Enormous population pressures and
urbanization have forced people
to live on marginal lands or in
cities where they are at greater
risk to disasters and the damage
they can cause. Whether a flood, a
regional drought or a devastating
earthquake, millions of Indians
are effected each time a disaster
occurs. In addition to large-scale
displacement and the loss of life,
these events result in the loss of
property and agricultural crops
worth millions of dollars annually.
These catastrophes typically result
in the substantial loss of hard won
development gains.
India is a nation with varied
climatologically and hypsographic
conditions. Therefore 68 percent of
the land is drought prone, 60 percent
is prone to earthquake, 12 percent
to Floods, 8 percent to Cyclones.
This count to almost 85 percent of
the land area in India is vulnerable
to natural hazards while 22 States
have been marked as hazards prone
states. The main natural disasters in
India includes floods, earthquakes,
droughts, and cyclones while the
minor natural hazards in India are
landslides, avalanches, hailstorms,
forest fires and bushfires. In India
most of the states experience more
than one type of disaster
Types of Disasters
Due to the increasing frequency
of natural and man-made disasters
and their severe impact on the
individuals, society, economy,
natural resources and environment,
Government of India constituted a
High Powered Committee (HPC)
on Disaster Management in August
1999 to prepare comprehensive
plans for National, State and District
levels. The HPC has rightly stressed
on the need for a comprehensive
and holistic approach towards
dealing with all kinds of disasters.
From a compartmentalized response
32
oriented approach, a coordinated,
holistic and participatory approach
has been recommended. HPC
identified thirty one disasters in
the country. These disasters have
been categorized into following five
sub-groups depending on generic
(origin) considerations and various
departments/ ministries dealing
with various aspects:
1. Water and Climate Related
Disasters
Floods and Drainage
Management, Cyclones, Tornadoes
and Hurricanes, Hailstorm, Cloud
Burst, Heat Wave and Cold Wave,
Snow Avalanches, Droughts,
Sea Erosion and Thunder and
Lightning.
2. G e o l o g i c a l l y r e l a t e d
disasters
Landslides and Mudflows,
Earthquakes, Dam Failures/ Dam
Bursts and Mine Fires
3. Chemical , Industrial &
Nuclear related disasters
Chemical and industrial and
nuclear disasters have been
included.
4. Accident related disasters
Forest Fires, Urban Fires, Mines
Flooding Oil Spill, Major Building
Collapse, Serial Bomb Blasts,
Festival related disasters, Electrical
disasters and Fires, Air, Road and
Rail Accidents, Boat Capsizing and
Village Fire have been included in
this sub-group by HPC.
5. B i o l o g i c a l l y r e l a t e d
disasters
Epidemics, Pest Attacks, Cattle
epidemics and Food poisoning.
Natural disasters are natural
phenomenon and occur without
any intention while man-made
disasters are events which, either
intentionally or by accident cause
severe threats to public health
and well-being. Because their
occurrence is unpredictable, manmade disasters pose an especially
challenging threat that must be dealt
with through vigilance, and proper
preparedness and response.
Natural disasters
Floods
Floods in the Indo-Gangatic
Brahmaputra plains are an annual
feature. Seventy five percent
of rainfall is concentrated over
four months of monsoon (June September) and as a result almost
all the rivers carry heavy discharge
during this period. Brahmaputra
and the Gangetic Basin are the
most flood prone areas. The other
flood prone areas are the north-west
region of west due to over flowing
rivers such as the Narmada and
Tapti, Central India and the Deccan
region with major eastward flowing
rivers like Mahanadi, Krishna and
Cavery. The average area affected
by floods annually is about 8
million hectares while the total area
in India liable to floods is 40 million
hectares in which Uttar Pradesh
has 21.9 percent, Bihar (12.71
percent), Assam (9.4 percent), West
Bengal (7.91 percent), Orissa (4.18
percent) and other states have 43.9
percent flood prone area.
An analysis of data of different
states for the period of 19532009 reveals that average annual
damage to crops, houses and public
utilities in the country was around
Rs. 1649.77 crore and maximum
reported 8864.54 crore was in the
year of 2000. On an average, an
area of about 7 million hectares
(17.50 mha maximum in 1978) was
flooded, of which, on average crop
area affected was of the order of
3.302 million hectares (10.15 mha
in 1988). The floods claimed on an
average 1464 human life and 86288
heads of cattle dead every year.
YOJANA March 2012