UNIT 4

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Sustainable development is defined as “meeting the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This definition was
given by the Norwegian Prime Minister, G.H. Brundtland, who was also the Director of World
Health Organisation (WHO). Sustainable Development emerged on an international level in
1992, in the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), popularly known as
The Earth Summit, held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Key aspects for sustainable development:

(a) Inter-generational equity: This emphasizes that we should minimize any adverse impacts on
resources and environment for future generations.

(b) Intra-generational equity: This emphasizes that the development processes should seek to
minimize the wealth gaps within the same generation.

Measures for Sustainable Development:

Some of the important measures for sustainable development are as follows:

l. Using appropriate technology is one which is locally adaptable, eco-friendly, resource-efficient

and culturally suitable. It mostly involves local resources and local labour. Indigenous
technologies are more useful, cost-effective and sustainable.

2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle approach: The 3-R approach advocating minimization of resource
use, using them again and again instead of passing it on to the waste stream and recycling the
materials goes a long way in achieving the goals of sustainability. It reduces pressure on our
resources as well as reduces waste generation and pollution.

3. Prompting environmental education and awareness: Making environmental education the

centre of all learning process will greatly help in changing the thinking and attitude of people
towards our earth and the environment.
4. Resource utilization as per carrying capacity: Any system can sustain a limited number of
organisms on a long-term basis which is known as its carrying capacity.

In case of human beings, the carrying capacity concept becomes all the more complex. It
is because unlike other animals, human beings, not only need food to live, but need so many
other things to maintain the quality of life.

Sustainability of a system depends largely upon the carrying capacity of the system. If the
carrying capacity of a system is crossed (say, by over exploitation of a resource), environmental
degradation starts and continues till it reaches a point of no return.

Carrying capacity has two basic components:

Supporting capacity: the capacity to regenerate

Assimilative capacity: the capacity to tolerate different stresses.

In order to attain sustainability it is very important to utilize the resources based upon the
above two properties of the system. Consumption should not exceed regeneration and changes
should not be allowed to occur beyond the tolerance capacity of the system.

RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION ISSUES

Economic development raises the quality and standard of living of the people of a
country. Developmental projects are planned to bring benefits to the society. However, in the
process of development, very often there is over-exploitation of natural resources and
degradation of the environment which affects people of the area falling under the developmental
activities. Most of the affected people include indigenous population, the poor and
underprivileged tribes. Numerous development activities require large areas of land and this
leads to people having to leave their land resulting in displacement.

Actives leading to Displacement

(a) Displacement problems due to dams:

The big river valley projects or Dam construction leads to huge areas of land being flooded under
water resulting in one of the most serious socio-economic impacts due to large scale
displacement of local people from their ancestral home and loss of their traditional profession or
occupation

For Example, The Hirakund Dam has displaced more than 20,000 people residing in about 250
villages. The Bhakra Nangal Dam was constructed during 1950.s and till now it has not been
possible to rehabilitate even half of the displaced persons.

(b) Displacement due to Mining:

Mining is another developmental activity, which causes displacement of the native people.
Several thousands of hectares of land area are covered in mining operation and the native people
are displaced. Sometimes displacement of local people is due to accidents occurring in mined
areas like subsidence of land that often leads to shifting of people.

(c) Displacement due to Creation of National Parks:

Establishment of a National Park, it is a welcome step for conservation of the natural

resources. However, it also has a social aspect associated with it which is often neglected. A
major portion of the forest is declared as core-area, where the entry of local dwellers or tribals is
prohibited. These villagers are deprived of their ancestral right or access to the forests resulting
in a number of social problems

(d) Displacement due to Various Development Projects:

Various Development Projects such as Road and Railway Construction, Building of Airports,
Hospitals, Institutions etc. require a lot of land resources which can result in people having to
give up their land and getting displaced.

Major Issues Related to displacement and rehabilitation:

(i) Tribals are usually the most affected amongst the displaced who are already
poor.Displacement further increases their poverty due to loss of land, home, jobs, food
insecurity, loss of access to common property assets, increased morbidity and mortality and
social isolation.
(ii) Break up of families is an important social issue arising due to displacement in which the
women are the worst affected and they are not even given cash/land compensation.

(iii)The tribals are not familiar with the market policies and trends. Even if they get cash
compensation, they get alienated in the modern economic set-up.

(iv) The land acquisition laws ignore the communal ownership of property, which is an inbuilt
system amongst the tribals. Thus the tribals lose their communitarian basis of economic and
cultural existence.

(v) Kinship systems, marriages, social and cultural functions, their folk-songs, dances and
activities vanish with their displacement. Even when they are resettled, it is individual-based
resettlement, which totally ignores communal settlement.

(vi)Loss of identity and loss of the intimate link between the people and the environment is one
of the biggest losses. The age-long indigenous knowledge, which has been inherited and
experienced by them about the flora, fauna, their uses etc. gets lost.

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

Environmental ethics refers to the issues, principles and guidelines relating to human interactions
with their environment. Our actions towards the environment are a reflection of our way of
thinking. There are 2 forms of thinking

Human-centric thinking: (Human needs before environment) Man is all powerful and the
supreme creature on this earth and man is the master of nature and can harness it at his will.

Earth/Eco centric thinking: (environment before human needs) Nature has provided us with all
the resources and we should respect her and nurture her.

There are different principles under each of the forms of thinking or world views and these are as
follows:

(a) Anthropocentric/ Humancentric Worldview:

This view is guiding most industrial societies. It puts human beings in the center giving them
the. The guiding principles of this view are:
(i) Man is the planet’s most important species and is the in-charge of the rest of nature.

(ii) Earth has an unlimited supply of resources and it all belongs to humans only.

(iii)Economic growth is very good and unlimited.

(iv) A healthy environment depends upon a healthy economy.

(v) The success of mankind depends upon how good managers we are for deriving benefits for us
from nature.

(b) Eco-centric Worldview:

This is based on earth-wisdom. The basic beliefs are as follows:

(i) Nature exists not for human beings alone, but for all the species.

(ii) The earth resources are limited and they do not belong only to human beings.

(iii) Economic growth is good only if it is sustainable.

(iv) A healthy economy depends upon a healthy environment.

(v) The success of mankind depends upon how best we can cooperate with the rest of the nature
while trying to use the resources of nature for our benefit.

Environmental ethics can provide us the guidelines for putting our beliefs into action and help us
decide what to do when faced with crucial situations. Some important ethical guidelines known
as Earth ethics or Environmental Ethics are as follows:

• We should love and honour the earth

• We should not hold ourselves above other living things and have no right to drive them
to extinction.
• We should be grateful to the plants and animals which nourish you by giving you food.
• We should practice population control.
• We Should Practice sustainable development and reduce waste generation
• We should consume the material goods in moderate amounts
 CONSUMERISM AND WASTE PRODUCTS

Consumerism refers to the consumption of resources by the people. While early human societies
used to consume much less resources, with the dawn of industrial era, consumerism has shown
an exponential rise. It has been related both to the increase in the population size as well as
increase in our demands due to change in life-style.

Two types of conditions of population and consumerism exist.

(i) People over-population: It occurs when there are more people than available important
resources in the area. Excessive population pressure causes degradation of the limited resources,
and there is absolute poverty, under-nourishment and premature deaths.

This occurs in less developed countries (LDCs). Here due to large number of people, adequate
resources are not available for all. So there is less per capita (per head) consumption although
overall consumption is high due to high population.

(ii) Consumption over-population: This occurs in the more developed countries (MDCs). Here
population size is smaller while resources are in abundance. However, due to luxurious life-style
per capita (per head) consumption of resources is very high. More the consumption of resources
more is the waste generation and greater is the degradation of the environment.

POPULATION GROWTH, VARIATION AMONG NATIONS

Population:

It is the number of individuals belonging to the same species present at a given area at a given
time and can reproduce among themselves.

Population Growth:

It is the increase in the number of individuals of a given population.

Population Characteristics and Variations Among Nations

Exponential Growth:

When a quantity increases by a constant amount per unit time e.g. 1, 3, 5, 7 etc. it is called linear
growth. But, when it increases by a fixed percentage it is known as exponential growth e.g., 2, 4,
8, 16, 32 etc..

Doubling time:

The time needed for a population to double its size at a constant annual rate is known as doubling
time. It is calculated as follows:

Td = 70/r

Td = Doubling time in years

r = annual growth rate

MEGHALAYA 2.6%------→ 70/2.6--------→ 26.9

Total Fertility rates (TFR):

It is one of the key measures of a nation’s population growth. TFR is defined as the
average number of children that would be born to a woman in her lifetime if the age specific
birth rates remain constant. The value of TFR varies from 1.9 in developed nations to 4.7 in
developing nations.

Infant mortality rate:

It is an important parameter affecting future growth of a population. It is the percentage of

infants died, out of those born in a year.

Replacement level:

Replacement level fertility is the level of fertility at which a population exactly replaces itself
from one generation to the next. For developing nations, where infant mortality is high and life
expectancy is low, the replacement level is approx 2.7, whereas in developed nations it is 2.1
children per woman.
Zero population growth (ZPG):

When birth plus immigration (movement of individuals into a given population) in a population
are just equal to deaths plus emigration(movement of individuals out of a given population), it is
said to be zero population growth.

Male-Female ratio:

The ratio of boys and girls should be fairly balanced in a society to flourish. However, due to
female infanticides and gender-based abortions, the ratio has been upset in many countries
including India.

Life expectancy:

It is the average age that a newborn infant is expected to attain in a given country.In the last 100
years improved medical facilities and technological advancement has increased the life
expectancy to 60.3 years and 60.5 years, respectively for the Indian males and females. In Japan
and Sweden, life expectancy is quite higher, being 82.1-84.2 for females and 77-77.4 for males,
respectively.

Demographic transition:

Population growth is usually related to economic development. There occurs a typical fall in
death rates and birth rates due to improved living conditions leading to low population growth, a
phenomenon called demographic transition. It is associated with ubranisation and growth and
occurs in four phases:

(a) Pre industrial phase: characterized by high growth and death rates and net population growth
is low.

(b) Transitional phase: t occurs with the advent of industrialization providing better hygiene and
medical facilities and adequate food, thereby reducing deaths. Birth rates, however, remain high
and the population shows exponential growth rate.

(c) Industrial phase: characterized by a fall in birth rates thereby lowering growth rate.
(d) Post industrial phase: Characterised by further drop in birth rates during which zero
population growth is achieved.

Age Structure/ population pyramids

Age structure of population of a nation can be represented by age pyramids, based upon people
belonging to different age classes like pre-reproductive (0-14 years), reproductive (15-44 years)
and post reproductive (45 years and above). The Different Age Structure Pyramids are as
follows:

(a)Pyramid Shape

Post Reproductive Stage

Reproductive Stage

Pre Reproductive Stage

This type indicates growing population. Here the very young population is more, making a
broad base and old people are less. The large number of individuals in very young age will soon
enter into reproductive age, thus causing an increase in population, whereas less number of
people in old age indicates less loss of population due to death. India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia,
Nigeria are examples of this type.
(b) Bell shaped:

Post Reproductive Stage

Reproductive Stage

Pre Reproductive Stage

It occurs in countries where birth rates have in the past one or two decades declined
resulting in people of almost equal number in age group 0-35 years. So in the next 10 years, the
people entering into reproductive age group is not going to change much and such age-pyramids
indicate stable population. (No increase or decrease in population size). Eg. France, USA and
Canada

(c) Urn shaped:

Post Reproductive
Stage

Reproductive Stage

Pre Reproductive Stage

Here number of individuals in very young class is smaller than the middle reproductive
age class. In the next 10 years the number in reproductive age class will thus become less than
before resulting in a decline of population growth. Germany, Italy, Hungary, Sweden and Japan
are examples of this type.

POPULATION EXPLOSION

Population explosion can be defined as the unprecedented (sudden) growth of human

population at an alarming rate (very fast rate).

Impacts of Population explosion:

• Population explosion is causing severe resource depletion and environmental

degradation. Non renewable resources such as fossil fuels, minerals etc. are limited and
due to over exploitation these resources are getting exhausted.
• Even many of the renewable resources like water, forests, grasslands etc. are under
tremendous pressure.
• Industrial and economic growth are raising our quality of life but adding toxic pollutants
into the air, water and soil. As a result, the ecological life-support systems are getting
disturbed.
• Ever increasing population pose a serious threat to biodiversity (plants and animals).

Theories of Population Growth.

There are two very important views on population growth which need a mention here:

Malthusian Theory:

According to Malthus, human populations tend to grow at an exponential rate whereas food
production increases very slowly or remains stable. Therefore, starvation, poverty, disease, crime
and misery are invariably associated with population explosion. He believes .positive checks,
like famines, disease outbreak and violence as well as .preventive checks like birth control need
to stabilize population growth.

Marxian Theory:

According to Karl Marx, population growth is a symptom rather than the cause of poverty,
resource depletion, pollution and other social ills. He believed that social exploitation and
oppression of the less privileged people leads to poverty, overcrowding, unemployment,
environmental degradation that in turn, causes over population.

FAMILY PLANNING

Family planning allows couples to decide their family size and also the time spacing of their
offspring. Modern science has provided several birth control techniques including mechanical
barriers, surgical methods, chemical pills and physical barriers to implantation

Family Planning in The Indian Context

India started the family planning programme in 1952. In 1970.s, forced family planning
campaign by the Government met with resistance. In 1978, the government raised the legal
minimum age of marriage from 18 to 21 for men and 15 to 18 years for women. Unable to reach
a consensus regarding population policy, the state governments in 2000 were allowed to adopt
their own approach. Two states in India were successful in bringing down population growth
with two different approaches respectively.

In Kerala, the population has been stabilized with a focus on social justice. It brought the
marriageable age for women up to 21years and concentrated on female education, primary
education, better distribution of resources and better medical facilities. Through these various
actions it was able to make people understand and practice family planning resulting in
achievement of Zero Population Growth (ZPG)

Andhra Pradesh has also just achieved the target of ZPG in 2001, but it has been done with a
reward based approach. The poor class was encouraged to be sterilized after two children by
paying cash incentives, better land, housing, wells and subsidized loans.

ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH

What is health?

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) health is .a state of complete physical, mental
and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or illness.
Human health is influenced by many factors like nutritional, biological, chemical or
psychological. These factors may cause harmful changes in the body’s conditions called disease.

Infectious organisms: Disease causing organisms such as harmful viruses, bacteria, fungus,
parasites, etc., pose a great environmental threat to health. Infectious organisms can cause
respiratory diseases (pneumonia, tuberculosis, influenza etc.) and gastrointestinal diseases
(diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera etc.). There are various types of parasites that cause diseases like
malaria, schistosomiasis, filariasis etc. Most of these infections take place when the
environmental conditions are unclean and unhygienic.

Chemicals: A large number of chemicals are introduced in the environment by human activities
which can be harmful to human health. Many chemicals can cause cancer (carcinogenic), affect
genetic material (DNA) in cells (mutagenic) or cause abnormalities during embryonic growth
and development (teratogenic), while there are others that affect nervous system (neurotoxins),
reproductive system and endocrine system. Some harmful chemicals include various pesticides,
heavy metals, polychlorinated hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, etc.

Noise: Although human ear is capable of tolerating a range of sound levels, yet if sound levels
beyond the permissible level exist for certain duration, it becomes painful and sometimes
irreparable damage occurs. Besides hearing damage various types of physiological and
psychological changes are induced by noise pollution.

Radiations: Radiations are known to cause short-term and longterm changes in various organs.
Cosmic rays (rays from outer space), ultra-violet rays, radioactive rays cause harmful effects on
human health which may include cancer.

Diet: Diet has a very important role in maintaining health. Malnutrition makes humans prone to
other diseases. A healthy eating habit can strengthen human heath but an unhealthy diet can
result in a number of diseases

Settlement: Proper environment, availability of basic necessities of life like, water, sanitation etc.
are essential for healthy living. Housing is very important from security point of view. Improper
settlement and poor physical environment may cause various psychological problems which
affect various vital physiological processes in the body.
 HUMAN RIGHTS

Human rights are the rights that a human being must enjoy on this earth since he/she is a human
being.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

This declaration provided comprehensive protection to all individuals against all forms of
injustice and human rights violations. The UNDHR defines specific rights, civil, political,
economic, social as well as cultural. It defines the rights to life, liberty, security, fair trial by law,
freedom of thought, expression, conscience, association and freedom of movement. It
emphasizes right to equal pay for equal work, right to form and join trade unions, right to health
care, education, adequate rest etc.

Draft Declaration of Human Rights and Environment

The principles of the draft declaration are divided into five parts.

Part I:

It deals with human rights for an ecologically sound environment, sustainable development and
peace for all. It also emphasizes the present generation’s rights to fulfill its needs to lead a
dignified and good quality life without impairing the rights of the future generations to meet their
needs.

Part II:

It mainly deals with human rights related to an environment free from pollution and degradation.
It also emphasizes the rights to enjoyment of natural ecosystems. It defines right to own native
land or home. No one can be evicted from one’s native place except in emergency or purpose
benefitting the society as a whole. All persons have the right to timely assistance in the event of
any natural or technological disaster.

Part III:

It deals with right of every person to environmental information, education, awareness and also
public participation in environmental decision making.
Part IV:

It deals with the duties to protect and preserve the environment and prevent environmental harm.
It includes all remedies for environmental degradation and measures to be taken for sustainable
resource use. It emphasizes that states shall avoid using environment as a means of war and shall
respect international law for protection of environment.

Part V:

This lays stress on social justice and equity with respect to use of natural resources and
sustainable development.

VALUE EDUCATION

Education is one of the most important tools in bringing about socioeconomic and cultural
progress of a country. However, the objective of education should not merely be imparting
knowledge but also its righteousness and use within the framework of a spectrum of ethical
values.

Value-based education thus has a very significant role in providing proper direction to our youth,
to inculcate a positive attitude in them and to teach them the distinction between right and
wrong. It teaches them to be better human beings and help in making value-based judgments.
Value education encompasses human, social, professional values, religious values, national
values, aesthetic and environmental values. Value education increases awareness about our
national interest, community development and environment.

Value-based Environmental Education

The following highlights how environmental education can be made value based.

1. Preparation of text-books and resource materials about environmental education can play an
important role in building positive attitudes about environment.

2. Social values like love, compassion, tolerance and justice need to be woven into
environmental education.
3. Cultural customs and rituals in many ways teach us to perform functions that would protect
and nurture nature.

4. Environmental education should encompass the ethical values of earth-centric rather than
human-centric world-view.

5. Global values stress upon the concept that the human civilization is a part of the planet and
similarly nature and various natural phenomena over the earth are interconnected. If we disturb
this harmony anywhere there will be an ecological imbalance leading to catastrophic results.

6. Spiritual values highlight the principles of self-restraint, self-discipline, contentment,

reduction of wants, freedom from greed and austerity. All these values promote conservationism.

ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN ENVIRONMENT

AND HUMAN HEALTH

Information technology has tremendous potential in the field of environmental education and
health as in any other field like business, economics, politics or culture. Development of internet
facilities, worldwide web, geographical information system (GIS) and information through
satellites has generated a wealth of up-to-date information on various aspects of environment and
health. A number of soft-wares have been developed for environment and health studies which
are user friendly and can help an early learner in knowing and understanding the subject.

Database

Database is the collection of inter-related data on various subjects. It is usually in computerized

form and can be retrieved whenever required. The Ministry of Environment and Forests,
Government of India has taken up the task of compiling a database on various biotic
communities like wildlife, forest, etc. as well as database on diseases such as HIV/AIDS,
Malaria, Fluorosis, etc.

National Management Information System (NMIS):

NMIS of the Department of Science and Technology has compiled a database on Research and
Development Projects along with information about research scientists and personnel involved.
Environmental Information System (ENVIS):

The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India has created an Information
System called Environmental Information System (ENVIS). With its headquarters in Delhi, it
functions in 25 different centers all over the country. The ENVIS centers work for generating a
network of database on information related to the environment such as, pollution control, clean
technologies, remote sensing, biodiversity, environmental management, renewable energy,
desertification, etc.

The National Institute of Occupational Health:

National Institute of Occupational Health provides computerized information on occupational

health i.e. the health aspects of people working in various hazardous and nonhazardous
industries, safety measures etc.

Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS):

Satellite imageries provide us actual information about various physical and biological resources
and also to some extent about their state of degradation in a digital form through remote sensing.
GIS is a technique of superimposing various thematic maps using digital data on a large number
of inter-related or interdependent aspects. Such information is very useful for future land-use
planning, interpretations of polluted zones, degraded lands or

diseased cropland; forest cover, success of conservation efforts, climatic conditions, oil and
mineral exploration among other things etc.GIS serves to check unplanned growth and related
environmental problems. Thus remote sensing and GIS play a key role in resource mapping,
environmental conservation, management, planning and environmental impact assessment.

It also helps in identifying several disease infested areas which are prone to some vector-borne
diseases like malaria, schistosomiasis etc. based upon mapping of such areas.

World Wide Web:

A vast quantum of current data is available on World Wide Web. Information from the internet
provides the most current and relevant information on principles of environmental science,
various problems, queries, applications and solutions.
 DISASTER MANAGEMENT

CYCLONES

Any large system of winds that circulates about a centre of low atmospheric pressure in a
counterclockwise direction north of the Equator and in a clockwise direction to the south.
Cyclonic winds move across nearly all regions of the Earth except the equatorial belt and are
generally associated with rain or snow. Cyclones occur chiefly in the middle and high latitude
belts of both hemispheres.

Formation (cause) of cyclones

When water vaporizes, it absorbs heat from the surroundings. Water vapour rises in the
atmosphere where it cools down. When water vapour changes back into liquid the heat is
released into the atmosphere. This warms the air around it. The warm air tends to rise and causes
a drop in the pressure. The air moves from surrounding high-pressure areas to the central low-
pressure area. This cycle is repeated. The chain of events leads to the formation of very low-
pressure system surrounded by with very high-speed winds. This weather condition is a cyclone.
Factors like wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and humidity contribute to the
development of a cyclone. The center of the cyclone is a cloudless calm area this is called the
eye. In this area, winds are not very strong and there is no rainfall. But the winds around the eye
have very high speed up to 200 km per hour.

Effective Measures to Prevent Cyclone Disaster

• Construction of storm shelters.

• Afforestation
• Connecting roads for evacuating people to safer areas.
• Generating public awareness about the measures that can be taken by the people to avoid
damage.
• Advanced technology like satellite and Radar cyclone alert gives updated information in
advance of any expected storm and cyclone.
EARTHQUAKE

An earthquake is an intense shaking of Earth's surface. The shaking is caused by

movements in Earth's outermost layer.

Causes:

Plate tectonic movements

The Earth’s crust consists of lithospheric plates that move in various directions. At places
where these plates meet the continuous motion causes a steady build-up of pressure in the rock
strata. The sudden release of pressure results in the generation of seismic waves which causes the
ground to shake.

Induced Earthquakes

Induced quakes are caused by human activity, like tunnel construction, filling reservoirs and
implementing geothermal or fracking projects.

Volcanic Earthquakes

Volcanic quakes are associated with active volcanism. They are generally not as powerful as
tectonic quakes and often occur relatively near the surface. Consequently, they are usually only
felt in the vicinity of the hypocentre.

Collapse Earthquakes

Collapse quakes can be triggered by such phenomena as cave-ins, mostly in karst areas or
close to mining facilities, as a result of subsidence.

Measures to Minimise Impact of Easthquake

Pre-Disaster Preventive Measures

Long-term measures

• Re-framing buildings codes, guidelines, manuals and byelaws and their strict
implementation.
• Making all public utilities like water supply systems, communication networks,
electricity lines etc. earthquake-proof.
• Constructing earthquake-resistant community buildings and buildings used to gather
large groups during or after an earthquake like schools, dharamshalas, hospitals, prayer
halls, etc., especially in seismic zones of moderate to higher intensities.
• Supporting research and development in various aspects of disaster mitigation,
preparedness and prevention and post-disaster management.

Medium term measures

• Retrofitting of weak structures in highly seismic zones.

• Preparation of disaster related literature in local languages with dos and don'ts for
construction.
• Getting communities involved in the process of disaster mitigation through education
and awareness. Networking of local NGOs working in the area of disaster management.

Post-Disaster Preventive Measures

• Maintenance of law and order, prevention of trespassing, looting etc.

• Evacuation of people.
• Recovery of dead bodies and their disposal.
• Medical care for the injured.
• Supply of food and drinking water
• Temporary shelters like tents, metal sheds etc.
• Repairing lines of communication and information.
• Restoring transport routes.
• Quick assessment of destruction and demarcation of destroyed areas, according to the
grade of damage. Cordoning off severely damaged structures that are liable to collapse
during aftershocks.

Do’s and Don’ts in case of Earthquake

• Get your house evaluated for retrofitting (if any) and ensure expert civil engineer’s help
in making your house earthquake resistant.
• Pick couple of safe meeting places that are easy to reach.
• Practice Drop Cover and Hold on in each safe place at least once a month.
• Prepare an emergency kit and place it in a safe place. It should contain all necessary
items for your protection and comfort, sufficient for at least three days.
• Don’t listen to or spread rumours.
• During an earthquake Don’t panic; stay calm and keep others clam, take necessary action.
• Protect yourself, drop to the floor, take cover under a sturdy desk or table and hold on it
so that it doesn’t move away from you. Wait there until the shaking stops.
• Stay away from glass windows, heavy furniture and anything that could fall, such as
lighting fixtures or other similar items.
• If you are on the upper floor of the building, don’t jump from windows or balcony.
• Do not try and run out of a building, you may be hit by falling debris.
• Stay inside till the shaking stops and check if it is safe to go outside.
• If you are outdoors, find a clear spot away from buildings, trees, electrical lines and
narrow streets.
• Drop to the ground and stay there until the shaking stop.
• If you are in a vehicle, pull over to a clear location, stop and stay there with your seatbelt
fastened until the shaking stops. Avoid bridges, flyovers or ramps that might have been
damaged by earthquake.
• If in coastal area, move to higher ground and check tsunami warning.
• If you are in a hilly areas be alert and move away from slopes in case of landslides and
falling rocks.
• After an Earthquake Check up: radio, TV, online updates, social network for emergency
information and safety guidance.
• Watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines and stay out of damaged areas.
• Don’t enter partially damaged buildings.
• Strong aftershocks can cause further damage to the buildings and weak structures may
collapse.
• Don’t use your two-wheeler/car to drive around the area of damage. Rescue and relief
operations need the road for mobility.
 • Anticipate aftershocks, if shaking lasts longer than usual.
• Leave a message stating where you are going if you must evacuate your residence.
• Evaluate damages and repair any deep cracks in ceiling, beam, column and foundation
with the advice of an expert.

FLOODS

A rising and overflowing of a body of water especially onto normally dry land.

Causes:

The physical causes of flooding are:

1) Prolonged precipitation which saturates the soil until the water table (the level of saturated
ground in the soil) reaches the ground surface.

2) Intensive precipitation over a short period of time. This is more likely to lead to after a long
period of drought when the soil will be baked hard and it is more difficult for the rainfall to
infiltrate the soil.

3) Rapid snow melt when the ground below is still frozen makes it difficult for the excess
moisture to infiltrate the soil.

The Human Causes of Flooding are:

1) Urbanisation means more surfaces of concrete and tarmac which are impermeable.
Precipitation cannot infiltrate these surfaces and is channelled into drainage networks and gets to
the river very quickly, making it more likely to flood. Also as urban populations increase houses
are built on more marginal land including flood plains.

2) Deforestation can cause flooding as trees are excellent at intercepting rainfall and storing
water and when they are removed the precipitation will reach the river channel more quickly.

3) The building of levees (an embankment built to prevent a river overflowing) and dams can
reduce flooding but if these protection measures fail they can cause catastrophic flooding.

Methods of Flood Control And Preparedness

 • In many countries, rivers prone to floods are often carefully managed. Defences such as
levees, bunds, reservoirs, and weirs are used to prevent rivers from bursting their banks.
When these defences fail, emergency measures such as sandbags or portable inflatable
tubes are used.
• Coastal flooding has been addressed in Europe and the Americas with coastal defences,
such as sea walls, beach nourishment, and barrier islands.
• A dike is another method of flood protection. A dike lowers the risk of having floods
compared to other methods.
• Introduce better flood warning systems
• Modify homes and businesses to help them withstand floods

• Construct buildings above flood levels

LANDSLIDES

A landslide, sometimes known as landslip, slope failure or slump, is an uncontrollable

downhill flow of rock, earth, debris or the combination of the three. Landslides stem from the
failure of materials making up the hill slopes and are beefed up by the force of gravity.

Causes:

Natural Causes of Landslides

• Earthquakes

Seismic activities have, for a long time, contributed to landslides across the globe. Any moment
tectonic plates move, the soil covering them also moves along. When earthquakes strike areas
with steep slopes, on numerous occasion, the soil slips leading to landslides. In addition, ashen
debris flows instigated by earthquakes could also cause mass soil movement.

• Weathering

Weathering is the natural procedure of rock deterioration that leads to weak, landslide-susceptive
materials. Weathering is brought about by the chemical action of water, air, plants and bacteria.
When the rocks are weak enough, they slip away causing landslides.
 • Erosion

Erosion caused by sporadic running water such as streams, rivers, wind, currents, ice and waves
wipes out latent and lateral slope support enabling landslides to occur easily.

• Volcanoes

Volcanic eruptions can trigger landslides. If an eruption occurs in a wet condition, the soil will
start to move downhill instigating a landslide. Stratovolcano is a typical example of volcano
responsible for most landslides across the globe.

• Forest fires

Forest fires instigate soil erosion and bring about floods, which might lead to landslides

• Gravity

Steeper slopes coupled with gravitational force can trigger a massive landslide.

Human Causes of Landslides

• Mining

Mining activities that utilize blasting techniques contribute mightily to landslides. Vibrations
emanating from the blasts can weaken soils in other areas susceptible to landslides. The
weakening of soil means a landslide can occur anytime.

• Clear cutting

Clear cutting is a technique of timber harvesting that eliminates all old trees from the area. This
technique is dangerous since it decimates the existing mechanical root structure of the area.

Prevention and Mitigation of Landslide

Preventive Measures

Slope Vegetation
One of the quickest and easiest ways to prevent a landslide on a slope is to vegetate it. This
landslide prevention method works best on slopes that are not too steep or if the movement hasn't
already begun. You can do this method yourself by planting a groundcover or hire a landscaper
to vegetate the slope.

Retaining Walls

A solid, well-designed retaining should be made of sturdy materials such as masonry, brick,
stone or steel. Drainage materials behind the wall help increase the stability of the wall

Mitigation Measures

• Total avoidance of landslide hazard areas or restriction on hazard zone activity is an

effective method of management
• Land use policies and regulations should also be in place in areas prone to landslides
• Hazard potentials of sites should be evaluated
• In event of landslide the debris can be covered with an impermeable membrane
• Surface water is directed away from the landslide
• Ground water is drained from the landslide

NOTE: THIS WRITE UP (except for disaster management portion) HAS BEEN TAKEN AND
SUMMERISED FROM THE BOOK PRESPECTIVE IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES BY
by Anubha Kaushik and C P Kaushik

REFERENCE:

Kaushik A., Kaushik P.C., Unit 6; Social Issues and the Environment, Perspective in
Environmental Studies.