Page 79 - general studies for nda/na

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READY RECKONER OF INDIANGEOGRAPHY |39|

Natural Hazards and Disasters: Bhima(Krishna) near Latur and Osmanabad
(Maharashtra) and the possible breaking down of the
• Disasters- Disaster is an undesirable occurrence Indian plate.
resulting from forces that are largely outside human
• National Geophysical Laboratory, Geological Survey of
control, strikes quickly with little or no warning, which
India, Department of Meteorology, Government of
causes or threatens serious disruption of life and
India, along with the recently formed National
property.
Institute of Disaster Management, following five
• Natural Hazards are elements of circumstances in the earthquake zones:
Natural environment that have the potential to cause
1. Very high damage risk zone- North-east states, areas
harm to people or property or both.
to the north of Darbhanga and Araria along the Indo-
• As compared to natural hazards, natural disasters are Nepal border in Bihar, Uttarakhand, Western
relatively sudden and cause large scale, widespread Himachal Pradesh (around Dharamshala
death, loss of property and disturbance to social
2. High damage risk zone- the remaining parts of Jammu
systems and life over which people have a little or no
and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Northern parts of
control.
Punjab, Eastern parts of Haryana, Delhi, Western
Earthquakes: Uttar Pradesh, and Northern Bihar fall under the

• Earthquakes that are of tectonic origin have proved to 3. Moderate damage risk zone
be the most devastating and their area of influence is 4. Low damage risk zone
also quite large.
5. Very low damage risk zone
• These earthquakes result from a series of earth
movements brought about by a sudden release of
energy during the tectonic activities in the earth‘s
crust.

• The Indian plate is moving at a speed of one
centimetre per year towards the north and north
eastern direction and this movement of plates is
being constantly obstructed by the Eurasian plate
from the north. As a result of this, both the plates are
said to be locked with each other resulting in
accumulation of energy at different points of time.
Excessive accumulation of energy results in building
up of stress, which ultimately leads to the

• Some of the most vulnerable states are Jammu and Most of the areas that can be considered safe are from

Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and the stable landmass covered under the Deccan plateau.
the Darjeeling and subdivision of West Bengal and all Earthquake Hazard Mitigation:
the seven states of the northeast
(i) Establishing earthquake monitoring centres
• Recently, some earth scientists have come up with a
(seismological centres) for regular monitoring and
theory of emergence of a fault line and energy build-
fast dissemination of information among the people
up along the fault line represented by the river
in the vulnerable areas. Use of Geographical
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