Sunday, January 22, 2012

EFFECTS OF MAJOR DISASTERS

Disasters throughout  history have had significant impact on the numbers, health status and life style of populations.

¨     Deaths
¨     Severe injuries, requiring extensive treatments
¨     Increased risk of communicable diseases
¨     Damage to the health facilities
¨     Damage to the water systems
¨     Food shortage
¨     Population movements

Health problems common to all Disasters

¨     Social reactions
¨     Communicable diseases
¨     Population displacements
¨     Climatic exposure
¨     Food and nutrition
¨     Water supply and sanitation
¨     Mental health
¨     Damage to health infrastructure

India's Natural Disasters Proneness

On the basis of geographic and climatic considerations, India can be divided into 5 Zones according to its disaster proneness to natural disasters;
1.    Northern mountain region including foot hills; this region is prone to strong Snow Storms leading to Land slides and strong Cold waves and also is Earthquake prone belt with violent subterranean Volcanic activity.
2.    Indo-gangetic plains; heavy rains during monsoon make these plains vulnerable to Floods.
3.    Deccan plateau; a Drought prone area.
4.    The western desert; a Drought prone area.
5.    Coastal areas; they are prone to Sea erosion, Cyclones and Tidal waves

India’s Disaster Ridden  History
·       About 60% of India’s land mass is prone to Earth Quakes
·       Over 40 million Hectares are prone to Floods
·       Nearly 3 lakh  sq. km are at risk of Cyclones
·       The Earth quake in Bhuj killed 14,000 people
·       Cyclone in Orissa took away 10,000 lives.
·       Between 1990 and 2000 an average of about 3400 people lost their lives annually.
·       About 3 crore people were affected by Disasters every year.
·       About 17,000 people perished by the Tsunami on 26 Dec.04

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