Preventing Common Human

Induced Disasters
BY ANUSHKA TIRPUDE
CLASS 9TH P
 Introduction

 Types of human induced and man made disasters.

 Natural hazards are not always natural, but human beings have a major role to play. The disasters taking place due to human
negligence are termed as human-made disasters. These disasters result in human suffering, loss of life and damage to the
economy.
 Rail accidents: With the largest network in the world, the number of railway accidents has increased in India. The most
common type of rail accidents is derailments. It takes place due to lack of proper maintenance, human error or sabotage. This
causes huge losses to life and inflicts injuries to many more. The transportation of inflammable products also leads to rail
accidents.
 Air accidents : Across the world including India, air accidents have increased. Many factors govern the safety of the air
passengers. The factors responsible for air accidents include:
a) Technical problems
b) Fire
c) Landing and take off condition
d) The environment that the airline operates in
e) Hijacking
 Fire accidents: Fire is a phenomenon of combustion manifested in immense heat and light in the form of flames. Around
30,000 lives are lost because of fire-related incidents every year. Heat, fuel, and oxygen are the three ingredients which cause a
fire. By cutting the supply of any one we can control fire.
 Terrorism: Terrorism has become common in certain areas of the world including parts of India. In these areas, children live in
constant fear of attacks and violence. Often they do not attend formal schools and don't lead normal lives.
 Hazardous Materials
 Hazardous Materials are so wide ranging that it would be almost impossible to discuss all of the possibilities. Virtually
anything, not used properly could become a hazardous material.
 Nuclear (WMD): Nuclear material, that used for peaceful purposes and that used for weapons can become disastrous if not
properly handled.
 weapon of mass destruction (WMD), weapon with the capacity to inflict death and destruction on such a
massive scale and so indiscriminately that its very presence in the hands of a hostile power can be considered a
grievous threat. Modern weapons of mass destruction are either nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons—
frequently referred to collectively as NBC weapons. See nuclear weapon, chemical warfare, biological warfare.
 The term weapons of mass destruction has been in currency since at least 1937, when it was used to describe
massed formations of bomber aircraft. At that time these high-flying battleships of the air seemed to pose an
unstoppable threat to civilian centres located far from any war front—as indeed they did during World War II
(1939–45), notably in the firebombings of such cities as Hamburg, Germany, and Tokyo, Japan, when tens of
thousands of civilians died in a single night. With the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, the
fearsome power of conventional bombs paled before the spectacle of an entire city centre destroyed and some
66,000 people instantly killed by the blast and heat of a single nuclear weapon.
 Nuclear Disaster

 A nuclear and radiation accident is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency as "an
event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility. Examples
include lethal effects to individuals, large radioactivity release to the environment, or reactor core
melt."The prime example of a "major nuclear accident" is one in which a reactor core is damaged
and significant amounts of radiation are released, such as in the Chernobyl Disaster in 1986. The
impact of nuclear accidents has been a topic of debate practically since the first nuclear reactors
were constructed. It has also been a key factor in public concern about nuclear facilities.Some
technical measures to reduce the risk of accidents or to minimize the amount of radioactivity
released to the environment have been adopted. Despite the use of such measures, "there have
been many accidents with varying impacts as well near misses and incidents"