Introduction

The Big Picture

Every natural disaster you have ever heard of — a tsunami, an earthquake, a cyclone — is ultimately a change in the natural environment. Change, the book begins, is the law of nature. It is continuous and uninterrupted, involving phenomena both big and small, material and non-material, that together shape our physical and socio-cultural surroundings. Change exists everywhere, but it varies in magnitude, intensity, and scale.

Some changes are gradual and slow, like the evolution of landforms and organisms. Others are sudden and swift, like volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, and lightning. Some changes remain confined to a small area and last only seconds — hailstorms, tornadoes, dust storms. Others have global dimensions, such as global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer.

Crucially, changes mean different things to different people. From nature's perspective, changes are value-neutral — neither good nor bad. But from the human perspective, they are value-loaded. The change of seasons and the ripening of fruits are considered desirable and good; earthquakes, floods, and wars are considered bad and undesirable. This chapter concerns itself with those changes that are considered bad and have haunted humankind for a long time — disasters in general, and natural disasters in particular.

What is a Disaster?

The book gives a formal definition: a disaster is an undesirable occurrence resulting from forces that are largely outside human control. It strikes quickly, with little or no warning, and causes or threatens serious disruption of life and property, including death and injury to a large number of people. Because of its scale, it requires mobilisation of efforts in excess of what statutory emergency services would normally provide.

For a long time, geographical literature treated disasters as purely the consequence of natural forces, with human beings as innocent and helpless victims before the mighty forces of nature. But natural forces are not the only cause of disasters. Human activities can cause them too.

Disasters caused directly by human actions

Some human activities are directly responsible for disasters. The book lists:

• The Bhopal Gas tragedy
• The Chernobyl nuclear disaster
• Wars
• Release of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)
• Increase of greenhouse gases
• Environmental pollution — noise, air, water, and soil

Disasters caused indirectly by human actions

Other human activities accelerate or intensify disasters indirectly. Landslides and floods resulting from deforestation, unscientific land use, and construction activities in fragile areas are examples of disasters caused by indirect human actions.

The book invites you to look around your own neighbourhood and school and identify human activities that could lead to disasters in the near future — and to suggest measures to prevent them.

Why prevention differs for the two types

It is a common experience that human-made disasters have increased both in number and magnitude over the years. Concerted efforts are on at various levels to prevent and minimise their occurrence. Though success so far has been only nominal, it is possible to prevent some of these human-created disasters.

As opposed to this, very little can be done to prevent natural disasters. Therefore, the best way forward is to emphasise natural disaster mitigation and management. The book cites concrete steps taken in this direction at different levels:

• Establishment of the National Institute of Disaster Management in India
• The Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1993
• The World Conference on Disaster Management in May 1994 at Yokohama, Japan

Natural Hazards vs Natural Disasters

Scholars often use the terms "disasters" and "natural hazards" interchangeably, but the book insists they are related yet quite distinct phenomena.

Natural hazards are elements of circumstances in the natural environment that have the potential to cause harm to people, property, or both. They may be swift or permanent aspects of the environmental setting. Examples include ocean currents, steep slopes and unstable structural features in the Himalayas, and extreme climatic conditions in deserts or glaciated areas.

Natural disasters, in contrast, are relatively sudden and cause large-scale, widespread death, loss of property, and disturbance to social systems and life, over which people have little or no control. Any event can be classed as a disaster when the magnitude of destruction and damage it causes is very high.

Every disaster is unique

Disasters are generalised experiences of people the world over, yet no two disasters are similar or comparable. Every disaster is unique in three respects:

• The local socio-environmental factors that control it
• The social response it generates
• The way each social group negotiates with it

Three Important Observations

The book draws three important conclusions from this discussion:

1. The magnitude, intensity, frequency, and damages caused by natural disasters have increased over the years.
2. There is growing concern among people worldwide to deal with this menace so that loss of human life and property can be minimised.
3. Significant changes have taken place in the pattern of natural disasters over the years.

The Changing Perception of Hazards and Disasters

There has also been a shift in how people perceive natural hazards and disasters. Previously, hazards and disasters were seen as closely associated and interrelated — areas prone to natural hazards were more vulnerable to disasters. People therefore avoided tampering with the delicate balance that existed in a given ecosystem. They avoided intensifying their activities in such areas, and that is how disasters were less damaging.

Technological power has changed this. It has given human beings a large capacity to intervene in nature. Consequently, people now tend to intensify their activities into disaster-prone areas, increasing their own vulnerability to disasters.

The book gives a telling example: the colonisation of flood plains of most rivers, and the development of large cities and port-towns like Mumbai and Chennai along the coast. High land values push construction right up to the shore, making these cities vulnerable to cyclones, hurricanes, and tsunamis.

The Global Response

Natural disasters have caused widespread loss of life and property, and concerted efforts are on at various levels to deal with the situation. It is increasingly felt that the damages caused by natural disasters have global repercussions that are beyond the means and capabilities of individual nation-states to cope with alone.

This issue was raised at the U.N. General Assembly in 1989 and was finally formalised at the World Conference on Disaster Management in May 1994 at Yokohama, Japan. The outcome was subsequently called the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World.