Disaster Management

Introduction:

Disaster Management can be defined as the organization and management of

resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies, in
particular, preparedness, response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters. It
means that all such measures should be taken so that hazard cannot take the form of
disaster. Since we cannot prevent the coming of many natural hazards but can reduce their
harmful effects through proper management, so that the loss of life and property can be
minimized.

There are many natural disasters like flood, earth quake, cyclone etc. They cause
huge loss of life and property. Flood is one of the major natural disasters that occurs in
many parts of the world. Flood is defined as any dry place that is filled or covered with water
that causes problems.

Objective:

India is highly vulnerable to floods. Out of the total geographical area of 329 million
hectares (mha), more than 40 mha is flood prone. Floods are a recurrent phenomenon,
which cause huge loss of lives and damage to livelihood systems, property, infrastructure
and public utilities. It is a cause for concern that flood related damages show an increasing
trend.

Damages caused by Flood:

We can classify flood losses into direct and indirect losses. Direct
losses are caused by the physical contact of the floodwater with humans,
property, or other objects, and the location of the flood will indirectly affect
networks and social activities, causing indirect losses (e.g., disruptions of
traffic, trade, and public services). Further, we can distinguish between
immediate or long-term consequences and tangible or intangible
consequences. Such consequences depend on the land uses found within
the floodplain. Immediate impacts of flooding can include loss of human
life, damage to property and infrastructure, and destruction of crops and
livestock. Examples of long-term impacts include the interruption
to communication networks and critical infrastructure (such as power
plants, roads, hospitals, etc.) that can have significant impacts on social
and economic activities. More difficult to assess are the intangible
impacts; for example, the psychological effects of loss of life,
displacement, and property damage can be long-lasting.

A Typology of Flood Losses with Examples

Measurement
Tangible Intangible
Forms Direct ▪ ▪
of Damage to Loss of life,
flood private buildings injuries, loss of
losses and contents memorabilia
▪ ▪
Destruction of Psychological
infrastructure distress, damage to
such as roads cultural heritage
and railroads ▪
▪ Negative effects on
Erosion of habitats/ecosystems
agricultural soil,
destruction of
harvest
▪
Damage to
livestock
▪
Evacuation and
rescue measures
▪
Business
interruption
inside the
 Measurement
Tangible Intangible
flooded area
▪
Clean-up costs

Indirect ▪ ▪
Disruption of Inconvenience of
public services post-flood recovery
outside the ▪
flooded area Trauma
▪ ▪
Induced Loss of trus
production
losses to
companies
outside the
flooded area
(e.g., suppliers
of flooded
companies)
▪
Cost of traffic
disruption
▪
Loss of tax
revenue due to
migration of
companies in the
aftermath of
floods
Steps to control flood:

 Disaster Preparedness Plan: A comprehensive flood management plan

is needed to include Disaster preparedness. This may require
strengthening of the following:
o Flood Hotspot Mapping at local and regional scale.
o Management and regulation of riparian zones to prevent
spilling and erosion.
o River flood modelling to prepare for incidences like reservoir
breach and emergency water release from dams.
o Advanced techniques such as mapping based on satellite
imagery and Geographic Information Systems will help in
development of flood early warning systems.
 Integrated Approach: Steps need to be taken for watershed management
through an integrated approach. Often these approaches involve both hard
engineering solutions and ecologically sustainable soft solutions.
 o Hard Solutions: It involves civil engineering construction
such as dams, culverts and dykes, widening and deepening of
river channels and diversion channels to store and divert water
to increase the lag time of water reaching downstream.
o Ecological Soft Solutions: The solutions such as restoration
and management of riparian zones, afforestation along the river
channels which led to retention of rainwater and reduces the
river discharge.
Measures to prevent Urban Flooding

 Innovative approaches like Sponge Cities- wetland restoration,

flushing systems using collected rooftop water, bioswales, and public
spaces as flexible water retention facilities can be applied to Indian
urban areas. Other such methods include permeable material for roads and
pavement, green roofs and harvesting systems in buildings.

Urban water bodies like lakes, tanks, and ponds also play a very important role in the
management of urban flooding by reducing the stormwater run-off by capturing it.

Case Study

The Chennai Flood in the year 2015

The Chennai metropolitan region (CMA), with an area of 1,189 sq kms and a population of
8,653,521, is the fourth-largest populated city in India.[1] This city, located in north eastern
part of Tamil Nadu is a flat plain bounded on the east by Bay of Bengal and on the
remaining three sides by Chengalpattu and Thiruvallur districts. Expansion in terms of area
as well as population has led to a shift in land use and land cover patterns across the region.
Situated along the eastern coast of India, Chennai is exposed to violent storm surges and
flooding during northeast monsoons (September to November). A devastating flood in the
year 2015 due to heavy rainfall affected more than 4 million people, claimed more than
470 lives and resulted in enormous economic loss.

The sudden and unprecedented nature of the flood led to ad hoc and uncoordinated
relief and response activities by different governmental and non-governmental agencies.
Industrial and commercial centers were forced to temporarily shut down their production
due to loss of power, shelter and limited logistics.

Amid the chaos and widespread impact, the event brought people and institutions in
and outside Chennai together, to provide support to the victims affected by the flood. Help
reached the affected areas and their residents from different sections of society and in
variety of forms.

The 2015 Chennai flood caused by the torrential downpour brought city life to a
standstill. It affected socio-economic condition of the district, maimed critical
infrastructure, stranded animals and humans, disrupted services and flooded major parts of
the city. The incorporation of flood preparedness measures will help reduce the extent of
their impact on people, their life and property in future, along with giving them better
coping abilities.
 CONCLUSION

Therefore, flood is one of the major disaster affecting both rural and urban
areas in equal measure and causes extensive damage. Even though we can’t prevent flood,
steps can be taken to mitigate damages caused by flood and reduce the loss of life and
property by taking preventive measure.
 SOCIAL SCIENCE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

FLOODS

R.NITHILAN
IX ‘A’