EVS Question & Answer_V5 UNIT # 7: Human communities and the environment

NOTE:

 Question and answer provided are for revision, reference & model question.
 Students can frame their own answers for exam with the help of various books & other
resources
 It should NOT be considered as important for exam point of view.
 All the content of slides and syllabus are important for exams.
 Refer slides & books for more details
 Any mistakes/typological error may be reported & corrected accordingly

1. What is over population or population explosion

What are the causes of overpopulation? [Dec 2016-End Sem Ques- 2(c)]
[May 2017-End Sem Ques- 3(e)]

Overpopulation is an undesirable condition where the number of existing human population

exceeds the carrying capacity of Earth.

Growing advances in technology with each coming year has affected humanity in many ways.
One of these has been the ability to save lives and create better medical treatment for all. A
direct result of this has increased life expectancy of human being. In the past fifty or so years,
the growth of population has boomed and has turned into overpopulation.

Causes of overpopulation

 Decline in the death rate: If the number of children born each year equals the number of
adults that die, then the population will stabilize. There is increase in life expectancy of
human being due to improved medical treatments and living condition. This has
resulted in lower death rate in comparison to earlier century.
 Better Medical Facilities: Technological advancement was perhaps the biggest reason
why the balance has been permanently disturbed. Science was able to produce better
means of producing food, which allowed families to feed more mouths. Medical science
made many discoveries to defeat a whole range of diseases. Illnesses that had claimed
thousands of lives till now were cured because of the invention of vaccines.

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EVS Question & Answer_V5 UNIT # 7: Human communities and the environment

 More Hands to Overcome Poverty For thousands of years, a very small part of the
population had enough money to live in comfort. The rest faced poverty and would give
birth to large families to make up for the high infant mortality rate. Families that have
been through poverty, natural disasters or are simply in need of more hands to work are
a major factor for overpopulation. As compared to earlier times, most of these extra
children survive and consume resources that are not adequate for them.
 Technological Advancement in Fertility Treatment: With latest technological
advancement and more discoveries in medical science, it has become possible for couple
who are unable to conceive to undergo fertility treatment methods and have their own
babies. Today there are effective medicines that can increase the chance of conception
and lead to rise in birth rate. Moreover, due to modern techniques pregnancies today are
far safer.
 Immigration: Many people prefer to move to developed countries like US, UK, Canada
and Australia where best facilities are available in terms of medical, education, security
and employment. The result is that those people settle over there and those places
become overcrowded. This gives rise to shortage of resources. Though the overall
population remains the same, it just affects the density of population making that place
simply overcrowded. In India, many illegal immigration takes place every year from our
neighboring countries like India & Bangladesh.
 Lack of Family Planning: Most developing nations have large number of people who
are illiterate, live below the poverty line and have little or no knowledge about family
planning. Getting their children married at an early age increase the chances of
producing more kids. Those people are unable to understand the harmful effects of
overpopulation and lack of ignorance prompts them to avoid family planning measures.

3. What are the effects of Overpopulation?

 Depletion of Natural Resources: The effects of overpopulation are quite severe. The
first of these is the depletion of resources. The Earth can only produce a limited amount
of water and food, which is falling short of the current needs. Most of the environmental
damage being seen in the last fifty years because of the growing number of people on
the planet. They are cutting down forests, hunting wildlife in a reckless manner, causing
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pollution and creating a host of problems. Those engaged in talking about

overpopulation have noticed that acts of violence and aggression outside of a war zone
have increased tremendously while competing for resources.
 Degradation of Environment: With the overuse of coal, oil and natural gas, it has
started producing some serious effects on our environment. Rise in the number of
vehicles and industries have badly affected the quality of air. Rise in amount of CO2
emissions leads to global warming. Melting of polar ice caps, changing climate patterns,
rise in sea level are few of the consequences that we might we have to face due to
environment pollution.
 Conflicts and Wars: Overpopulation in developing countries puts a major strain on the
resources it should be utilizing for development. Conflicts over water are becoming a
source of tension between countries, which could result in wars. It causes more diseases
to spread and makes them harder to control. Starvation is a huge issue facing the world
and the mortality rate for children is being fuelled by it. Poverty is the biggest hallmark
we see when talking about overpopulation. All of this will only become worse if
solutions are not sought out for the factors affecting our population. We can no longer
prevent it, but there are ways to control it.
 Rise in Unemployment: When a country becomes overpopulated, it gives rise to
unemployment as there fewer jobs to support large number of people. Rise in
unemployment gives rise to crime as people will steal various items to feed their family
and provide them basic amenities of life.
 High Cost of Living: As difference between demand and supply continues to expand
due to overpopulation, it raises the prices of various commodities including food,
shelter and healthcare. This means that people have to pay more to survive and feed
their families.

4. What are the solutions to Overpopulation?

 Better Education: One of the first measures is to implement policies reflecting social
change. Educating the masses helps them understand the need to have one or two
children at the most. Families that are facing a hard life and choose to have four or five
children should be discouraged. Family planning and efficient birth control can help in
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women making their own reproductive choices. Open dialogue on abortion and
voluntary sterilization should be seen when talking about overpopulation.
 Making People Aware of Family Planning: As population of this world is growing at a
rapid pace, raising awareness among people regarding family planning and letting them
know about serious after effects of overpopulation can help curb population growth.
One of the best way is to let them know about various safe sex techniques and
contraceptives methods available to avoid any unwanted pregnancy.
 Tax Benefits or Concessions: Government of various countries might have to come with
various policies related to tax exemptions to curb overpopulation. One of them might be
to waive of certain part of income tax or lowering rates of income tax for those married
couples who have single or two children. As we humans are more inclined towards
money, this may produce some positive results.
 Knowledge of Sex Education: Imparting sex education to young kids at elementary
level should be must. Most parents feel shy in discussing such things with their kids
which result in their children going out and look out for such information on internet or
discuss it with their peers. Mostly, the information is incomplete which results in
sexually active teenagers unaware of contraceptives and embarrassed to seek
information about same. It is therefore important for parents and teachers to shed their
old inhibitions and make their kids or students aware of solid sex education.

5. Write a note on AIDS:

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is an infectious disease discovered first time in
United States of America in 1981. Today this disease has emerged as a health problem in
developing as well as developed nations of the world. According to an estimate about more
than 100 million people all over the world are suffering from AIDS. AIDS is a viral disease
caused by a retrovirus (RNA virus) known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The
virus affects the T4 lymphocytes (white blood cells) of the human blood and paralyzes the
immune system thus exposing the body to opportunistic infections.

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The virus is transmitted to the human body through

a. Unprotected sexual contact
b. Infected blood transfusion
c. Sharing of same syringe
d. Infected mother to child during pregnancy

The incubation period of AIDS varies between 6 months to 3 years. The symptoms of AIDS
include rapid weight loss, swollen lymph nodes, prolonged fever and persistent night sweats.
The patient suffering from AIDS dies due to opportunistic infections of pneumonia,
tuberculosis, diarrhoea and even sometimes from common cold.
In India the disease was reported for the first time in 1987 and today it is slowly and silently
emerging as a health problem in the country. It is estimated that there are more than 5 million
people infected from HIV in India. As far as India is concerned in past the disease was mainly
confined to the metropolitan among high profile society men and women but today the disease
has spread and rooted itself to small cities and towns of the country. If the present trend would
continue then in the coming years AIDS would become a serious health problem of rural India.
In India sexual intercourse has been main cause of the transmission of AIDS. However, the state
of Manipur is the only exception to this, where the transmission of the disease is due to the
sharing of a common syringe by drug addicts. Blood transfusion is also a cause of AIDS
transmission in India.
In orthodox society of India, AIDS is considered as a social stigma. The person affected from the
disease often becomes untouchable for others. There are several instances where AIDS patients
have been mercilessly killed in rural areas of the country. Thus victims are forced to hide their
identity as AIDS patient. The various misconceptions relating to AIDS in Indian society
adversely affect the rehabilitation of the AIDS patients.
AIDS is still a non-curable disease. The medicines available against the disease can only prolong
the life of the patient by checking the rapid multiplication of the virus. Government of India has
made several efforts to prevent the spread of the disease however, considerable success has not
been achieved yet. Therefore, it is necessary to control the disease before it could become a
serious health problem in the country. In this context, there is urgent need to organize AIDS
education on prevention and management of the disease. AIDS must be introduced as

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compulsory subject at school and university level. Moreover, AIDS must be taught under Adult
Education Scheme programme in rural areas. Education on AIDS would not only help in
controlling the disease but would also be helpful in elimination of the discrimination against the
patients. Therefore, all possible efforts must be made to control the disease to avoid its adverse
effects on social and economic development of the country

6. What are the Effect of Human population growth on “Environment”?

Here are some of the most imminent environmental problems that results from human
population growth:
 Water supply. Water is one of the basic elements of live, and it is needed to preserve the
balance of every ecosystem. It cools down and cleanses the environment and is used by
plants and animals to carry out vital functions. As human population increases, so does
the consumption of water. In the past fifty years, the per capita availability of fresh
water has decreased by one third. Fresh water supply is a problem in most of the
developing countries, especially those located in arid climates such as in Africa, South
America and Asia. Water supply is an issue in urban areas as well

 Water pollution. The problem with water is not only overconsumption, but also
pollution. "More than 95% of urban sewage in developing countries is discharged
untreated into the nearest waterway or field."* The main contributors to water pollution
are factories and open mines, discarding waste water with heavy metals, toxic
substances and solid waste, which are virtually impossible to purify. The situation is
even worse when it comes to ocean exploitation and pollution. It turns out that the
ocean is "the ultimate garbage dump because eventually all of the sewage, sediment
from forest clearing, fertilizer and pesticide run-off flow into it.

 Soil Degradation. Population growth results increases the demand for food production.
Since the arable land in many of the overpopulated regions is limited, farmers begin to
cultivate dry, hilly, nutrient-poor areas that are not very suitable for farming. Exploiting
such lands makes them easily susceptible to erosion and loss of nutrients.

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 Loss of biodiversity. All of the previously described effects of overpopulation on the

environment lead to the destruction of the natural habitat of many wildlife species. The
natural flora and fauna have been under constant pressure to adapt to a quickly
changing environment. Since they have been unable to do so, they have been displaced
from their natural ecological niche.
Most of the damage on the environment caused by human expansion is long-lasting and in
some cases permanent. There is no doubt that the human population will continue increasing
and the condition of the environment will exacerbate. Therefore, only a sustainable approach
toward conserving what currently exists as natural resources could counteract the detrimental
effects of overpopulation on the natural world.

7) Write notes on Chipko movement [Dec 2016-End Sem Ques- 2(d)]

The Chipko is one of the world known environmental movements in India. The Chipko
movement focused world attention on the environmental problems of the Alaknanda catchment
area in the mid Western Himalayas. Chipko movement, launched to protect the Himalayan
forests from destruction, has its roots in the pre-independence days. In 1960, from the point of
view of border security a vast network of roads was constructed in this area besides taking up
projects of various other types. All this was disastrous for the forests. The felling of trees and
rolling them down hills loosened the upper soil that eroded further during rain all this resulting
the devasting flood in the Alaknanda in July 1970, which caused havoc in the upper catchment
area. It was here the Dasholi Gram Sarajya Mandal (DGSM), engaged in social work in the
Uttarakhand, stepped in the relief works during 1970s flood. The volunteers of the Mandal
realized that forest, land and man were intricately linked. Then they started educating the
people about the ill-effect of deforestation in the hill slopes and gradually they geared
themselves into a movement. In early 1973, the forest department allotted ash trees to a private
company. This incident provoked the Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangha (DGSS) to fight against
this injustice through lying down in front of timber trucks and burning resin and timber depots
as was done in the quit India movement. When these methods were found unsatisfactory,
Chandi Prasad Bhat, one of the leaders, suggested embracing the trees to prevent them from
being cut. With its success, the movement has spread to other neighboring areas, and then
onwards the movement is popularly known internationally as Chipko movement” The name of

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the movement, that is ‘Chipko’, comes from the word ‘embrace’, in Hindi. It is said that the
villagers hugged or embraced or stuck to the trees in the forest to prevent them from being
felled by the contractor. The strategy of ‘embracing’ the trees to resist the felling of the trees was
thought of by Chandi Prasad Bhatt in a meeting in the Mandal on April 1, 1973. The name
‘Chipko’ was derived from the consensual strategy of clinging on to the trees as a non-violent
direct action. Chipko movement has had six demands- only one of which is complete stoppage
of commercial cutting of trees. The other demands include:
1) on the basis of minimum needs of the people, a reorganization of traditional rights should
take place;
2) arid forest should be made green with people’s participation and increased tree cultivation;
3) village committees should be formed to manage forests;
4) forest related home-based industries should be developed and the raw materials, money and
technique for it should be made available; and
5) based on local conditions and requirements, local varieties should be given priority in
afforestation

Summary: The Chipko Movement was started in the northern Himalayan segment of Uttar Pradesh, the
area that is well known as Uttarakhand. The word “chipko” refers “to stick” or “to hug”. The name of the
movement comes from a word meaning “embrace”: where the villagers hug the trees, saving them by the
contractors’ axes.

This became popular as “Chipko movement”. Chipko movement is a grassroot level movement, which
started in response to the needs of the people of Uttarakhand. The rate of heavy depletion of forests was
resulting in destruction, making the Himalayan mountain range barren. Moreover, the construction of
dams, factories and roads had already led to deforestation.

Most of the leaders of the Chipko Movement were village women and men. Sunderlal Bahuguna, a
renowned Gandhian, with a group of volunteers and women started the non-violent protest by clinging to
the trees to save them from felling. This gave a start to the “Chipko Movement”. The main objective of
this movement was to ensure an ecological balance and the survival of the tribal people whose economic
activities revolved around these forests.

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The 5,000-km trans-Himalaya foot march in 1981-1983 was crucial in spreading the Chipko message.
Bahuguna coined the Chipko slogan: “ecology is permanent economy”. Chandi Prasad Bhatt, one of the
earliest Chipko activists, fostered local industries based on the conservation and sustainable use of forest
wealth for local benefit. Dhoom Singh Negi, with Bachni Devi and many village women, first saved trees
by hugging them in the “Chipko embrace”.

8) Write notes on Silent valley:

Save Silent Valley was a social movement aimed at the protection of Silent Valley, an
evergreen tropical forest in the Palakkad district of Kerala, India. It was started in 1973 to save
the Silent Valley Reserve Forest from being flooded by a hydroelectric project. The valley was
declared as Silent Valley National Park in 1984.

Background

The Kuntipuzha is a major river that flows 15 km southwest from Silent Valley. It takes its
origin in the lush green forests of Silent Valley. In 1928 the location at Sairandhri on the
Kunthipuzha River was identified as an ideal site for electricity generation. A study and survey
was conducted in 1958 of the area about the possibility of a hydroelectric project of 120 MW and
one costing Rs. 17 crore was later proposed by the Kerala State Electricity Board.

After the announcement of imminent dam construction the valley became the focal point of
Save Silent Valley, India's fiercest environmental debate of the decade. Because of concern about
the endangered lion-tailed macaque, the issue was brought to public attention. Romulus
Whitaker, founder of the Madras Snake Park and the Madras Crocodile Bank, was probably the
first person to draw public attention to the small and remote area. In 1977 the Kerala Forest
Research Institute carried out an ecological impact study of the Silent Valley area and proposed
that the area be declared a biosphere reserve.

In 1978 Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, approved the project, with the condition that the
state government enact legislation ensuring the necessary safeguards. Also that year the IUCN
(Ashkhabad, USSR, 1978) passed a resolution recommending protection of lion-tailed macaques
in Silent Valley and Kalakkad and the controversy heated up. In 1979 the Government of Kerala

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passed legislation regarding the Silent Valley Protection Area (Protection of Ecological balance
Act of 1979) and issued a notification declaring the exclusion of the hydroelectric project area
from the proposed national park.

9) Write notes on Bhisnios of Rajasthan [Dec 2016-End Sem Ques- 3(g)]

Bishnoi tribe of Western Rajasthan has over the centuries, are famous for conservation of
forests, trees and wild animals in and around their villages. Bishnois do not cut trees for fuel
and timber; they remove only the dead trunks and twigs. Their basic philosophy is that all
living things have a right to survive and share all resources. Spotted deer, black buck and blue
bull can be seen foraging fearlessly in their fields. Even if the crop is consumed by herds of deer,
the Bishnois do not chase away the animals.

In the fifteenth century, Jambhoji, a resident of a village near Jodhpur, had a vision that the
cause of the drought that had hit the area and hardship that followed was caused by people’s
interference with nature. Thereafter, he became a sanyasi or a holy man and came to be known
as Swami Jambeshwar Maharaj. This was the beginning of the Bishnoi sect. He laid down 29
tenets for his followers which included a ban on killing animals, a ban to the felling of trees –
especially the khejri – which grows extensively in these areas, and using material other than
wood for cremations. Nature protection was given foremost importance in these tenets. Since
then, the sect has religiously followed these tenets.

In 1730 A.D. Maharaja Abhaya Singh of Jodhpur ordered cutting of trees in large numbers to
provide timber for building a fortress. The Maharaja of Jodhpur wanted to build a new palace
and required wood for it. To procure this his men went to the area around the village of Jalnadi
to fell the trees. When Amrita Devi saw this she rushed out to prevent the men and hugged the
first tree, but the axe fell on her and she died on the spot. Before dying she uttered the now
famous couplet of the Bishnois, ‘A chopped head is cheaper than a felled tree’. People from 83
surrounding villages rushed to prevent the men from felling the trees and by the end of the day
more than 350 had lost their lives.

When the king heard about this, he was filled with remorse and came to the village to
personally apologize to the people. He promised them that they would never again be asked to

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provide timber to the ruler, no khejri tree would ever be cut, and hunting would be banned near
the Bishnoi villages. The village of Jalnadi thus came to be called Khejarli.

The Bishnois worship nature in all its manifestations, conserve trees and medicinal plants,
provide food and water to animals, and are vegetarians in their diet. The Bishnois will go to
any extent to protect the wildlife and the forests around them. Recently this sect was in the
news due to the activities of some Mumbai film group that had gone on a hunting spree in their
area targeting the black buck. The Bishnois, in keeping to their tradition, prevented them from
doing so and lodged a complaint against two of them in the local police station.

10. Narmada Bachaoo Aandolan [May 2017-End Sem Ques- 2(e)]

The most popular movement in the environmental history of India is the movement against the
Narmada River Valley Project The Narmada is the largest west-flowing river on the Indian
peninsula. The Narmada winds its 1,312 km long course to the Arabian Sea through lovely
forested hills, rich agricultural plains and narrow rocky gorges in a series of falls. More than
twenty one million people live in the valley, mostly in villages. Many tribal groups, such as the
Bhils and the Gonds, occupy the forested uplands. The Narmada valley is the site of one of the
world’s largest multipurpose water projects: the Narmada River Development Project, which
involves the construction of thirty large dams and many small ones on the river and its fifty-one
main tributaries. The project will transform the valley and the lives of its residents and will
increase food production and hydropower generation in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and
Maharashtra. The construction of dams and reservoirs will displace an estimated one million
people and will submerge 350,000 hectares of forestland and 200,000 hectares of agricultural
land. The Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat, which is under construction, is facing major
opposition from tribal groups that hunt and forage in the jungle canyons and from villagers
who are being displaced by the inundation from the reservoir. The Narmada movement started
as early as the late 1970s. The main leaders of the movement at present like Medha Patkar were
working towards proper rehabilitation programmes for the dam displaced. Their demands
included complete stopping of the dam, resettlement and rehabilitation benefits. This gained
wider public attention with mobilization and organization of oustees (mostly tribals) and the
joining of the eminent social workers like Baba Amte, Sunderlal Bahuguna and Medha Patkar.

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11. Bhopal Gas Disaster [May 2017-End Sem Ques- 2(f)]

The Bhopal Gas tragedy is the worst air pollution episode ever witnessed in India. It happened
in Bhopal on December 3, 1984.
The Union Carbide factory is located in Bhopal, a town in Madhya Pradesh. The fateful incident
happened due to the leakage of lethal gas called methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas from three storage
tanks of Union Carbide factory, a Multinational Corporation. MIC is an intermediate used in the
manufacture of pesticides. Methyl isocyanate (MIC) is produced by combination of phosgene, a
deadly poisonous gas used in the First World War with methyl amine. In the accident nearly 36
tones of poisonous MIC gas released into the air of Bhopal. MIC gas causes burning sensation in
the eyes, removes oxygen from the lungs resulting in breathing trouble and chest tightness, and
also cyanide generation in the body, which ultimately turn fatal and leads to death.
Bhopal gas tragedy caused the single biggest air pollution tragedy which, according to official
sources, claimed 2500 lives, whereas non-governmental sources put the figure much higher.
According to the figure released by the government around 17,000 people have been rendered
permanent disabled and another 30,000 partially handicapped. Those who have suffered mini
disability number about 1,50,000.
The Bhopal gas tragedy polluted drinking water, soils, tank and pond water and adversely
affected fetus, newly born babies, pregnant woman, young and old people alike. It killed
thousands of animals and innumerable micro-organisms.
Several circumstantial evidence points to the total breakdown of the essential safety provisions
within the plant negligence of the authorities
Those relevant facts are furnished below:
1. The plant has two main safety devices:
Scrubber, which neutralize the gas with caustic soda and
Flare tower, where the gas can be burnt off.
Both the safety devices failed to operate on that particular day.
2. The refrigeration units for the storage tanks containing MIC gas were out of order for several
months.

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3. The water jet had failed to reach at the top of the 120 ft stack from which MIC gas was
gushing out.
4. The poisonous gas was stored in the tanks for more than two months, violating the safety
rules.
5. The factory turned on the public siren about an hour after the gas started releasing into the
atmosphere.
6. The plant was located in densely populated area of old Bhopal.

10) Write a note on Disaster

Explain the management and mitigation of different types of disaster
[Dec 2016-End Sem Ques- 3(c)]
Disaster means a catastrophe, mishap, calamity affecting any area from natural and
manmade causes, or by accident or negligence, which results in substantial loss of life or
human suffering. Disasters pose a number of unique problems not encountered in the
routine practice of emergency health care. Examples include the need for warning and
evacuation, widespread urban search and rescue, triage and casualty distribution, and
coordination among multiple jurisdictions, government offices, and private sector
organizations.
List of Disasters affecting India are
– Earthquake
– Cyclone
– Flood
– Drought
– Landslide
– Volcanic Eruption
– Tsunami
– Bushfire
– Major Accident (Fire, Explosion, Hazard)
– Civil unrest

Earthquakes

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Earthquakes are one of those types of natural disasters that strike without an early warning. An
earthquake is the perceptible shaking of the surface of the Earth, which can be violent enough to
destroy major buildings and kill thousands of people. They result from the sudden release of
energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The Magnitude of earthquake is
measured in Richter scale.

The effects of earthquakes include

– Shaking and ground rupture

– Landslides and avalanches
– Fires
– Tsunami
– Loss of life & damage to property

Floods
It is a natural event or occurrence where a piece of land (or area) that is usually dry land,
suddenly gets submerged under water. Some floods can occur suddenly and recede quickly.
Others take days or even months to build and discharge. Floods are usually caused when the
volume of water within a lake, river, or other body of water exceeds the total capacity of the
body.
Causes of flood:
– Heavy Rains
– Rivers can overflow their banks to cause flooding
– Strong winds in coastal areas
– Dam breaking (ruptured dam)

Tsunami
This is simply a series of massive ocean waves, triggered by an powerful earthquake that has
occurred in the sea (or ocean). The displaced water then runs ashore and into the land. This
happens when the plates underneath the Earth's surface move (focus) so that one slips under
another. A tsunami is one of the deadliest types of natural disasters and can affect millions of
people. Tsunami waves get bigger as they approach the coast and cause tremendous damage.

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Drought [Dec 2016-End Sem Ques- 3(a)]

A drought occurs when a region doesn't receive enough rainfall which leads to a severe
deficiency in the water supply. When the situation persists over an extended period, it changes
the ecosystem and destroys the agriculture of the region.
Volcanic Eruption
A volcano is formed when magma from the earth's upper mantle moves to the surface. It takes
the form of a pool filled with molten rock. A volcano erupts when pressure builds. This can
cause hot ash flows, lava flows, lateral blasts, falling ash, and avalanches. An erupting volcano
can often trigger flash floods, tsunamis, mudflows, earthquakes, and rock falls.
Hurricanes
Cyclones, tropical storms, typhoons, and hurricanes describe the same disaster type. Basically,
these types of natural disasters refer to a closed circulation system in the atmosphere that
consists of strong winds and low pressure. A tropical cyclone is usually characterized by a low-
pressure center with strong winds and spiral rain bands.

landslide

A landslide includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rock falls, deep failure of
slopes and shallow debris flows.

Natural causes:

 vibrations caused by earthquakes

 undercutting of cliffs and banks by waves or river erosion
 volcanic eruptions.

Human causes include:

 removal of vegetation
 interference with, or changes to, natural drainage
 modification of slopes by construction of roads, railways, buildings, etc
 overloading slopes

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 mining and quarrying activities

 vibrations from heavy traffic, blasting, etc
 excavation or displacement of rocks.(rock blasting)

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