ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Mr.C.RameshBabu M.E., Ph.D (Pursuing)

Sr.Gr. Assistant Professor,
Department of Civil Engineering,
Mepco Schlenk Engineering College.
UNIT I INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Definition, scope and importance Need for public awareness
Forest resources: Use and over-exploitation, deforestation, case
studies. Timber extraction, mining, dams and their effects on forests
and tribal people Water resources: Use and over-utilization of
surface and ground water, floods, drought, conflicts over water,
dams benefits and problems Mineral resources: Use and
exploitation, environmental effects of extracting and using mineral
resources, case studies Food resources: World food problems,
changes caused by agriculture and overgrazing, effects of modern
agriculture, fertilizer, pesticide problems, water logging, salinity, case
studies Energy resources: Growing energy needs, renewable and
non renewable energy sources, use of alternate energy sources.
Case studies Role of an individual in conservation of natural
resources Equitable use of resources for sustainable lifestyles
UNIT II
ECOSYSTEMS AND BIODIVERSITY
Concept of an ecosystem Structure and function of an ecosystem
Producers, consumers and decomposers Energy flow in the ecosystem
(single channel energy flow model) Concept of nutrient cycling (Nitrogen
cycle) Ecological succession Food chains, food webs and ecological
pyramids Introduction to Biodiversity Definition: genetic, species and
ecosystem diversity Value of biodiversity: consumptive use, productive
use, social, ethical, aesthetic and option values Biodiversity at global,
National and local levels India as a mega diversity nation Hot-spots of
biodiversity Threats to biodiversity: habitat loss, poaching of wildlife, man-
wildlife conflicts Endangered and endemic species of India Conservation
of biodiversity: In-situ and Ex-situ conservation of biodiversity.
UNIT III
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Definition Causes, effects and control measures of: (a)
Air pollution (b) Water pollution (c) Marine pollution (d)
Noise pollution (e) Nuclear hazards Solid waste
Management: Causes, effects and control measures of
urban and industrial wastes Role of an individual in
prevention of pollution. Unsustainable and Sustainable
development Unsustainable practices Issues
possible solutions Water conservation, rain water
harvesting Environmental ethics Acts for Prevention of
Environmental Pollution Wildlife Protection Act Forest
Conservation Act - Water (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Act Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution)
Act Environment Protection Act Issues involved in
enforcement of environmental legislation Public
awareness.
 UNIT IV
DISASTER AND ITS IMPACTS
Definition of Disaster, Hazard,
Vulnerability, Risk Types Natural
disasters (earthquake, landslides, flood,
cyclones, tsunami and drought)
Manmade disasters (Chemical, nuclear
and biological) Disaster impacts
(environmental, physical, social,
ecological and economical) Case
studies.
UNIT V DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Need and concept of Disaster
management Disaster Management
cycle Prevention, mitigation,
preparedness, relief, recovery Post
disaster environmental response (water,
sanitation, food safety, waste
management, disease control) Role and
responsibilities of government, community,
local institutions and NGOs.
Ecosystem :
Communities of organisms interacting with one another
and with the physical environment of matter and energy in
which they live.
 CASE STUDY: TROPICAL FORESTS ARE
DISAPPEARING
Tropical rain forests are found near the earths
equator and contain an incredible variety of life.
These lush forests are warmyear round and
have high humidity and heavy rainfall almost
daily.
Although they cover no more than 6% of the
earths land surface, studies indicate that they
contain up to half of the worlds known terrestrial
plant and animal species.
 So far, at least half of these forests have been
destroyed or disturbed by humans cutting down trees,
growing crops, grazing cattle, and building
settlements and the degradation of these centers of
life (biodiversity) is increasing.
DEFORESTATION IN THAILAND
WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT DEGRADATION
OF TROPICAL FORESTS?
WHAT DO SCIENTISTS SAY?
Scientists give three reasons.
First, it will reduce theearths vital biodiversity by
destroying or degrading the habitats of many of the
unique plant and animal species found in these forests,
thereby causing their premature extinction.
Second, it will help to accelerate projected climate
change by eliminating large areas of trees faster than
they can grow back, thereby degrading the forests
abilities to remove the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide
(CO2) from the atmosphere.
Third, it will change regional weather patterns in
ways that can prevent the return of diverse
tropical rain forests in cleared or degraded areas.
Once this irreversible ecological tipping point
is reached tropical rain forests in such areas will
become less diverse tropical grasslands.
 Ecologists study an ecosystem to learn how
its variety of organisms interact with their
living (biotic) environment of other organisms
and with their nonliving (abiotic) environment
of soil, water, other forms of matter, and
energy, mostly from the sun.
In effect, ecologists study connections in
nature. Tropical rain forests and other
ecosystems recycle nutrients and provide
humans and other organisms with essential
natural services
Kingd Animal
om: ia
Phylu Chord
m: ata
Class: Mam
malia
Order: Artiod
actyla
Family: Bovida
e
Subfa Caprin
mily: ae
Genus Nilgiritr
: agus
THREATENED SPECIES IN
INDIA
LICHENS ON WALL
Biodiversity

Profile of
India
 WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?
Ever since the happening of the earth summit at Rio De Janeiro,
Brazil the term biodiversity has become a buzzword.
In fact it is the contracted form of Biological Diversity .

The term 'biodiversity' encompasses the variety of all life on earth. It is

identified as the variability among living organisms and the ecological
complexes of which they are part, including diversity within and between
species and ecosystems.
Quite simply it can be defined as
variety,
variability,between genes,
species and ecosystems
Biodiversity manifests
itself at three levels:

Species diversity which refers to

the numbers and kinds of living
organisms

Genetic diversity, which refers to

the genetic variation within a
population of species.

Ecosystem diversity, which is the

variety of habitats, biological
communities and ecological
processes that occur in the
biosphere.
 Why Conserve Biodiversity?
Biological diversity affects us all.
Biological diversity has direct consumptive value
in food, agriculture, medicine, industry.
It also has aesthetic and recreational value.
Biodiversity maintains ecological balance and
continues evolutionary process.
The indirect ecosystem services provided through
biodiversity are photosynthesis, pollination,
transpiration, chemical cycling, nutrient cycling, soil
maintenance, climate regulation, air, water system
management, and waste treatment and pest
 Convention on Biodiversity (CBD)

The three preambles of Biodiversity are:

Conservation of Biodiversity
Sustainable use of Biodiversity and
leaving enough for the future
generations.
Fair and equitable sharing of Profits
arising out of the use of biodiversity
MEGABIODIVERSITY COUNTRIES OF
THE WORLD
India is one of the twelve-mega biodiversity countries of the world
and one of the four in Asia.

Megabiodiversity? :Countries that

contain as much as 7-8% per cent of
the world's species.

The twelve Megabiodiversity countries that have been identified

are : India,Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico,
Madagascar, Zaire, Australia, China, Indonesia and
Malaysia.
I- Since India lies at the confluence of
African, European and Indo-Malaysian
region the biota therefore, includes
African,European , Eurasian and
Mediterranean elements, which together
with Indian and endemic elements
contributes to the richness of the
characteristic Indian biodiversity.
II-Biogeographic Diversity India has ten
biogeographic regions
in India 1.The Trans-
Himalayan,
2. The Himalayan,
3.The Indian desert,
NE Himalyas
Western 4.The Semi-arid
Ghats zone(s),
5.The Western Ghats
6. The Deccan
Peninsula,
7. The Gangetic Plain,
8. The Northeast India,
9. The Islands and
10. The Coasts
III-Habitats and Ecosystems: India has
a rich and varied heritage of biodiversity,
encompassing a wide Spectrum of Ecosystems
from
Tropical rainforests to alpine vegetation
Temperate forests to coastal,
Marine to freshwater wetlands ,Rivers,
Lakes,Ponds,Mangroves, Corals etc.,
Semi-arid to Arid,

Plains to Himalaya, to Islands.

IV. The other important features that contribute to Indias rich
biodiversity are
1 Physiography of India: Although nearly half of India lies outside tropics in the
middle latitudes, it is customary to speak of India as a tropical country, since the region is
shielded of by the Himalayas in the north from the rest of Asia and has the same general
type of tropical monsoon climate throughout the land.

2.Variety in elevation and local climate

3. Wetlands: India has a rich variety of wetland habitats, may be manmade or natural
where the soilremains waterlogged or submerged for whole or part of year upon which the
wetland biota depends.

4. Forests: The panorama of Indian forests ranges from evergreen tropical rain forests in
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Western Ghats, and the northeastern states, to dry
alpine scrub high in the Himalaya to the north. . Between the two extremes, the country has
semi-evergreen rain forests, deciduous monsoon forests, thorn forests, subtropical pine
forests in the lower montane zone and temperate montane forests

5. Marine Environment :rich fishing grounds.,Coral reefs and a number of islands

opposite Sri Lanka.
 India figured with two hotspots in an identification of 25 of

the world's biologically richest and most threatened

ecosystems. These 2 hotspots that extend into India are

the Western Ghats/Sri Lanka and
the Indo-Burma region (covering the Eastern Himalayas);

and they are included amongst the top eight most important hotspots.

The hotspots are the areas with higher concentration of endemic

species and which usually experience rapid rate of habitat
modifications and loss.
HOT SPOTS
1. Western Ghats: Faced with
tremendous population pressure
the forests of Western Ghats and
Srilanka have been dramatically
impacted by demands for
agriculture and Timber.The
Region is home to rich endemic
assemblage of Plants, reptiles
and amphibians as well as
elephants, tiger and
endangered Lion tailed
Macaque
2. NE Himalayas: Himalayas is home to worlds highest mountains ,
including Mt.Everest. Abrupt rise in rise of mountains results in diversity
of ecosystems that range from Alluvial grasslands and subtropical
broad leaved forests to alpine meadows above the tree line. Its a
home to a variety of large birds, mammals, including tiger, elephants
rhinos and wild water buffaloes.
 WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN INDIA

UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State Parties (countries)

aims to catalogue, name, and preserve sites of outstanding cultural or natural
importance to the common heritage of humankind. The Programme was
adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. Since
then, 182 State Parties have ratified the convention. As of 2006, a total of 830
sites are listed: 644 cultural, 162 natural, and 24 mixed properties, in 138 States
Parties.

Each World Heritage Site is the property of the country on whose territory the site
is located, but it is considered in the interest of the international community to
preserve each site for future generations of humankind. The protection and
conservation of these sites are a concern of all the World Heritage countries.
World Heritage
Sites in India The world body has listed 23 Heritage
Sites in India, which includes following
five Protected Areas of great
conservation significance to be a part of
World Culture and Heritage:

1.Kaziranga National Park, Assam

2.Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam

3.Keoladaeo National Park, Rajasthan
4.Sunderbans National Park,West Bengal
and
5.Nanda Devi National Park, Uttaranchal

*
Five Protected Areas in India as World Heritage Sites
Biosphere Reserves in India
were created under the 'Man & Biosphere' (MAB)
Programme by UNESCO in 1971

to conserve in situ all forms of life, along

with its support system, in its totality, so
that it could serve as a referral system for
monitoring and evaluating changes in
natural ecosystems.
The first biosphere reserve of the world was established in
1979, since then the network of biosphere reserves has
increased to 425 in 95 countries across the world (MAB,
2003). Presently, there are 14 existing biosphere reserves in
India.
 Presently, there are 14 existing Biosphere Reserves in
India
Date of Notification : Area (Sq.Kms) States
1.Nilgiri 01-09-1986 5,520.00 Karnataka,
Kerala
& T.N
2.Nanda Devi 18-01-1988 5,860.69 Uttaranchal
3.Nokrek 01-01-1988 80.00 Meghalaya
4.Great Nicobar 06-01-1989 885.00 Andaman &
Islands Nicobar
5.Gulf of Mannar 18.02.1989 10,500.00 Tamil Nadu
6.Manas 14-03-1989 2,837.00 Assam
7.Sunderbans 29-03-1989 9,630.00 West Bengal
8.Simlipal 22-06-1994 4,374.00 Orissa
9.Dibru-Sikhowa 28-07-1997 765.00 Assam
10.Dehang-Debang 02-09-1998 5,111.50 A.P.
11.Pachmarhi 03-03-1999 4,926.00 M.P.
12.Khangchendzonga07-02-2000 2,619.92 Sikkim
13.Agasthyamalai 12-11-2001 1,701.00 Kerala
14. Achanakamar - Amarkantak2005 3,835..51 M.P.
and
Chhattishgarh
Himalayan Biosphere Reserves

Operational:
1. Nanda Devi, Uttaranchal
2. Manas, Assam
3.Dibru-Shikowa, Assam
4.Dehang-Debang, Arunachal
Pradesh
5. Kangchendzonga, Sikkim
Proposed:
6. Namdhapa,Arunachal
Pradesh
7.Kaziranga, Assam
8.Cold Desert, J & K
 Convention on Wetlands of International
Importance especially Waterfowl Habitat ( Ramsar
Convention,1971)
Held at Ramsar, Iran, the treaty provides for international collaboration on
wetland conservation, including Mangroves and Coral reefs. The
contracting parties have four obligations
1. Incorporate the consideration of wetlands conservation within their
national land-use planning
2. Designate at least one wetland of international importance (Ramsar Sites)
according to the specified criteria.
3. Promote wetland conservation by creating nature reserves and
4. Train staff in wetland wardeneing, research and management and consult
other countries especially for species or areas .
there are 116 countries participating and over a thousand Ramsar Sites..
Ramsar Provides small grants from a fund, international expertise and
resources.
Ramsar Convention Beaureu, rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196, Gland,
Switzerland
E mail: ramsar@hq.iucn.org
 Ramsar Convention (1971)

An inter-governmental treaty
on wetlands for conservation
and wise use of Natural
resources as also conservation
of Waterfowl habitats
(Ramsar,Iran,1971).

There are 19 wetlands in India that have

been identified as Ramsar Sites.
 Ramsar Sites in India
1. Chilika Lake, Orissa
2. Harike Wetland, Punjab
3. Keoladeo National Park,
Rajasthan
4. Loktak Lake, Manipur
5. Sambar Lake, Rajasthan
6. Wular Lake, Jammu and
Kashmir
7. Kanji Lake Punjab
8. Ropar Lake, Punjab
9. East Kolkata wetlands,WB
10. Deepor Beel, Assam
11. Astamudi Lake, Kerala
12. Pong Dam Lake, H.P.
13. Kolleru Lake, Andhra
Pradesh
14. Bhitakanika Mangroves, Orissa
15. Tsomoriri, J & K
16.` Point Calimere WLS, TN
17. Sasthamkota Lake, Kerala
18. Bhoj Wet;land, MP
19. Vembanad-Kol Wetland, Kerala
20. Hokera Wetland, J. & K
21. Chandertal Wetland, H.P.
22. Renuka Wetland, H.P.
23. Rudrasagar Lake, Tripura
24. Surinsar-Mansur Lakes J .& K
25. Upper Ganga River (Brijghat to
Narora Stretch)
More Wetlands to be Designated as Ramsar
Sites: The Ministry of Environment and Forests,
Government of India, has identified more
new wetlands and started the process of
designation as Ramsar Sites in consultation
with the World Wide Fund for Nature-India
(WWF-India).

These are:
1.Lali Sanctuary (Arunachal Pradesh)
2. Kabar Tal (Bihar),
3.Pulicat Lake (Tamil Nadu and Andhra
Pradesh), and
4. Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Location of Ramsar Sites in India
 Protected Area Network (PA Network)
The protection of wildlife has been a long tradition in Indian history. Wise
use of natural resources was a pre-requisite for many hunter-gatherer
societies, which dates back to at least 6000 BC.
The adoption of a National Policy for Wildlife Conservation in 1970 and the
enactment of the Wildlife (Protection) Act in 1972 lead to a significant
growth in the protected areas network.
To maintain rich biological diversity of the Indian Himalayan Region a
Protected area network (PAN) has been established and biodiversity rich
areas have been conserved as Sanctuaries, National Parks and Biosphere
Reserves
India has 95 national parks and 500 sanctuaries covering an area of 1.56
lakh sq. km with a plan to further expand this .
The network was further strengthened by a number of national conservation
projects, notably Project Tiger( initiated in April 1973)and the Crocodile
Breeding and Management Project (Launched in April 1975 )
 Protected Areas In India ( Statistics)

Presently , India has a Total number of 595 Wildlife Protected Areas:

with an area of 155,978 km2 or 4.70% of the area, which constitutes

95 National Parks: with an area of

38,024.10 km2
or 1.14% of the area and

500 Wildlife sanctuaries: with an area of

118,913.45 km2 or 3.56% of the
geographical area of India.

Conservation Reserves = 2 with Area Covered = 40.50 km2

 Conservation Reserves
Sl.N Existing Year of Est.. Area (Km2) District/
o State Location

1 Asan 2005 4.44 Dehra Dun, Uttarnchal

2. Jhilmil Jheel 2005 37.83 Haridwar

Proposed
3 Thiruppuddai
mauthur
Tamilnadu

4 UpperLake MP
of Bhoj
Wetland
5 Adjoinig Orissa
Areas of
Nalban
WLS
6 Cold Desert Sikkim
Proposed Expansion of PA
Network:
National Parks to 163 with an area
of 54789 km2 or 1.67% of the
geographical area.
Wildlife sanctuaries to 707 with an
area of 133,975.11 km2 or 4.07% of
the countries geographical area.
After Expansion the total number of
Protected Areas will be 870 with an
area of 188,764.35 km2 or 5.74% of
the countries geographical areas.
With the proposed pattern of NPs
and Total PAs The State of Sikkim
and Arunachal Pradesh will be best
covered while J & K will have the
highest Total area of NPs( 5109.07
km2 or 2.29% ( WII , Rodgers,Pawar
 Tiger Reserves in India
State Tiger Reserve Year of Total
Establishment Area (km2)
Assam 1. Manas 1973-74 2840
2. Nameri 1999-2000 344
Arunachal Pradesh 3. Namdapha 1982-83 1985
4. Pakhui 1999-2000 862
Andhra Pradesh 5. Nagarjunsagar- 1982-83 3568
Srisailam
Bihar 6. Valmiki 1989-90 840
Chhattishgarh 7. Indravati 1982-83 2799
Jharkhand 8. Palamau 1973-74 1026
Karnataka 9. Bandipur 1973-74 866
Nagarhole (extension) 1999-2000 643
10. Bhadra 1998-99 492
Kerala 11. Periyar 1978-79 777
Madhya Pradesh 12. Bandhavgarh 1993-94 1162
13. Bori-Satpura 1999-2000 1486
14. Kanha 1973-74 1945
15. Panna 1994-95 542
16. Pench 1992-93 758
Maharashtra 17. Melghat 1973-74 1677
18. Pench 1992-93 257
19. Tadoba-Andhari 1993-94 620
Mizoram 20. Dampa 1994-95 500
Orissa 21. Simlipal 1973-74 2750
Rajasthan 22. Ranthambhore 1973-74 1334
23. Sariska 1978-79 866
Tamil Nadu 24. Kalakad- 1988-89 800
Mundathurai
Uttar Pradesh 25. Dudhwa 1987-88 811
Katerniaghat 1999-2000 551
Uttaranchal 26. (extension)
Corbett 1973-74 1316
West Bengal 27. Buxa 1982-83 759
28. Sunderbans 1973-74 2585
Total Area 37,761
 Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora
(CITES)treaties in restricting
A successful international conservation
international trade in in endangered species
Main Functions:To maintain its three appendices of species , for each of
which a different extent of trade is allowed.
1. Species in App-I are forbidden for international trade except with
special permission.
2. App-II species have controlled international trade.
3. App.III species lists species whose trade is forbidden by certain
countries but are not listed in other two appendices
4. CITES members have to create National Management Authority,
which co-ordinates with CITES Secretariat in Switzerland
Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
(1979) ( Bonn Convention or CMS, 1979)

Provides strict protection for a list of species and also provides a

frame work for collaborative conservation agreements between

the states through which each species on second list

migrate. Mainly applied to birds, but also has bats and dolphins.
The Bonn convention also calls for research and surveys
Wildlife (Protection )Act 1972 Provides for protection of-
Wild animals , Animal articles , and - Plants. The WL (P) Act regulates sale, barter
etc of notified wild plants and animal species. It also provides control over
keeping of wild animals in captivity. The 1991 amendment covers the possession
of notified plant species. The Act exercise control under the Schedules I-VI.
Schedule I lists rare and endangered totally protected species.

Schedule II includes game species for which licenses can be issued under
special circumstances.

Schedule III and Schedule IV comprises species of small games.

Schedule V includes vermin, common crow, fruit bats, mice and rats.

Amendment 1991: Bird trade was stopped in 1991 following an amendment to

the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Amendment 2006: The creation of a National Tiger Conservation Authority

 Indias Zoogeography and Geological
History
The whole of the Indian sub-continent is not rich only in biological or ecological
diversity but because it lies at the confluence of African, European and Indo-
Malayan realms, the biota, therefore, includes, African, European, and Eurasian
and Mediterranean elements. T
The very idea for the above concept also came from the theory of continental
drift that the continents of south and north America, Africa, Peninsular India,
Australia and Antarctica once united in one land mass (Gondwanaland) are now
widely separated by southern Ocean and bear striking similarity of geological
history and distribution of ancient and modern organisms.

In early tertiary, the breakaway Gondwanaland in a northward drift first hit the
Asian landmass at what is presently northeast India, served as the biogeographic
gateway, the Assam Gate, for dispersal and migration of much of the fauna
and flora. The Northeast Zone is richest of biological resources, and has affinities
with Indo-Chinese and Indo-Malayan regions in the east and southeast. From
west came the Palaearctic and Ethiopian elements. Relatively young Himalayan
mountain ranges opened up new southwards route of migration and acted as a
two-way link between West Africa to South Asia. In peninsula there may be some
cross over points between southern - Western Ghats and Eastern Hills.
Status of Total diversity of Indian Fauna
Taxa Species in India Species in World % in India

Protista 2577 31259 8.24

Mollusca 5072 66535 7.62
Arthropoda 68389 987949 6.90
Ot. Invertebrates8329 87121 9.56
Protochordata 119 2106 5.65
Pisces 2546 21723 11.72
Amphibia 240 5150 4.66
Reptilia 460 5817 7.84
Aves 1232 9026 13.66
Mammalia 397 4629 8.42
Total 91206 12,28,103 7.43

Source: UNEP-GBA (1995), MOEF (1997 and 1998), ZSI (1999),

Kumar and Khanna, 2003 and Ramakrishna and Alfred, 2007
Endemic Species: India has many endemic vertebrate species. Areas
rich in endemism are northeast, the Western Ghats and the
northwestern Himalayas. A small pocket of local endemism also
occurs in the Eastern Ghats . The Gangetic plains are generally poor
in endemics.
Endemic Species are those whose distribution is restricted to certain limited

area . Table : Endemic Indian Fauna

Group No. of species %

Land Molluscs 878

Freshwater Molluscs 89
Insects 16,214 23.00
Amphibia 110 52.63
Reptilia 214 46.92
Aves 69 0.56
Mammalia 38 9.74
Source: MoEF (1999), Kumar and Khanna, 2003
 Table : Marine Biodiversity of India
Name of the Group No. of species
1. Protista 750
2. Animalia
3. Porifera 500
4. Cnidaria 790
5. Ctenophora 10
6. Platyhelminthes 350
7. Gastrotricha 88
8. Kinorhyncha 99
9. Annelida 440
10. Mollusca 3370
11. Bryozoa 170
12. Entoprocta 8
13. Phoronida 3
14. Brachiopoda 3
15. Arthropoda
Crustacea 2430
Pycnogonida 16
Merostomata 2
16. Sipunculida 38
17. Echiura 33
18. Tardigrada 33
19. Chaetognatha 5
20. Echinodermata 30
21. Hemichordata 12
22. Chordata
Protochordata 116
Pisces 1800
Amphibia (in esturines/mangroves) 3
Aves 145
Mammals 29
Total 12456
Data for other phyla not available
Source: ENVIS Newsletter, ZSI, 4(1&2), 1997
 Threatened Species

What are Threatened Species?

The Threatened species are those that are often impoverished of low fecundity,
dependent on patchy or unpredictable resources, extremely variable in
population density, persecuted or otherwise prone to extinction in human
dominated landscapes.

Red Data Book (RDB) was developed during 1960s and the species were placed
under various threatened categories according to the severity of the threats
faced by them and the estimated eminence of their extinction.
World Conservation monitoring Centre (WCMC) in collaboration with IUCN
Species Survival commission network of the specialist groups compiles the IUCN
Red list every two years since 1986.
IUCN Red List Categories:
Extinct (EX) - A taxon is Extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that
the last individual has died.
Extinct In The Wild (EW) - A taxon is Extinct in the wild when it is known
only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalized population
(or populations) well outside the past range.
Critically Endangered (CR) - A taxon is Critically Endangered when it is
facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate
future, as defined by any of the criteria.
Endangered (EN) - A taxon is endangered when it is not Critically
Endangered but is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the
near future, as defined by any of the criteria.
Vulnerable (VU) - A taxon is Vulnerable when it is not Critically Endangered or
Endangered but is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term
future, as defined by any of the criteria.
Lower Risk (LR) - A taxon is Lower Risk when it has been evaluated, does not
qualify for any of the threatened categories Critically Endangered, Endangered
or Vulnerable or Data Deficient (LR/nt- near threatened, Lr/lc- least concerned,
LR/cd-conservation dependent).
Near Threatened (NT): A taxon is Near Threatened when it has been evaluated
against the criteria but does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered or
Vulnerable now, but is close to qualifying for, or is likely to qualify for, a
threatened category in the near future.
Least Concern (LC) A taxon is Least Concern when it has been evaluated
against the criteria and does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered,
Vulnerable or Near Threatened. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in
this category.
Data Deficient (DD) A taxon is Data Deficient
when there is inadequate information to make a
direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of
extinction based on its
distribution and/or population status.
Not Evaluated (NE) A taxon is Not Evaluated
when it is has not yet been assessed against the
criteria.

Endemics (E) Species restricted

to a particular geographical
area or ecosystem.
 Threatened Species

Kumar and Khanna (2006) in their

overview of the threatened Indian
fauna have listed 648 species of
animals categorized as
Threatened by IUCN (2002); it is
approximately 8.91 % of the
world's total (7266 species)
number of threatened faunal
species .
 Threatened Fauna from India
by Taxonomic Groups
Group No. of Species %

Mammalia 213 32.87

Aves 149 22.99
Reptilia 33 5.09
Amphibia 03 0.81
Pisces 75 11.57
Mollusca 05 0.77
Crustacea 12 1.85
Other Invertebrates 13 2.00
Total 648
Source: Kumar and Khanna (2006), Globally Threatened Indian
Fauna.
 Analysis of threat Categories
:
On analysis of the threat categories by groups (at global level), it is
found that out of 648 species of threatened Indian fauna,

Ext Cr.En. En. Vu. LR NT LR cd DD

nt
3 44 109 195 63 91 9 134
 Faunal Diversity in India
India has a total of 89,451 animal species accounting
for 7.31% of the faunal species in the world (MoEF
1997) and the flora accounts for 10.78% of the
global total. The endemism of Indian biodiversity is
high - about 33% of the country's recorded flora are
endemic to the country and are concentrated mainly
in the North-East, Western Ghats, North-West
Himalayas and the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
However, this rich biodiversity of India is under
severe threat owing to habitat destruction,
degradation, fragmentation and over-exploitation of
resources.
 Himalayan Quail

Long-billed Vulture Slender-billed Vulture

Forest Owlet

White-rumped Vulture

Some Critically Threatened Indian Birds Jerdons Courser

 Some Critically Threatened Indian Mammals

Fruit Bat
Wroughtons Free tailed Bat

Pygmy Hog Malabar Civet

 The IUCN Threatened Category thresholds
at a glance

A. RAPID POPULATION Reduction:Decline >80% in 10 years or 3 generations

(CR): >50% in 10 years or 3 generations (EN); Decline >20% in 10 years or
3 generations (VU)
Decline in Extent of occurrence, Area of occupancy, and or quality of
habitat(A1c)

B. SMALL RANGE AND FRAGMENTED, DECLINING OR FLUCTUATING: Extent of

Occurrence estimated<100 km2 (CR); <5,000 km2 (EN); <20,000 km2 (VU)
Decline in Extent of occurrence, Area of occupancy, and or quality of
habitat(B2a,B2b,B 2c)
C. SMALL POPULATION AND DECLINING: Population <250 mature individuals
(CR); <2,500 mature individuals (EN); <10,000 mature individuals (VU)
None

D1. VERY SMALL POPULATION : Population <50 mature individuals

(CR);Population <250 mature individuals (EN);Population <1,000 mature
individuals (VU)
None
D2. VERY SMALL RANGE: Typically, Area of Occupancy <100 km 2 or <5 locations
None
 Invasive species
are those which are non native or alien to the particular area
and whose introduction, deliberate or accidental may be
detrimental to the health of the natural fauna or flora.

The impact of invasive species is second only to that of

human population growth and associated activities as a
cause of loss of biodiversity throughout the world. The
invasions of non-native plants, animals and microbes are
thought to be responsible for the decline of native species
now listed as endangered or threatened.
Major Threats to Biodiversity:
1. Habitat Loss and Degradation:
2.Exploitation:Exploitation, including hunting, collecting,
fisheries and fisheries by catch, and the impacts of
trade in species and species parts, constitutes a major
threat.
3.Alien Invasive Species:
4.Disturbance, persecution and uprooting, including
deliberate eradication of species considered to be
pests
5. Incidental take, particularly the drowning of aquatic
reptiles and mammals in fishing nets
6.Disease, both exotic and endemic,
exacerbated by the presence of large number of
domestic livestock or introduced plant species
7. Limited distribution, which may compound the
effects of other factors.
In the majority of cases individual species are
faced by several of these threats operating
simultaneously, and it is often difficult or
impossible to identify with confidence the primary
cause of decline. However, the major category of
threat, which affects 76% of species, is habitat
loss and modification frequently due to
cultivation and settlements.
UNIT III
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Definition Causes, effects and control measures of: (a)
Air pollution (b) Water pollution (c) Marine pollution (d)
Noise pollution (e) Nuclear hazards Solid waste
Management: Causes, effects and control measures of
urban and industrial wastes Role of an individual in
prevention of pollution. Unsustainable and Sustainable
development Unsustainable practices Issues
possible solutions Water conservation, rain water
harvesting Environmental ethics Acts for Prevention of
Environmental Pollution Wildlife Protection Act Forest
Conservation Act - Water (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Act Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution)
Act Environment Protection Act Issues involved in
enforcement of environmental legislation Public
awareness.
AIR POLLUTION
Prevention of Air Pollution
1.The forest cover should be protected. Adequate forest cover is essential
for maintaining the quality of air. Trees absorbs carbon-dioxide (CO2) and
releases oxygen (O2).
2.Green belts should be created. Such areas should be developed
around densely populated cities. There should be strict restriction for
establishment of large buildings and industries along the Green belt
areas.
3.Automobile engines should be redesigned in such a way that their
emissions cause minimum pollution. Old automobile engines should be
replaced by new ones. People should be encouraged to share the
vehicle, and to avoid vehicles for short distances.
4.Use of railway steam engine should be stopped. The burning of
combustible materials such as coal produces poisonous gases that are
released into the air. Electric engines should be used instead of steam or
diesel engines.
5. Industrial areas should be located at a safe
distance from the residential areas.
6. Newly designed smoke free furnaces should be
used.
7. Forest fires should be checked. Adequate
preventive measures should be adopted to
protect the forests.
8. In industries there should be the arrangement for
pollution control.
9. Cheap devices for controlling air pollution should
be developed.
10.Air pollution can be checked only through the
joint efforts of the government, non-government
organizations and the general public.
The 10 steps aimed at curbing rising air pollution levels in Delhi
These are some of the steps the administration and the courts took
to reduce pollution levels in Delhi
 DISASTER
MANAGEMENT
UNIT IV DISASTER AND ITS IMPACTS

Definition of Disaster, Hazard,

Vulnerability, Risk Types Natural
disasters (earthquake, landslides, flood,
cyclones, tsunami and drought)
Manmade disasters (Chemical, nuclear
and biological) Disaster impacts
(environmental, physical, social,
ecological and economical) Case
studies.
 You must know this earthquakes take place at locations
where there are mountains. If you want to know the exact
locations, take the relief globe from your drawing room and
run your finger along the mountain line. You now have the
complete data on where most earthquakes have been
occurring in the world.

WHERE DO EARTHQUAKES
OCCUR?
 Now, that is not the end of it. Earthquakes can and have been
occurring at other locations too, particularly where there are
not necessarily any major mountain ranges; the 1993
earthquake in Deccan plateau of Marathwada in central
India is a recent example of this from our country. This means
that in India, virtually over 60% of the area is under the threat of
moderate to strong earthquake shaking.
There is a large differential pressure and
temperature between the center of the
Earth and its surface; the pressure inside is
about 4 million atmospheres and the
temperature about 6000C. So most matter
inside the Earth is in the hot molten form of
lava. This gradient coupled with the
presence of magnetic field of the Earth,
generates a circulation of the Earth's mass -
from the
North Pole to the South Pole along the axis and
from South Pole to the North Pole along the
surface.

WHY DO EARTHQUAKES
OCCUR?
Of course, the rate of this motion is very small, on an
average of about 2 inches per year in active
earthquake areas.
The journey of the Earth's mass from the South Pole to
the North Pole is what all of us participate in.
Understandably, since the pace of motion is not
uniform across the entire Earth, some parts move
faster than the others do. Consequently, the Earths
surface can be visualised to consist of a number of
pieces, called tectonic plates, which move towards
the North Pole.
Also, the motion of these plates is not a smooth
one but happens in fits and starts, thanks to the
limited strength of the Earth's material to resist
the strains generated by these relative motions.
So, every time a tectonic plate moves more
than its neighbour and slips over it, large
amount of strain energy is suddenly released
and there is a tremor of the Earth, which we call
as an earthquake. The junctions of these plates
are named as faults. Again, many of these faults
lie along the mountains that all of us observe.
THE JOURNEY OF THE PLATES
What Is Seismology?
Seismology is the study of earthquakes and seismic waves that
move through and around the earth. A seismologist is a scientist
who studies earthquakes and seismic waves.
What Are Seismic Waves?
Seismic waves are the waves of energy caused by the sudden
breaking of rock within the earth or an explosion. They are the
energy that travels through the earth and is recorded on
seismographs.
Types of Seismic Waves
There are several different kinds of seismic waves, and they all
move in different ways. The two main types of waves are body
waves and surface waves. Body waves can travel through the
earth's inner layers, but surface waves can only move along the
surface of the planet like ripples on water. Earthquakes radiate
seismic energy as both body and surface waves.
BODY WAVES
Traveling through the interior of the earth, body
waves arrive before the surface waves emitted
by an earthquake. These waves are of a higher
frequency than surface waves.
P WAVES
The first kind of body wave is the P wave or primary
wave. This is the fastest kind of seismic wave, and,
consequently, the first to 'arrive' at a seismic station. The
P wave can move through solid rock and fluids, like
water or the liquid layers of the earth. It pushes and pulls
the rock it moves through just like sound waves push and
pull the air. Have you ever heard a big clap of thunder
and heard the windows rattle at the same time? The
windows rattle because the sound waves were pushing
and pulling on the window glass much like P waves push
and pull on rock. Sometimes animals can hear the P
waves of an earthquake. Dogs, for instance, commonly
begin barking hysterically just before an earthquake 'hits'
(or more specifically, before the surface waves arrive).
Usually people can only feel the bump and rattle of
these waves.
P waves are also known as compressional
waves, because of the pushing and pulling
they do. Subjected to a P wave, particles
move in the same direction that the the wave
is moving in, which is the direction that the
energy is traveling in, and is sometimes
called the 'direction of wave propagation'.
S WAVES
The second type of body wave is the S
wave or secondary wave, which is the second wave
you feel in an earthquake. An S wave is slower than a
P wave and can only move through solid rock, not
through any liquid medium. It is this property of S
waves that led seismologists to conclude that the
Earth's outer core is a liquid. S waves move rock
particles up and down, or side-to-side--perpindicular
to the direction that the wave is traveling in (the
direction of wave propagation).
SURFACE WAVES
Travelling only through the crust, surface waves are of
a lower frequency than body waves, and are easily
distinguished on a seismogram as a result. Though they
arrive after body waves, it is surface waves that are
almost enitrely responsible for the damage and
destruction associated with earthquakes. This damage
and the strength of the surface waves are reduced in
deeper earthquakes.
LOVE WAVES
The first kind of surface wave is called
a Love wave, named after A.E.H. Love, a
British mathematician who worked out the
mathematical model for this kind of wave in
1911. It's the fastest surface wave and
moves the ground from side-to-side.
Confined to the surface of the crust, Love
waves produce entirely horizontal motion.
RAYLEIGH WAVES
The other kind of surface wave is the Rayleigh
wave, named for John William Strutt, Lord
Rayleigh, who mathematically predicted the
existence of this kind of wave in 1885. A Rayleigh
wave rolls along the ground just like a wave rolls
across a lake or an ocean. Because it rolls, it moves
the ground up and down, and side-to-side in the
same direction that the wave is moving. Most of the
shaking felt from an earthquake is due to the
Rayleigh wave, which can be much larger than the
other waves.
 Earthquakes can be measured in terms of force,
duration, and location.
Many scientific instruments and comparative
scales have been developed to take these
measurements. Seismographs measure all three
parameters.

MEASURING AN EARTHQUAKE
 The Richter scale describes the force or intensity of an
earthquake.
Naturally, the destruction caused by earthquakes can be
measured in many other ways: numbers of people left injured,
dead, or
homeless, damage and reconstruction costs, government and
business expenditures, insurance costs, school days lost, and in
many more ways.
 Platetectonics studies reveal that the
Himalayan mountain ranges were formed
when Indo-Australian plate collided with the
Eurasian plate. The Indian subcontinent,
once part of the supercontinent called
Gondwanaland, which consisted also of
present-day Africa and Antartica, broke
away about 100 million years
ago and crawled
HIMALAYAN
northwards
SEISMICITY across the
Tethys Sea before ramming into Asia.
HIMALAYAN UPLIFT
 The April 2015 Nepal earthquake (also known as
the Gorkha earthquake) killed more than 9,000
people and injured more than 23,000. It occurred
at 11:56 NST on 25 April, with a magnitude of
7.8Mw or 8.1Ms[2] and a maximum Mercalli
intensity of IX (Violent).

APRIL 2015 NEPAL EARTHQUAKE

Its epicenter was east of the
district of Lamjung, and
its hypocenter was at a depth of
approximately 15 km (9.3 mi). It
was the worst natural disaster to
strike Nepal since the 1934
NepalBihar earthquake.
IS 1893 (Part I), 2002, Indian
Standard Criteria for
Earthquake Resistant Design of
Structures (5th Revision)
IS 4326, 1993, Indian Standard
Code of Practice for
Earthquake Resistant Design
and Construction of Buildings
(2nd Revision)

INDIAN SEISMIC CODES

 IS 13827, 1993, Indian Standard Guidelines for Improving
Earthquake Resistance of Earthen Buildings
IS 13828, 1993, Indian Standard Guidelines for Improving
Earthquake Resistance of Low Strength Masonry Buildings
IS 13920, 1993, Indian Standard Code of Practice for Ductile
Detailing of Reinforced Concrete Structures Subjected to
Seismic Forces
IS 13935, 1993, Indian
Standard Guidelines
for Repair and Seismic
Strengthening of
Buildings
 More than 200,000 earthquakes are
recorded each year, though it is
estimated that several million occur
globally. Many of these go undetected
because their magnitude is small or they
occur in areas which are not closely
monitored. Most seismic events
(earthquakes) are very minor, and do
not cause any damage they may not
even be felt by the local population.
Others cause devastation, much of it
due to collapsing buildings.

EARTHQUAKES: PREDICTION,
FORECASTING AND MITIGATION
 Earthquake forecasting and prediction is an
active topic of geological research.
Geoscientists are able to identify particular
areas of risk and, if there is sufficient information,
to make probabilistic forecasts about the
likelihood of earthquakes happening in a
specified area over a specified period. These
forecasts are based on data gathered through
global seismic monitoring networks, high-density
local monitoring in known risk areas, and
geological
CAN WE field work,
PREDICT as well as from historical
EARTHQUAKES?
records.
 It is not currently possible to make deterministic predictions of
when and where earthquakes will happen. For this to be
possible, it would be necessary to identify a diagnostic
precursor a characteristic pattern of seismic activity or some
other physical, chemical or biological change, which would
indicate a high probability of an earthquake happening in a
small window of space and time.
 So far, the search for diagnostic
precursors has been unsuccessful.
Most geoscientists do not believe
that there is a realistic prospect of
accurate prediction in the
foreseeable future, and the principal
focus of research is on improving the
forecasting of earthquakes.
 Most earthquakes result from the sudden release of stress in the
earths crust, which has built up gradually due to tectonic
movement, usually along an existing geological fault. The
crusts response to changing stress is not linear (that is, it is not
directly proportional, making prediction of behaviour more
difficult), and is dependent on the crust's complex and highly
variable geology.
WHY ARE EARTHQUAKES DIFFICULT
TO PREDICT?
 As a result, it is very difficult to build accurate
simulations which predict tectonic events.
Laboratory experiments which attempt to
reproduce these physical processes can add to our
understanding, but cannot accurately reflect the
complexities of real-world geological settings. A
further difficulty is that earthquakes originate
beneath the ground, often many kilometres down,
so data gathering depends on remote observation
techniques and measuring effects at the surface.
Even measuring the prevailing stress in the crust is
challenging, as it requires drilling several kilometres
into the ground.
 Nobody can assure earthquake safety unless
everybody in the community is aware of
earthquake consequences and gets prepared.
Being prepared alone will not work always for
others. Therefore, a massive awareness program
for making prepared individuals from all
communities and different stakeholders is a must.

EARTHQUAKE AWARENESS FOR

INDIVIDUALS AND INSTITUTIONS
 Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment and First
Aid etc. aim to make aware individuals of the
community on the associated hazards and
vulnerabilities; prepositioning the emergency
supplies;
making response plan; and make capable to
cope with disasters using locally vailable
resources.

AWARENESS FOR COMMUNITY

 Many squads, containing 6 responders in each,
are prepared so far in different communities, who
have successfully responded for saving lives in
the real disasters. However, considering the
national scenario many thousands of such
squads are required.
 The Earthquake Vulnerability Tour can be
initiated . It is a guided tour in a defined route /
location to observe different vulnerability factors.
The tour aims to point out how vulnerable the
city's buildings and critical facilities, such as
schools and fire stations, are to the earthquakes.

EARTHQUAKE VULNERABILITY
TOUR
EARTHQUAKE VULNERABILITY
TOUR IN KATHMANDU
This tour will help to know the
ground reality of our cities which
may help to reduce the level of
earthquake risk in our cities.
PUBLIC EDUCATION ON
EARTHQUAKES
 Theimmediate impact of an earthquake
affects all sectors of the community and
local authorities should initially emphasize
search and rescue of victims. Secondly,
emergency medical assistance must be
provided especially during the first 72 hours.
Third,
a damage and needs assessment
survey, should be conducted to inform local
POST DISASTER ASSISTANCE
and international agencies of needs.
 Fourth, the survivors will require relief assistance such as food,
water and emergency shelter. Attention
should be given to reopening roads, re-establishing
communications, contacting remote areas and conducting
disaster assessments.
MITIGATION
 The golden rule is that there is no standard
solution to mitigate a disaster risk. The goal is
to minimize the impact of disaster. Possible
risk reduction measures Engineered
structures (designed and built) to withstand
ground shaking. Architectural and
engineering inputs put together to improve
building design and construction practice.
Develop earthquake resistant construction
techniques.
 Public awareness, sensitization and training
programmes for Engineers, Architects,
Structural designers, Builders, Masons etc.
Reduce possible damages from secondary
effects. e.g., identify potential landslide sites
and restrict construction in those areas.
In earthquake prone areas insurance should
be obtained for buildings under construction
and those in use.
Insurance policies for natural disasters
should be made compulsory and priced
specifically on available scientific data of
hazards in the region.
SOLUTION TO VULNERABILITY
 India and Natural Disasters
India is one of the most disaster prone countries in the world.

Over 65% land area vulnerable to earthquakes;

70% of land under cultivation prone to drought;
5% of land (40 million hectares) to floods;
8% of land (8,000 km coastline) to cyclones.
A Major Disaster occurs every 2-3 years;
50 million people affected annually
1 million houses damaged annually along with human,social and
other losses
During 1985-2003, the annual average damage due to natural
disasters has been estimated at 70 million USD

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, GOI: BMTPC, Ministry of Urban Development, GOI

It Cant Happen to Us.

TheNatures forces are so

Deadly the Victims will Die
anyway.

There is Nothing We Can Do.

THE MYTHS
Definition of Disaster
A Disaster is an event that occurs in most cases
suddenly and unexpectedly, causing severe
disturbances to people, objects and
environment, resulting in loss of life ,property and
health of the population. Such a situation causes
disruption in normal pattern of life, generating
misfortune, helplessness and suffering affecting
the socio-economic structure of a region/country
to such an extent that there is a need for
assistance or immediate outside intervention.
Ingredients of a Disaster
A phenomenon or event which constitutes a
trauma for a population/environment.
A vulnerable point/area that will bear the
brunt of the traumatizing event.
The failure of local & surrounding resources
to cope with the problems created by the
phenomenon.

Types of Disasters
Natural - Manmade
Disasters affecting India
EARTHQUAKE
VOLCANIC ERUPTION
TSUNAMI
CYCLONE
FLOOD
LANDSLIDE
BUSHFIRE
DROUGHT
MAJOR ACCIDENT (FIRE, EXPLOSION)
CIVIL UNREST
GENERAL EFFECTS OF DISASTER
LOSS OF LIFE
INJURY
DAMAGE TO AND DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY.
DAMAGE TO AND DESTRUCTION OF PRODUCTION.
DISRUPTION OF LIFESTYLE
LOSS OF LIVELIHOOD.
DISRUPTION TO ESSENTIAL SERVICES
DAMAGE TO NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE
DISRUPTION TO GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEMS
NATIONAL ECONOMIC LOSS
SOCIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL AFTER EFFECT.
 DISASTER MANAGEMENT

AN APPLIED SCIENCE WHICH

SEEKS, BY THE SYSTEMATIC
OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS OF
DISASTERS, TO IMPROVE
MEASURES RELATING TO
PREVENTION, MITIGATION,
PREPAREDNESS, EMERGENCY
RESPONSE AND RECOVERY.
Disaster Management Cycle
DISASTER MANAGEMENT CYCLE

Response
Recovery
Prevention &
Mitigation
Preparedness
RESPONSE
Response measures are usually those which
are taken immediately prior to and
following disaster impact.
Typical measures include :
Implementation of plans
Activation of the counter-disaster system
Search and Rescue
Provision of emergency food, shelter, medical assistance etc.
Survey and assessment
Evacuation measures
RECOVERY
Recovery is the process by which communities and the
nation are assisted in returning to their proper level of
functioning following a disaster.

Three
main categories of activity are normally regarded as
coming within the recovery segment:

Restoration

Reconstruction

Rehabilitation
PREVENTION & MITIGATION

Prevention: Action within this segment is designed to

impede the occurrence of a disaster event and/or
prevent such an occurrence having harmful effects
on communities or key installations.

Mitigation : Action within this segment usually takes

the form of specific programs intended to reduce the
effects of disaster on a nation or community. For
instance, some countries regard the development
and application of building codes (which can reduce
damage and loss in the event of earthquakes and
cyclones) as being in the category of mitigation.
PREPAREDNESS
Preparedness is usually regarded
as comprising measures which
enable governments,
organizations, communities and
individuals to respond rapidly and
effectively to disaster situations.
PREPAREDNESS (CONTD)
Examples of Preparedness measures are :
Theformulation & maintenance of valid, up-to-date
counter-disaster plans
Special provisions for emergency action
The provisions of warning systems
Emergency communications
Public education and awareness
Training programs, including exercises and tests.
PRINCIPLES OF DISASTER
MANAGEMENT
Risk & Hazard Assessment
Planning
Organization
Resource Utilization
Need for Specialists
Training
RISK AND HAZARD ASSESSMENT

Disaster risk will be a combination

of the likelihood of the event and
the vulnerability of a place to that
event.
The hazard assessment will aim to
deliver accurate disaster
information about individual
locations.
 HAZARD ASSESSMENT
Vulnerability to a particular hazard will include :
Critical
products, services, records and
operations.
Hazardous materials
Potential effects of damage on stakeholders.
Likely financial costs.
Resources
personnel and time available to
make preparations.
Level of insurance cover.

The combination of hazard and vulnerability

assessments will result in formulating total
risk assessment.
PRINCIPLES
Planning :
OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT

to have a clear and logical approach to dealing with

disasters.
toprovide common reference for all departments and
authorities with roles.
to assist with information for sitting-up a multi-
functional organizational structure.
to form a basis for coordinated action.
to provide clear allocation of responsibilities.
toform a basis for reviewing and evaluating current
and future disaster management requirements.
to give a focus for disaster related training.
PRINCIPLES OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Organisation :
the
nature of National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA)
Utilization
of total governmental structures/
resources i.e. National, State & Local level.
Co-ordination of non governmental
resources
Community involvement
Clear
lines of Authority and unity of
command
Special system requirements.
 Principles of Disaster Management

Organisation (Contd.) :

Special system requirements.

Emergency Operation Center/Control Center
Direction & Coordinating Authority
Communications

Warning Systems
Survey & Assessments
Information Management
Emergency Logistics
PRINCIPLES OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Resource Utilization :
Identification of resources
Assessment of resources with relation to their
capability & availability
Allocation of appropriate tasks
Level of skill in handling allotted tasks and
experience
Activation time for deployment/availability
Co-ordination with line authorities of resource
organizations
Coalition of accurate information for effective
deployment of resources.
AGENCIES

Governmental (Including Military

both at National & State Level).
Non Governmental Organizations.
Community groups both social &
religious.
International Volunteer organisation.
PRINCIPLES OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Need for Specialists :

Search & Rescue
Survey & Damage Assessment
First Aid & Triage
Mobile Medical & Health Team
Evacuation
Animal Husbandry/Veterinary
PRINCIPLES OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Need for Specialists (Contd):
Emergency Welfare
Emergency Shelter
Emergency Logistics (Implementation of
complex operation works)
Staff for EOC (Emergency Operating Center)
Information Management including public
information needs.
Specialists from field of disaster studies and
research (Geologists, Meteorologists, etc.)
PRINCIPLES OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Training :
Identification of Training needs.
Scope of Training programmes.
Training policy.
Implementation of training.
PRINCIPLES OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Training (Contd.):

Design of training should be compatible to

support tasks required to be performed after
a Disaster at three levels.
Foundational Training
Team Training
Combined Organizational Training.
 National Disaster Management Framework
Ministry of Home Affairs - GoI

To make Disaster Management an integral part of National

Development Agenda
To promote Awareness and Education in Disaster Management
To promote Human Resource Development in Disaster Management
(master plan for training and capacity building)
To develop Institutional Frameworks at the National and State levels
for mainstreaming disaster management
To establish multi-hazard preparedness, mitigation and prevention
plans at all levels
To enhance capacities at all levels for multi-hazard preparedness and
response
HOW NATURAL DISASTERS IMPACT THE
ENVIRONMENT
 CAN YOU NAME SOME
NATURAL DISASTERS?
Earthquakes
Hurricanes
Lightning
Fire
Tsunami
Tornados
Volcanoes
Blizzards
Floods
Heat
Drought
A sudden movement of the earth's crust caused by
the release of stress collected along faults or by
volcanic activity

EARTHQUAKE
Less than Generally not felt, but recorded.
3.5
3.5-5.4 Often felt, but rarely causes damage.
Under 6.0 At most slight damage to well-designed buildings.
Can cause major damage to poorly constructed
buildings over small regions.
6.1-6.9 Can be destructive in areas up to about 100

RICHTER EARTHQUAKE
kilometers across where people live.
7.0-7.9 Major earthquake. Can cause serious damage
MAGNITUDES EFFECTS
over larger areas.
8 or Great earthquake. Can cause serious damage in
greater areas several hundred kilometers across.
FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE OF
EARTHQUAKES

Magnitude Average Annually

8 and higher 1
7 - 7.9 17
6 - 6.9 134
5 - 5.9 1319
4 - 4.9 13,000 (estimated)

3 - 3.9 130,000 (estimated)

2 - 2.9 1,300,000 (estimated)

 NUMBER OF EARTHQUAKES IN THE
UNITED STATES FOR 2000 - 2009
Magnitude 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
.

8.0 to 9.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7.0 to 7.9 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 0
6.0 to 6.9 6 5 4 7 2 4 7 9 9 2
5.0 to 5.9 63 41 63 54 25 47 51 72 85 26
4.0 to 4.9 281 290 536 541 284 345 346 366 432 172
3.0 to 3.9 917 842 1535 1303 1362 1475 1213 1137 1485 745
2.0 to 2.9 660 646 1228 704 1336 1738 1145 1173 1579 1199
1.0 to 1.9 0 2 2 2 1 2 7 11 14 12
0.1 to 0.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
No Magnitude 415 434 507 333 540 73 13 22 20 10
.

Total 2342 2261 3876 2946 3550 3685 2783 2791 3624 2167
.

Estimated Deaths 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
WORLDWIDE EARTHQUAKE
RELATED DEATHS FOR
2000 - 2009

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Estimated
231 21357 1685 33819 228802 82364 6605 712 88011 369
Deaths
If winds reach 74 mph, then they are called:
"hurricane" (the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast
Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the South
Pacific Ocean east of 160E)
"typhoon" (the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the
dateline)
"severe tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Pacific
Ocean west of 160E or Southeast Indian Ocean east
of 90E)
"severe cyclonic storm" (the North Indian Ocean)
"tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Indian Ocean)

HURRICANE
TOP 10 DEADLIEST HURRICANES
(ATLANTIC)

Rank Hurricane Name Year Category Deaths

1 Texas (Galveston) 1900 4 8000

2 FL (Lake Okeechobee) 1928 4 1836
3 Hurricane Katrina 2005 3 1500
4 Florida Keys 1919 4 600
5 New England 1938 3 600
6 Florida Keys (Labor Day) 1935 5 408
7 Audrey 1957 4 390
8 NE United States 1944 3 390
9 LA (Grand Isle) 1909 4 350
10 LA (New Orleans) 1915 4 275
 MOST EXPENSIVE HURRICANES
(ATLANTIC)
Rank Hurricane Name Year Category Damage (U.S.)
1 Hurricane Katrina 2005 3 $81,000,000,000
2 Hurricane Andrew 1992 5 $26,500,000,000
3 Hurricane Wilma 2005 3 $20,600,000,000
4 Hurricane Ike 2008 2 $18,000,000,000
5 Hurricane Charley 2004 4 $15,000,000,000
6 Hurricane Ivan 2004 3 $14,200,000,000
7 Hurricane Rita 2005 3 $11,300,000,000
8 Hurricane Frances 2004 2 $8,900,000,000
9 Hurricane Hugo 1989 4 $7,000,000,000
10 Hurricane Jeanne 2004 3 $6,900,000,000
11 Tropical Storm Allison 2001 T.S. $5,000,000,000
12 Hurricane Floyd 1999 2 $4,500,000,000
Note: Damages are listed in US dollars and are not adjusted for inflation.
a brilliant electric spark discharge in the
atmosphere, occurring within a thundercloud,
between clouds, or between a cloud and the
ground

Lightning Statistics http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/fatalities.htm

LIGHTNING
 LIGHTENING FATALITIES IN 2009
No. Date Day State City Age Sex Location Activity Victim
1 3/15 Sun TX Port Aransas 63 M On beach Walking to vehicle Stan Grassel
2 4/25 Sat KS Perry 45 M Highway Riding motorcycle Troy Gentzler
3 5/6 Wed MN St. Cloud 42 M Back yard Yard work Chad Giroux
4 5/16 Sat MS Yazoo County 16 M Corn field Andrew Williams
5 6/3 Wed CA Fontana 40 F Under tree Walking to bus Tina Marie Bond
6 6/3 Wed VA Fredericksburg 12 M Ball field Playing baseball Chelal Matos
7 6/3 Wed TX Crystal Beach 33 M Beach Jogging Isaias Lara-Matinez
8 6/3 Wed CA Portola 70 F Near tree Yard work MaryAnn Heald
9 6/5 Fri CO Evans 21 M Open field Walking Efrain Trevizo-
Molina
10 6/8 Mon FL Coral Springs 53 M In yard Trimming grass Dessalines Oleus
11 6/8 Mon NC Fairview 65 M In field Clearing brush Donald Michael
Lynch
12 6/10 Wed KY Shelbyville 44 M Under tree Waiting for car ride Brian Larsh
13 6/11 Thu IN Indianapolis 10 M Near tree Camping, going to car Jeremiah Miller
14 6/11 Thu FL Sebring 32 M Near tree Golfing Pierre Hyppolite
15 6/17 Wed MO Columbia 23 F Open Field Fishing Georgette Tillett
16 6/27 Sat PR Moca 43 M Outside Home Cutting lawn Antonio Cruz
Mangual
17 7/1 Wed MA Orleans 41 M Boat Shellfishing Christopher West
a burning mass of material

Fire Statistics http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/statistics/

FIRE
THE OVERALL FIRE
PICTURE - 2007

There were 3,430 civilians that lost their lives as the result of fire.
There were 17,675 civilian injuries that occurred as the result of
fire.
There were 118 firefighters killed while on duty.
Fire killed more Americans than all natural disasters combined.
84 percent of all civilian fire deaths occurred in residences.
There were an estimated 1.6 million fires in 2007.
Direct property loss due to fires was estimated at $14.6 billion.
An estimated 32,500 intentionally set structure fires resulted in
295 civilian deaths.
Intentionally set structure fires resulted in an estimated $733
million in property damage.
an unusually large sea wave produced by a
seaquake or undersea volcanic eruption

Tsunami Statistics http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/tsustats.pdf

TSUNAMI
DAMAGING TSUNAMIS
VS NON-DAMAGING TSUNAMIS
- WORLDWIDE
a vent in the earth's crust through which lava,
steam, ashes, etc., are expelled, either
continuously or at irregular intervals

Volcano Statistics
http://www.epicdisasters.com/index.php/site/comments/the_worlds_
worst_volcanic_eruptions/

VOLCANO
DEADLIEST VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS
Location Date Death Toll
Mt. Tambora, Indonesia April 10 - 15, 1816 92,000

Mt. Pelee, West Indies April 25 - May 8, 1902 40,000

Mt. Krakatoa, Indonesia August 26 - 28, 1883 36,000

Nevado del Ruiz, November 13, 1985 23,000

Columbia
Mt. Unzen, Japan 1792 12,000 - 15,000

Mt. Vesuvius, Italy April 24, AD 79 10,000+

The Laki Volcanic System, June 8, 1783 - February 9350

Iceland 1784
A violent snowstorm with winds blowing at a
minimum speed of 35 miles per hour and visibility
of less than one-quarter mile for three hours

Top Blizzards in US
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0886098.html
http://nsidc.org/snow/blizzard/storms.html

BLIZZARD
TOP 10 DEADLIEST BLIZZARDS

Death Toll Event Location Date

4,000 Iran Blizzard Iran 1972
1,337 2008 Afghanistan blizzard Afghanistan 2008
400 Great Blizzard of 1888 United States 1888
318 1993 North American Storm Complex United States 1993

235 Schoolhouse Blizzard United States 1888

199 Hakkda Mountains incident Japan 1902
144 Armistice Day Blizzard United States 1940
133 2008 Chinese winter storms China 2008
112 1995 Kazakh Blizzard Kazakhstan 1995
54 Blizzard of 1978 United States 1978
A temporary rise of the water level, as in a river or
lake or along a seacoast, resulting in its spilling
over and out of its natural or artificial confines
onto land that is normally dry. Floods are usually
caused by excessive runoff from precipitation or
snowmelt, or by coastal storm surges or other
tidal phenomena.

Flood Statistics
http://www.floodsafety.com/national/life/statistics.htm

FLOOD
TOP 10 DEADLIEST FLOODS
AND LANDSLIDES

Death Toll Event Location Date

2,500,0003,700,000 1931 China floods China 1931

900,0002,000,000 1887 Yellow River (Huang He) flood China 1887

500,000700,000 1938 Yellow River (Huang He) flood China 1938

231,000 Banqiao Dam failure, result of Typhoon Nina. China 1975

Approximately 86,000 people died from flooding
and another 145,000 died during subsequent
disease.
145,000 1935 Yangtze river flood China 1935

more than 100,000 St. Felix's Flood, storm surge Netherlands 1530

100,000 Hanoi and Red River Delta flood North Vietnam 1971

100,000 1911 Yangtze river flood China 1911

50,00080,000 St. Lucia's flood, storm surge Netherlands 1287

60,000 North Sea flood, storm surge Netherlands 1212

A violently rotating column of air extending from a
cumulonimbus cloud to the Earth, ranging in
width from a few meters to more than a
kilometer and whirling at speeds between 40 and
316 mi per hour.

Tornado Statistics
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/online/monthly/newm.html

TORNADO
LATEST U.S. TORNADO
STATISTICS
2006 2007 2008 2009 Three Year
Average
Number of 1103 1098 1691 1053 1297
Tornados

Number of 67 81 126 21 91
Tornado Related
Deaths

Number of Killer 25 26 37 9 29
Tornados
A long period of abnormally low rainfall, especially one that
adversely affects growing or living conditions.

DROUGHT
Statistical Information http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/drought/drght_alleve.html
 The cost of losses due to drought in the
United States averages $6-8 billion every
year, but range as high as $39 billion for the
three year drought of 1987-1989, which was
the most costly natural disaster documented
in U.S. history.
The two major droughts of the 20th century,
the 1930s Dust Bowl drought and the 1950s
drought, lasted five to seven years and
covered large areas of the continental U.S.

DROUGHT FACTS
TOP 10 DROUGHTS REPORTED -
ECONOMIC DAMAGES
Disaster Date Cost
China P Rep 1994 13,755,200,000
Australia 1981 6,000,000,000
Spain 1990 4,500,000,000
United States 2002 3,300,000,000
Iran Islam Rep 1999 3,300,000,000
Spain 1999 3,200,000,000
China P Rep 2006 2,910,000,000
Zimbabwe 1981 2,500,000,000
Australia 2002 2,000,000,000
Brazil 2004 1,650,000,000
 an air mass of high temperature covering an extended area and
moving relatively slowly
a period of abnormally hot and usually humid

HEAT WAVE

Statistical Information http://www.preventionweb.net/english/hazards/statistics/?hid=63

TOP 10 HEAT WAVES REPORTED BASED
ON NUMBER OF PEOPLE KILLED
Disaster Date Killed

Italy 2003 20,089

France 2003 19,490
Spain 2003 15,090
Germany 2003 9,355
Portugal 2003 2,696
India 1998 2,541
France 2006 1,388
United States 1980 1,260
India 2003 1,210
Belgium 2003 1,175
TOP 10 HEAT WAVES REPORTED BASED
ON ECONOMIC DAMAGES
Disaster Date Cost
France 2003 4,400,000,000
Italy 2003 4,400,000,000
United States 1998 4,275,000,000
United States 1980 2,000,000,000
United States 1986 1,750,000,000
Germany 2003 1,650,000,000
United States 1999 1,000,000,000
Spain 2003 880,000,000
India 2003 400,000,000
Switzerland 2003 280,000,000
Austria 2003 280,000,000
In the next two sides you will see the 10 'Worst'
Natural Disasters as decided by expert David
Crossley, Professor of Geophysics.

WHICH DISASTERS ARE THE

WORST?
 TheOctober 8, 2005 magnitude 7.6
earthquake in Pakistan
Hurricane Katrina
Volcanic
Eruption - Nevado del Ruiz
(Columbia) in 1985
1976
earthquake magnitude 8 Tangshan
event in China
Indonesia
Volcanic Eruptions Tambora
volcano of 1815 & Krakatoa explosion in
1883

10 'WORST' NATURAL DISASTERS

 New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-12 in southern
Missouri
1737 Calcutta, India typhoon
Santorini volcanic explosion around 1500 B.C.
major global paleoclimate event that happened
around 3000B.C.
mass extinction during the Cretaceous-Tertiary
Stratigraphic Boundary, 65 million years ago

10 'WORST' NATURAL DISASTERS

U.S. WEATHER FATALITIES
 TOP 10 DEADLIEST NATURAL DISASTERS
SOURCE HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/LIST_OF_NATURAL_DISASTERS_BY_DEATH_TOLL

Rank Event Location Date Death Toll

(Estimate)

1. 1931 China floods China July-Nov, 1931 1,000,000

4,000,000
2. 1887 Yellow River China Sept-Oct 1887 900,000
flood 2,000,000
3. 1556 Shaanxi Shaanxi Province, China Jan 23, 1556 830,000
earthquake
4. 1970 Bhola cyclone Bangladesh Nov 13, 1970 500,000

5. 1839 India Cyclone India Nov 25, 1839 300,000

6. 526 Antioch Antioch, Byzantine Empire May 20, 526 250,000

earthquake
7. 1976 Tangshan Tangshan, Hebei, China July 28, 1976 242,000
earthquake
8. 1920 Haiyuan Haiyuan, Ningxia-Gansu, Dec 26, 1920 240,000
earthquake China
9. 1975 Banqiao Dam Zhumadian, Henan Aug 7, 1975 90,000
flood Province, China 230,000
10. 2004 Indian Ocean Indian Ocean Dec 26, 2004 229,866
earthquake/tsunami
 collapsing buildings
property damage
mud slides
fires

floods

tsunamis

loss of power

HOW EARTHQUAKES IMPACT

THE ENVIRONMENT
 erosion
houses, buildings, and other structures destroyed
heavy flooding of inland areas
tornadoes
loss of power
contaminated water supply

HOW HURRICANES IMPACT

THE ENVIRONMENT
 fire

loss of power

HOW LIGHTNING IMPACTS

THE ENVIRONMENT
 houses, buildings, and other structures destroyed
loss of habitat

HOW FIRE IMPACTS THE

ENVIRONMENT
 houses, buildings, and other structures destroyed
loss of power
erosion
fresh water contaminated

HOW TSUNAMIS IMPACT

THE ENVIRONMENT
 houses, buildings, and other structures destroyed
fires
toxic gases released into the atmosphere
Carbon dioxide emitted from volcanoes adds to
the natural greenhouse effect.
loss of habitat

HOW VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

IMPACT THE
ENVIRONMENT
 flooding when snows melt
trees fall
power outages
hypothermia (Low body temperature)

HOW BLIZZARDS (SEVERE

SNOW STORMS) IMPACT THE
ENVIRONMENT
 disease
loss of habitat
houses, buildings, and other structures destroyed
household wastes get into the water system
power outages

HOW FLOODING IMPACTS

THE
ENVIRONMENT
 Tornadoes could hit hazardous or toxic materials
which could carried by a thunderstorm and then
transported along ways down stream.
could transport certain types of small animals
and plants across the land
destroys topsoil and crops

HOW TORNADOES IMPACTS

THE
ENVIRONMENT
 HOW DROUGHT IMPACTS THE
ENVIRONMENT
young trees die
dried up lakes and other water sources
loss of livestock and crops
People use more fuel during droughts.
losses or destruction of fish and wildlife habitat
lack of food and drinking water for wild animals
increase in disease in wild animals, because of reduced food and water
supplies
migration of wild animals, leading to a loss of wildlife in some

(drought-stricken) areas and too many wildlife in areas not affected by

drought
increased stress on endangered species
lower water levels in reservoirs, lakes, and ponds
loss of wetlands
more fires
wind and water erosion of soils, reduced soil quality
Information from http://drought.unl.edu/kids/impacts/affects.htm
This is a human tragedy on a huge
scale for once caused by the action
of Nature rather than Man
William Rees Mogg 27.12.04
INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI
26th December 2004

At GMT 00.59 a magnitude 9 undersea earthquake

shook the sea bed off the north west coast of
Sumatra. Within hours multiple tsunamis had
swept across the Indian Ocean ravaging coastal
regions and killing over 120,000 people.
The USGS (United States Geological Survey) record of the earthquake
The seismograph recording of the earthquake
Two tectonic plates, the
Australian and Eurasian
plates, meet just off
Sumatra's south-west
coast, grinding
together and sending
periodic seismic
tremors through the
region.
At 0059 GMT a violent
rupture occurred on the
sea floor along a fault
about 1,000km long.
Area affected
The 9.0 magnitude quake,
which was the strongest in
the world for at least 40
years, wreaked havoc across
the whole region.

Walls of water, tens of

metres high, slammed into
coastal resorts thousands of
miles apart.
Surging seas and floods were
reported as far away as east
Africa.
Deadly wave
All along the rupture
the seafloor was
shunted vertically by
about 10 metres.

This movement
displaced the overlying
water, generating a
massive tsunami, or
tidal wave.

The wave then fanned

out across the Indian
Ocean at enormous
speed.
The waves spread out on their voyage of destruction
Within half an hour the waves had reached Sumatra and Malaysia
and swept ashore in Thailand.
Two hours later they reached Sri Lanka and India.
Within four hours they had crossed the ocean to the east coast of Africa
The power of tsunamis only becomes clear as they
approach shallow water along the coast
But from the beaches few people recognised the danger
of the white line on the horizon
Hildasan, 50, net-maker

I was repairing some

fishing nets in the
harbour when I saw the
waters rising. I'd never
seen anything like it. I
began to run for my life -
I knew something was
very wrong. The
rumbling noise, the
rising water, just didn't
make sense. As I ran
inland the sea seemed to
be roaring in the
background.
Their full force is unleashed as they break on to land
Sundar Raj, 21,
fisherman

I was sleeping in our

boat when the sea
began making a
rumbling sound. I saw
the water level rising. I
jumped into the water
and tied my boat to
the wharf as the waves
began lashing me from
behind. I climbed on to
the jetty and ran.
The killer wave strikes Kalutara Sri Lanka
The Aftermath
Early reports gave no
hint of the scale of
the disaster.

Scale of devastation
Thousands are reported
to have been killed, but
there has been little
news from the worst-hit
areas where all
transport and
communication links
were destroyed.

bbc.co.uk 27.12.04
 Low lying coastal
areas were left
obliterated and
flooded as here in
Aceh province in
Sumatra, Indonesia

Current reports
indicate that the north
and west coasts of
Sumatra have
experienced the worst
destruction
Whole villages were flattened as here in Sri Lanka
Fishing boats, which provide essential food supplies for local
people here in India, have been washed ashore
 Scenes which were
repeated across the
Indian Ocean

Sri Lanka

Phuket,
Thailand
 Low lying areas have
been left flooded with
seawater which quickly
becomes contaminated
with sewage and
decomposing bodies

Male in the
Maldives

Banda Aceh in
Sumatra, Indonesia
Millions of people have
been left homeless

Cuddalore, south of
Madras, India

Penang, Malaysia
V Govindan, 55, fish
seller

My house was blown

nearly half a kilometre
inland when the waves
came. I started
running with my wife
and four children. I
returned to the coast
in the evening and
saw that my home had
been washed away.
The signboard is still
there - The board
says: "Live prawns
bought here". Now life
is so uncertain.
Valli, 20, fish seller

My family has lived for

generations by the sea.
Everything almost
ended on Sunday as
the waves lashed our
house. We managed to
drag most of our
belongings from our
huts. Then we ran and
ran until we reached
the fisheries office,
which is now my home.
A family survey what is left of their home south of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Paradise Lost

Idyllic beach resorts

like Galle in Sri
Lanka, photographed
here in March 2004,
have been turned
into scenes of horror,
devastation and
death,
 Now Hell on Earth

Phi Phi Island, Thailand

Beach debris at
Phuket, Thailand
All that remains of luxury
holiday accommodation on Phi
Phi Island, Thailand
Devastation on Khao Lak a once beautiful beach
resort in Thailand
 Communications have
been completely
disrupted

Bus station in Galle, Sri Lanka

800 people died in a train

derailed by the waves in Sri
Lanka it is the worst train
disaster ever recorded.
The human toll is huge on 30.12.04 it stands at 125,000
Scenes of grief in India,
Malaysia and Indonesia
 Millions have been injured

In Aceh, Indonesia, so many doctors have been killed that

there are few trained medical workers to assist the injured.
Many children foreign and
local have lost parents
Increasing numbers of
homeless people need
shelter, food and water
Clean drinking water is required to avoid
the spread of disease
Armed police in Galle, Sri Lanka try to
prevent looting
 Identifying victims is a
grim task

Many who died can only be

identified by photographs,
fingerprints or DNA tests
Tourists in Phuket make contact with
frantic family members
In all affected areas
survivors are hungry as
food supplies run out
 The threat of disease
increases

Medicines are needed

desperately
 The evacuation of
foreign tourists from
the beach resorts
begins

Many are severely

traumatised
A British holiday maker arrives home from
the Maldives three days after the tsunami
Other survivors, such as these women
and children from the Nicobar Islands,
leave to a more uncertain future
Relief efforts, which have been slow to start, gather pace
as the enormity of the disaster begins to be appreciated

German relief workers prepare

to depart for Sri Lanka

French relief workers from

the Medecins Sans
Frontieres organisation
 Indonesian Red Cross
workers in Jakarta

South Korean Red

Cross assistance
Clean, bottled water supplies are
assembled in Penang, Malaysia
 Clothes are collected in
Sri Lanka

Distribution of food in
Madras state, India
 In some areas relief
supplies are piling up

Disruption of communications
means that emergency
supplies cannot be
distributed efficiently
Coffins await transport to remote areas near
Phuket in Thailand
Co-ordination of relief efforts from throughout
the world is proving to be a major challenge

Four days after the tsunami many of the worst

affected areas cannot be reached
at 30.12.04
The death toll stands at 125,000

By the time you watch this, it will be

much higher.
We view with awe a release of power on this
scale. We know that this power is greater than
that of our species Nature holds us in its
hands. We may be able to lessen some of its
consequences, sometimes we can give advance
warning of the threat but we are not in control.
The tsunami has demonstrated
that Nature, and not Mankind,
is the real master.
William Rees-Mogg 27.12.04
DISASTER
MANAGEMENT IN
INDIA
PAST, PRESENT AND
FUTURE
 Moving away from the Great Bengal famine of
1769-1770 in which a third of the population
perished.
The Chalisa famine of 1783, the Doji Bara or
Skull famine of 1790 to 1792, the North West
Provinces famine of 1838, the North West India
Famine of 1861, the Bengal and Orissa famine
of 1866, the Rajputana famine of 1869, the
famine of 1899 to 1901, the Bengal famine of
1943
DISASTERS
The droughtIN INDIA
years of 1965, 1972, 1979, 1987,
2002
 57% land is vulnerable to
earthquakes. Of these, 12% is
vulnerable to severe earthquakes.
68% land is vulnerable to drought.
12% land is vulnerable to floods.
8% land is vulnerable to cyclones.
Apart from natural disasters, some
cities in India are also vulnerable to
chemical and industrial disasters and
man-made disasters.

INDIAS VULNERABILITY TO
DISASTERS
SEISMIC ACTIVITY IN INDIA
180 AD - 2004
DISTRIBUTION OF EPICENTERS OF EARTHQUAKES GREATER THAN
MAGNITUDE 5.0 FOR THE PERIOD 1976-2000, SOUTH EAST ASIA AND
INDIAN OCEAN
 Areas of Concern
Activating an Early Warning System network and its close
monitoring
Mechanisms for integrating the scientific, technological
and administrative agencies for effective disaster
management
Terrestrial communication links which collapse in the
event of a rapid onset disaster
Vulnerability of critical infrastructures (power supply,
communication, water supply, transport, etc.) to disaster
events
 Areas of Concern
Funding : Primacy of relief as disaster response.
Preparedness and Mitigation very often ignored.
Lack of integrated efforts to collect and compile data,
information and local knowledge on disaster history and
traditional response patterns.
Need for standardised efforts in compiling and interpreting
geo-spatial data, satellite imagery and early warning signals.
Weak areas continue to be forecasting, modelling, risk
prediction, simulation and scenario analysis, etc.
 Areas of Concern
Absence of a national level, state level, and district level
directory of experts and inventory of resources.
Absence of a National Disaster Management Plan, and State
level and district level disaster management plans.
Sustainability of efforts
Effective Inter Agency Co-ordination and Standard Operating
Procedures for stakeholder groups, especially critical first
responder agencies.
Emergency medicine, critical care medicine, triage, first aid
 Nodal Agencies for Disaster Management
Floods : Ministry of Water Resources, CWC
Cyclones : Indian Meteorological Department
1. Earthquakes : Indian Meteorological Department
Epidemics : Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Avian Flu: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of
Agriculture and Animal Husbandry
Chemical Disasters : Ministry of Environment and Forests
Industrial Disasters : Ministry of Labour
Rail Accidents : Ministry of Railways
Air Accidents : Ministry of Civil Aviation
Fire : Ministry of Home Affairs
Nuclear Incidents : Department of Atomic Energy
Mine Disasters : Department of Mines
Dynamics of Disasters
There is a high probability of a low probability
event happening somewhere sometime soon
The unpredictability of disaster events and the high
risk and vulnerability profiles make it imperative to
strengthen disaster preparedness, mitigation and
enforcement of guidelines, building codes and
restrictions on construction of buildings in flood-
prone areas and storm surge prone coastal areas.
New Directions for Disaster
Management in India
The National Disaster Management Authority
(NDMA) has been set up as the apex body for
Disaster Management in India, with the Prime
Minister as its Chairman.
Disaster Management Authorities will be set up at
the State and District Levels to be headed by the
Chief Ministers and Collectors/Zilla Parishad
Chairmen respectively.
New Directions for Disaster
Management in India
A National Disaster Mitigation Fund will be administerd by
NDMA. States and districts will administer mitigation funds.
A National Disaster Response Fund will be administerd by
NDMA through the National Executive Committee. States
and Districts will administer state Disaster Response Fund
and Disaster Response Fund respectively.
8 Battalions of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are
being trained and deployed with CSSR and MFR equipments
and tools in eight strategic locations.
A National Disaster Management Policy and National
Disaster Response Plan will also be drawn up.
 Lessons Learnt
Be Prepared : Preparedness and Mitigation is bound to yield more effective
returns than distributing relief after a disaster.
Create a Culture of Preparedness and Prevention.
Evolve a code of conduct for all stake-holders
 Future Directions
Encourage and consolidate knowledge networks
Mobilise and train disaster volunteers for more effective
preparedness, mitigation and response (NSS, NCC, Scouts
and Guides, NYK, Civil Defence, Homeguards)
Increased capacity building leads to faster vulnerability
reduction.
Learn from best practices in disaster preparedness,
mitigation and disaster response
 Future Directions
Mobilising stakeholder participation of Self Help Groups, Womens
Groups, Youth Groups, Panchayati Raj Institutions
Anticipatory Governance: Simulation exercises, Mock drills and
Scenario Analysis
Indigenous knowledge systems and coping practices
Living with Risk: Community Based Disaster Risk Management
Inclusive, participatory, gender sensitive, child friendly, eco-friendly
and disabled friendly disaster management
Technology driven but people owned
Knowledge Management: Documentation and dissemination of
good practices
Public Private Partnership
 Invest in Preparedness
Investments in Preparedness and Prevention (Mitigation) will yield sustainable results,
rather than spending money on relief after a disaster.
Most disasters are predictable, especially in their seasonality and the disaster-prone
areas which are vulnerable.
Communities must be involved in disaster preparedness.
 Best Practices
On 12 November, 1970 a major cyclone hit the coastal belt
of Bangladesh at 223 km/hr. with a storm surge of six to
nine meters height, killing an estimated 500,000 people.
Due to the Cyclone Preparedness Program, the April 1991
cyclone with wind speed of 225 km/hr. killed only 138,000
people even though the coastal population had doubled by
that time.
In May 1994, in a similar cyclone with a wind speed of 250
km/hr. only 127 people lost their lives.
In May 1997, in a cyclone with wind speed of 200 km/hr.
only 111 people lost their lives.
New possibilities
National Urban Renewal Mission for 70 cities:
recent experience of unprecedented extreme
weather conditions in a few major metros and
megacities
100,000 Rural Knowledge Centres
( IT Kiosks): Need for Spatial e-Governance for
informed decision making in disaster-prone areas:
before, during and after disasters
 BMTPC
NBSSLUP SOI Dept. of Space

GoI
NRSA Ministries NDMA Census
of India
NIC
PSUs
IMD NATMO CGWB

CWC
NSDI GSI ISRO
Spatial Information
FSI Electronic Clearing House

CPCB
URBAN
BSI Private Sector BODIES

Academic
NRDMS
NNRMS & Research
PRIs NGOs
Institutions

Knowledge Networking
Thank you