Disaster Management

Disasters and Ways to Deal with Them

Part 3
 Credits
Program Coordinator
Prof. Usha Sharma
Development Committee
Ms. Sangeeta Malik

Review Committee (NDMA)

Mr. Amit Tuteja
Mr. Abhinav Walia
Illustration and Layout
Ms. Varsha
Acknowledgement
Ms. Bhawna Khera
Ms. Richa Dawar
Mr. Mohd. Shah Alam

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 What is a Man-made Disaster?
A disaster that occurs due to human negligence, mistake,
carelessness, or failure of the system is called a man-
made disaster. For instance, road accident, bomb blast,
biological disaster, fire in factories or settlements etc.

Road/Rail/Air Accident

Fire in factories or Bomb Blast Human induced

settlements Landslides

Chemical Disasters Biological Disasters Nuclear Disasters

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 Road/Rail/Air Accident
Road Accident
According to the data of the year
2022, India witnessed an average of 1264
road accidents and 42 deaths every day.
Road accidents are mostly caused by
disobeying traffic rules, drunk driving, or
bad weather.
Rail Accident
On June 6, 1981, a nine-coach passenger train derailed on the Bagmati
Riverbridge in India. The last 7 coaches of the train separated and fell into
the river.More than a thousand people lost their lives in this accident.
This is regarded as India’s biggest railway
accident so far and the second biggest
railway accidentin the whole world.
Air Accident
Air accidents can occur due to
the pilot losing control of the aircraft,
suddenworsening of weather, mechanical
failure, or some conspiracy by the enemy.
Many people lose their lives every year in
air accidents. India's first defence
chief, General Bipin Rawat, also died in
an air crash in 2021.

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 Bomb Blast
• Bombs made to protect one’s country from the enemy are now being
used by some countries and terrorist organizations for terrorist
activities like bomb blasts.
• The more powerful the bomb, the deadlier the blast. Bomb blasts are
often carried out in crowded places to cause maximum loss of life
and property,such as markets, religious places, cinema halls, railway
stations, event venues, etc.

Staying safe from a bomb blast-

• Stay alert and informed about the people and the activities around you.
• Do not touch any unattended object such as a suitcase, cooker or a box this can be a
bomb.
• Inform the police immediately if you see any suspicious person or object.
• Help the police prevent terrorism by providing necessary information, timely.

Human induced landslide/ Soil Erosion

The sliding, rolling, or falling off the pieces of dry rocks or wet soil from
the slope of a hill is called a landslide. The primary causes of a human
induced landslide are large-scale road and rail construction activities in
the hilly regions, deforestation, and incorrect methods of farming etc.
Prevention-
• Planting more trees and stopping deforestation.
• Adopting terrace farming technique instead of shifting cultivation.
• Spreading awareness about the importance of land.
• Following rules to construct buildings, especially in the hilly areas.
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 Chemical Disasters
Chemicals in the factories can often catch fire due to human negligence,
leading to an increased risk of explosion, leakage of poisonous gases and
their mixing in the atmosphere and the sea. Due to this, people can become
vulnerable to serious diseases. Such a situation is called chemical disaster.

Bhopal Gas Tragedy

On December 2, 1984, a highly poisonous

gas leaked in the chemical factories of
the American company Union Carbide
in Bhopal, due to which thousands of
people died within three days. Millions of
people suffered from severe respiratory
diseases, eye diseases and many other
problems.

What to do? What not to do?

• Store chemical substances properly.
• In case of leakage, evacuate quickly
through the designated exit route.
• To reduce inhaling of poisonous gas,
keep a wet cloth over your face while
moving out.
• Do not smoke or light a fire
near danger-prone areas.
• Do not panic and create
chaos in case of a disaster.

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 Fire in factories or settlements
Factories and human settlements can catch fire due to human
carelessness or a short circuit of electric wires. This can lead to a
severe loss of life and property if not controlled in time.
What to do and what not to do in case of fire in factories or settlements-
• Stay calm and do not panic. Turn off the main power switch immediately.
• Move out of the place that is on fire and go to a safer place.
• Inform the fire department on 101 or 112 immediately.
• Keep trying to extinguish the fire until the fire brigade arrives.
• Make use of a fire extinguisher in case you have one and know how to use it.
• Do not use water if there has been a short circuit.
• Sit or lie down on the ground and cover your nose and mouth with a wet cloth in case of being trapped
in the smoke. Try to escape by crawling on the ground.
• Dial 102 to call the ambulance.
• Do not apply lime, turmeric, or toothpaste on the burns; it does not heal the wound and the doctor
has difficulty treating it.

Biological Disaster
Epidemics occurring due to biological processes, infectious animal diseases
or infections spread by insects or other animals are called biological disasters.
कोोवि�ड -19 महाामाारीी सेे बचााव कीी

Emergency kit for biological What to do?

disasters--
• Oral Rehydration Solution • Store chemical substances properly.
(O.R.S.) packet • In case of leakage, evacuate quickly
• Paracetamol tablet through the designated exit route.
• Anti-diarrhoea tablet • To reduce inhaling of poisonous gas,
keep a wet cloth over your face while
• Anti-spasmodic tablet moving out.
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 Nuclear Disasters
In nuclear power plants, huge amount of energy is generated using nuclear
fuel, which is used to generate electricity. But when it is used in making
nuclear weapons or in case of a leakage in a nuclear reactor due to human
negligence, it can result in a disaster. People exposed to nuclear rays
become victims of cancer, skin diseases and mental diseases.

Prevention of nuclear disasters-

• Making nuclear hazard symbol on nuclear material containers.
• Establishing nuclear power stations away from densely populated areas.
• Regular health check-ups of the employees.
• Employees using radiation resistant jackets.
• Making better arrangements for disposal of nuclear waste coming out of nuclear power
stations.

1945- The first atomic bomb dropped by America on the cities of

Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, in which millions of people died.
What
1986- Hundreds of people killed by the leakage in a nuclear
happened reactor in Chernobyl city, Ukraine (then, Soviet Union).
when?
1993- A nuclear leakage narrowly avoided at the Narora Atomic
Power Station located in Uttar Pradesh, India.

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