This document discusses different types of disasters including natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, cyclones and droughts as well as man-made disasters. It notes that disasters can be predictable or sudden and can have varying time durations. Some key points made include that natural disasters are caused by meteorological, geological or environmental factors, and that population growth, development practices and climate change are increasing the frequency of disasters. Specific details are provided about floods, earthquakes and tsunamis. The roles of disaster management, which includes prevention, preparedness, relief and recovery, are outlined. Environmental protection acts and best practices in disaster response are also summarized.

1. DISASTER is an event which is generally
unpredictable, happens instantly or without
giving enough time to react affecting a
large number of people, disrupting normal
life and leading to a large scale
devastation in terms of loss of life and
property
WHAT IS A DISASTER?

2. CLASSIFICATION OF DISASTERS
 Natural, Man-made & Human-
induced
Disasters occur in varied forms
 Some are predictable in advance
 Some are annual or seasonal
 Some are sudden and unpredictable
Factors leading to a Disaster
 Meteorological, Geological, Ecological or
Environmental, Technological Etc.

3. Types of Disasters
There is no country that is immune from Disasters,
though vulnerability to disaster varies.
Natural Disasters: These disasters include floods,
hurricanes, earthquakes and volcano eruptions that
can have immediate impact on health
Environmental Emergencies : These Emergencies
includes technological and Industrial accidents,
usually involves technological and Industrial
Accidents.

4.  Complex Emergencies These emergencies
involves a breakdown of authority, looting and
attacks on strategic installations. Complex
Emergencies include conflict situations and war.
 Pandemic Emergencies: These emergencies
involve a sudden onset of contagious diseases
that affects health but also disrupts services and
business economic and social costs.

5. NATURAL DISASTERS
 Floods
 Earthquakes
 Cyclones
 Droughts
 Landslides, Pest Attacks, Forest
Fires, etc

6. TIME DURATION OF NATURAL DISASTERS
Earthquakes -> Seconds/minutes
Cyclones -> Days
Floods -> Days
Droughts -> Months

7. FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR
INCREASING NUMBER OF
DISASTERS
 Population Growth and Urban
Development
 Development Practices
 Climatic changes
 Effect of Environmental degradation

8. Floods:
Over flowing of water onto land that is normally dry.
As a result of flood land is filled with excess water.
Causes of floods: It is caused by continuous heavy
rain, bad drainage facility poor design in
the construction of dams blocking or melting
if galciers.

9. Earthquakes are the shaking, or sudden shock of
the earth’s surface. Earthquakes happen along
"fault lines" in the earth’s crust.

10. Richter scale:
Earthquakes below 4.0 on the Richter scale
usually do not cause damage, and
Earthquakes below 2.0 usually can’t be felt.
Earthquakes over 5.0 on the scale can cause
damage.
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake is considered strong.
A magnitude 7.0 is a major earthquake. The.

11. Earthquakes: Facts and Fiction
Fiction: Earthquakes usually happen in the morning.
Fact: Earthquakes happen in both the day and the night. There
is no pattern.
Fiction: There is such a thing as "earthquake weather."
Fact: There is no connection between earthquakes and weather.
Remember, earthquakes happen deep in the earth, far away from
the weather!
Fiction: Earthquakes are on the increase.
Fact: It may seem like we’re having more earthquakes because
there are more reporting stations, but the truth is we’re not.
Fiction: We can prevent earthquakes from happening.
Fact: No. You can protect yourself by doing things to secure
buildings, like your home, but earthquakes can’t be prevented --
or predicted.

12. Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of waves in the ocean that can
be hundred miles long and have been known
to reach heights of 10.5 m.
The top layer of earth is made up of a series of huge
plates.
When two plates come in contact at a plate boundary
region a heavier plate can slip under a lighter one
resulting in subduction. Part of the sea floor is
connected to lighter plate may snap up in some cases
It sends tons of rock shooting upward with tremendous
force. When the energy of the force is transferred to
water wave is pushed upwards above normal sea level.

13. of life. A lot of the loss of life is
caused by drowning.
Tsunamis are not created from the wind!
Earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions,
explosions, and even an impact from space, such
as meteorites, can generate tsunamis. Tsunamis can
destroy coastlines, causing property damage and
loss

14. Disaster Management
 It is a practice of successful management of natural or
manmade disasters.
 The major objective of disaster management is to reduce
the adverse effects of disaster on the affected community
and to help them return to normal life within the shortest
possible time.

15. Disaster Prevention
Disaster Preparedness
Disaster relief
Disaster recovery.
Response : It includes activities during a
disaster such as public warning systems.

16. Recovery:
It includes activities following a
disaster like rehabilitation and
reconstruction which includes
temporary housing , processing of
insurance claims distribution of
grants.

17. 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.

18. Environmental Acts
 Environment Protection Act,1986
 This act comes into force on 19th November 1986, the birth
anniversary of our late prime minister smt. Indira Gandhi.
The act has given powers to central government to take
measures to protect and improve environment while the state
government coordinate the actions.
 Some of the following functions are
 1. The standards of quality of air, water or soil for various
areas and purposes.
 2. The prohibition and restrictions on the handling of
hazardous substances in different areas.
 They have to advice the industries for best water treatment
and gases with best available technology to achieve
prescribed standards.

19.  Air (Prevention and Control of pollution) Act,1981
 1. The act provide for prevention, control abetment of
air pollution.
 2. Pollution control boards at the central or state board
have the regulatory authority to implement air act.
 Section 20 has provision for ensuring emissions from
standard automobiles based up on this state
government gives certain instructions and issues to
the authority in charge of registration of motor
vehicles.

20.  Water (Prevention and Control of pollution) Act,1974
It provides features and provisions for this act are:
The water prevention pollution act was enacted for
prevention and control of water pollution and
maintaining or restoring of wholesomeness of water.
It provides the establishment of central and boards for
pollution control.
The central and state pollution control boards have been
constituted under sections 3 and 4 .

21. Wild Life Protection Act, 1972
 Objectives: The objectives of the wild life protection
act are
 To maintain essential ecological processes and life
supporting systems:
 To provide biodiversity and to ensure protection and
conservation of wild life.
 It provides for protection to listed species of fauna and
establishes a network ecologically important protected
areas.
 The act prohibits hunting of animals except with
permission of an authorized officer when an animal is
dangerous to human life or propertity.

22.  The major objectives of this act is to conserve the
biodiversity. Should not cause any kind of destruction
to the biogeographic zones.
Biodiversity Act,2002

23. Forest Conservation Act, 1980
 The acts deals with the conservation of forests and
aspects.
 Salient features of this act are as follows:
 The state government has been empowered under this
act to use the forests only for forestry purpose.
 Any illegal non-forest activity with in forest area can
be immediately stopped under this act.
 Cultivation of tea, coffee, spices and rubber plants
which are cash crops are included in non forestry
activity and not allowed in the reserve forests.
 Mining is a non forestry activity and prior approval of
central government is mandatory.
 Thus the forests act made for the conservation and
protection of forests and prevention of deforestration.

24. EIA Definition
Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) refers to the evaluation of the
environmental impacts likely to raise
from a major project significantly
affecting the environment.

25. EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment)
 For all development projects, weather government or
private , the MoEF (The ministry of environment and
forest ) requires an impact assessment done by a
competent organization.
 The EIA must look into physical, biological and Social
parameters.
 EIA expected to indicate what the likely impacts could
be if the project is passed.

26. The Origin of EIA:
 Environmental Impact Assessment emerged in
the United States as a response to the rise of
environmental movements of the 1960s that
raised awareness of the serious environmental
effects of human activities which were
inadequately controlled by existing planning
regulation and pollution control measures.

27. EIA Report Preparation:
Once it has been determined that a project has
potentially significant impacts on the environment
and the main issues to be considered in the study
have been identified, the EIA has to be undertaken
and presented in the form of an Environmental
Impact Assessment report.
The assessment must determine the significance of
direct and indirect impacts, both beneficial and
adverse, and the duration of the impacts.

28. EIA report normally include
the following information:
 The impact the project would have on the physical
environment.
 Any possible pollution of the soil, of waters of all
kinds such as surface, underground, costal and of the
atmosphere.
 The impact of the project on wildlife, the natural
habitat and all other ecological factors.

29.  The project’s likely influence on the qualities of life of the local
populations.
 Any influence the project may have on existing industry and
employment.
 Any need that may result for new or improved infrastructure
such as utilities, transport, housing, school recreational
amenities etc.

30. EIA Report Review:
Once the EIA is completed and the EIA report is
submitted to the competent authority, it has to be
ensured that the EIA has been conducted properly,
that all of the necessary analysis have been
undertaken and are contained in the final report.
It is necessary to develop review criteria to check
the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the EIA
Report.

31. The review can be carried out by decision
maker or by review committee, however
effective review criteria should allow an
authority to:
 Ensure that all relevant information has
been analysed and presented.
 Assess the validity and accuracy of
information contained in EIA Report.

32. Decision Maker:
 Once the study is finished and EIA report is
submitted, the responsible decision-makers start
what is often the difficult task of balancing
environmental, economic, political and technical
factors in reaching a final decision regarding the
course of action to be taken.

33. Monitoring:
LIST OF PROJECTS REQUIRING AN EIA:
Energy
Manufacturing and Processing
Mining and Mineral
Processing.
Waste Disposal
 Urban development and tourism.

34. Significance of EIA is:
Industrial development
Effective use of resources
Sustainable development

35. THE END