Types of Disasters
Disaster Management · आपदाओं के प्रकार · 18 facts
Natural Disasters — Geological: Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, landslides, soil erosion; caused by geological processes.
Natural Disasters — Hydro-meteorological: Floods, cyclones, droughts, heatwaves, cold waves, landslides, avalanches; weather/water related.
Natural Disasters — Biological: Pandemics (COVID-19), epidemics, locust attacks, crop diseases, invasive species; living organism-driven.
Man-made Disasters — Industrial: Bhopal Gas Tragedy, chemical spills, oil refinery explosions, nuclear accidents (Chernobyl, Fukushima).
Man-made Disasters — Transport: Rail accidents, air crashes, road accidents, ship sinking; India is world's most dangerous country for road accidents.
Man-made Disasters — Urban: Building collapses, fire accidents, crowd crushes, stampedes; Uphaar Cinema fire 1997 (Delhi, 59 deaths) example.
CBRN Disasters: Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear; special NDRF teams trained to handle CBRN events; require specialized protective equipment.
NDMA definition of disaster: 'Catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area arising from natural or man-made causes' (DM Act 2005).
Types of drought: Meteorological (rainfall deficiency), Hydrological (water body depletion), Agricultural (soil moisture insufficient for crops), Socioeconomic (water scarcity affecting economy).
Heat wave threshold (IMD): Plains — 45°C or 4.5°C above normal; Hilly areas — 30°C or above. 'Severe heat wave' — 47°C or 6.5°C above normal.
Cold wave: Temperature below 10°C and at least 4.5°C below normal for 2 consecutive days; northern plains most affected in December-January.
Landslide-prone areas: Himalayan states (HP, Uttarakhand, J&K, Sikkim), NE states, Western Ghats; triggered by heavy rain, earthquakes, deforestation.
Tsunami warning signs: Sudden sea withdrawal, strong earthquake felt near coast, unusual loud ocean noise — evacuate immediately to high ground.
India has a National Disaster Communication Network and National Emergency Response Centre (24x7) at NDMA to coordinate disaster response.
Locust attacks: Desert locusts can destroy crops over large areas; affected Rajasthan, MP, Gujarat, UP in 2019-2020; coordinated response by Agriculture Ministry.
Wildfire/Forest fire: Common in dry seasons in Uttarakhand, HP; burns forest cover; ISRO satellite monitoring detects fires; Forest Survey of India tracks losses.
Risk = Hazard × Exposure × Vulnerability / Capacity; this formula helps understand disaster risk and guides prevention strategies.
India has the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC, Hyderabad, ISRO) which uses satellite data for disaster monitoring and damage assessment.