for a longer duration of time.
Floods not only damage property and endanger if lives of
humans and animals, but have other effects as well, such as:
1. Floods cause the spread of many epidemic diseases.
2. Rapid runoff causes soil erosion.
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3. Wildlife habitat and forests are often destroyed.
4. Manmade structures like buildings, bridges, roads, sewer lines, power
lines, etc. are damaged.
5. Floods cause widespread damage to the standing crops and degrade
the agricultural land.
6. Flood affected areas are faced with acute shortage of food and
drinking water.
Prevention, Control and Mitigation:
Though floods are a natural hazard, it is sometimes intensified due to
undesirable human activities. The measures that can be taken to control the extent
of flood damage include land use planning, building of physical barriers,
preventing human encroachment and use of technology for relief.
Land use planning:
Proper land use planning in flood prone areas includes:
1. Demarcation of the flood-prone areas that are first inundated during floods.
2. Construction work and concentration of human population should be avoided
in the floodplains.
3. Afforestation on the upper reaches of the river (catchment areas) to control
soil erosion and excessive runoff.
Building of physical barriers:
Flood can be prevented by building certain structures, such as:
1. Embankments along the banks of rivers in densely populated areas.
2. Building of reservoirs to collect excess water during floods.
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3. The construction of channels that divert floodwater.
Preventing human encroachment:
Human encroachment should be avoided in the following areas:
1. Floodplains and catchment areas.
2. This would control deforestation and soil erosion which would prevent
excessive runoff.
Use of technology for relief:
Advanced technology can be used in the following ways:
1. Advanced communication techniques for flood forecasting and warning.
2. Fast evacuation of people.
3. To provide relief in temporary shelters.
4. Immediate supply of medicines, drinking water, food and clothes.
5. Epidemic diseases must be controlled through spraying, vaccination, etc.
DROUGHT
Drought is a condition of abnormally dry weather within a geographic region.
Drought refers to the lack or insufficiency of rain for an extended period of time
in a specific region. During droughts, rainfall is less than normal causing a water
imbalance and resultant water shortage. It occurs when the rate of evaporation
and transpiration exceeds precipitation for a considerable period. Drought should
not be confused with dry climate, as in the Sahara or Thar Desert. It is marked by
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an unusual scarcity of water and food for the humans as well as animals.
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Certain regions of the world, such as parts of Central Africa, are
characterized by low amount of rainfall resulting in perennial drought- like
conditions. Some part of India is often affected by drought even during the rainy
season. As India is primarily an agricultural country, droughts cause untold
miseries to the common people.
Many Indian farmers are still totally dependent on rainfall for irrigation and
because of abnormally dry spells there is extensive crop damage. The main
drought prone areas of the country are parts of Rajasthan, Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh. However, sometimes drought-
like conditions also prevail in the Gangetic Plain also.
Impact on the Environment:
The severity of the drought is gauged by the degree of moisture deficiency,
its duration, and the size of the area affected. If the drought is brief, it is known as
a dry spell or partial drought.
Drought causes serious environmental imbalances, which
are summarized below:
1. Water-supply reservoirs become empty, wells dry up and there is acute water
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shortage.
2. Groundwater level is also depleted because of less recharge.
3. Soil degradation and erosion occurs. Soil cracks because of
shrinkage during desiccation (Fig. 18.4).
4. There is extensive crop damage.
5. People become impoverished and there are diseases due to
malnutrition.
6. Widespread damage to flora and fauna air including domestic animals.
Prevention, control and mitigation:
Rains are caused by a number of natural factors like air currents, wind
direction, etc. Thus, droughts are a natural phenomenon, beyond
human control and prevention. Though, global warming may have changed the
pattern of rainfall in the recent times. In modem times, by the use of satellites, we
can predict the weather pattern over a particular area. Drought-like conditions can
be overcome by better water harvesting techniques. Certain precautions can be
taken in drought prone areas, which relate to management of water resources,
proper agricultural techniques and relief by different agencies.
Management of water resources:
1. Conservation of water through rainwater harvesting, building check dams,
bunds, etc.
2. Construction of reservoirs to hold emergency water supplies.
Proper agricultural techniques:
1. Increased use of drought resistant crops.
2. Proper irrigation techniques, such as drip and trickle irrigation that minimize
the use of water.
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3. Over-cropping and overgrazing should be avoided.
Relief measures:
Immediate relief to the drought-affected people should be provided in the form of:
1. Employment generation programmes, like ‘food for work’ in the
drought affected areas.
2. To provide fodder for domestic animals.
MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Man-made disasters are the result of carelessness or human errors during
technological and industrial use. The disasters are in the form of accidents, which
occur all of a sudden and take a huge toll on life and property. Mostly such
disasters cause injuries, diseases and casualties where they occur.
Man-made disasters are mainly of two types:
Local disasters:
These are small-scale disasters such as train accidents, plane crashes and
shipwrecks.
Industrial and technological disasters:
These are much larger in scale and are the result of technology failures or
industrial accidents. Such disasters affect both local population and may even
cover a much larger area. Industrial disasters result due to accidental leakage of
water or air pollutants. Many of the chemicals are extremely toxic and
carcinogenic which affect the human population in an adverse way. Some people
die instantly while others are crippled for whole life in the form of blindness,
paralysis and many other chronic diseases.
Leakage of toxic chemicals from the industries and accidents in the nuclear
reactors has short-term and long-term effects on the environment and human
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health. Short-term effects on human health relate to casualties and diseases like
blindness, cancer, paralysis, heart trouble, gastric and respiratory abnormalities.
Long-term effects include genetic imbalances in humans and its impact on the
future generations. Soil and water sources also remain polluted for long durations
of time.
Prevention, control and mitigation:
Man-made disasters can be minimized to a large extent by
adopting the following measures:
1. Proper training of personnel working in the hazardous industries.
2. Proper maintenance and care of safety measures.
3. Removing human encroachments around hazardous industries.
4. Making the people aware about the first-aid methods in case of accidents.
5. Applying wet cloth over the mouth and nose in case of gas leakages minimizes
the health hazards.
6. Remaining indoors in case of radioactive accidents.
7. Providing the people with proper medical care, in some cases throughout
their life.
8. Providing adequate compensation to the affected people by way of money
and employment.
BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY (BGT)
The most serious industrial disaster occurred on December 3, 1984 at
Bhopal, India, which is known as the Bhopal Gas Tragedy (BGT). The Bhopal
gas tragedy occurred due to leakage of methyl isocyanide (MIC) gas from the
factory of Union Carbide of India Ltd. MIC gas is used as an ingredient in
pesticides.
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It leaked from the factory and formed the deadly cloud over Bhopal.
People living in slums in the vicinity of the factory were the most affected and
more than 5000 people were killed, half of them due to direct exposure and other
half due to after affects. MIC is a colourless gas which causes severe irritation,
violent coughing, swelling of the lungs, bleeding and death due to direct
inhalation. It also caused loss of eye-sight in more than 1000 people. More than
50,000 people were affected with respiratory, eye, gastric, neurological and
gynaecological problems Another technological disaster is due to the potential
damages of nuclear fallout. An example is the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster.
CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER
This nuclear disaster occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant,
which was one of the largest power plants in the Ukrainian Republic of
erstwhile USSR, on April 26, 1986. It is the worst nuclear disaster recorded in a
nuclear power plant. This nuclear power plant had four reactors of 1000
megawatt each for electricity generation. A sudden power surge resulted in two
explosions, which destroyed the reactor core and blasted a large hole in the roof
of the reactor building.
The Radioactive debris moved up through that hole to heights of 1 km.
Approximately 100 to 150 million curies of radiation (radioactive isotopes of
iodine and caesium) escaped into the atmosphere. To reduce emissions, the
rescue team bombarded the reactor with 5,000 metric tonnes of shielding
material consisting of lead, boron, sand and clay. Soviet officials placed the toll
of human lives to 31.
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However, according to western estimates, 2000 people were killed. Large
areas of the Ukrainian, Byelorussia Republics of the USSR and even parts of
Poland, Denmark and Sweden were contaminated. Around 200,000 people had
to be evacuated and resettled. The after affects lasted for many years and a rise
in the incidence of thyroid and blood cancer has been observed in a wide group
of people. Other affects on the human health included skin diseases, hair loss,
nausea, anemia, respiratory and reproductive diseases.
CONCLUSION
In this Microproject we learned about Impact of
Natural Disasters and Man-Made Hazards,
Different Type of Disasters and more!
Outputs of the Micro-Project
Disaster Impact Management
Name
Earthquake
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Flood
Drought
Bhopal Gas
Tragedy (BGT)
Chernobyl
Nuclear Disaster
Learning outcomes of this Micro-Project
We learned how to manage the situation after the disasters occurred. We
understand the basic impacts of natural as well as man- made disasters impacts
on environment. We learned the mitigation and prevention controls for the
various disasters. We also understand the causes for the disasters.
