A disaster is an extreme disruption in the functioning of a habitat that causes widespread human, material, or environmental losses that exceed the ability of the affected population to cope with its own resources. Landslides, earthquakes, tsunami, cyclones, droughts, floods, etc are some of the examples of disasters. Disaster management is the discipline by which human beings continuously make an effort to mitigate the harm caused by disasters.
Long and Short Essays on disaster management
Essay 1 (250 words)
Disaster is a catastrophic situation in which a normal pattern of life or ecosystem gets disturbed and extraordinary emergency interventions are required to save and preserve lives or the environment. India is one of the most disaster-prone zones in the world due to its peculiar geographical characteristics as well as the poor social conditions in which the communities live which exposes them to the frequent destruction caused by the hazards.
For India, the major hazards are earthquakes, landslides, drought, cyclones, floods, forest fires, fire accidents, etc. Rapid growth in the population rate has certainly triggered the level of disasters. Natural disasters can only be mitigated but man-made disasters can be prevented to a certain limit. India has taken many steps and has formed many organizations in order to mitigate, reduce and avoid the hazards of the disasters.
In India, the role of emergency management falls within the jurisdiction of the national disaster management authority of India (NDMA), which is doing a great job in reducing the hazardous impacts of the disaster and is operating from a government-centered approach to decentralized community participation.
But it needs much more sustained efforts to come out with a well-thought-out strategy and response to minimize the colossal damage caused by disasters whenever a calamity has struck, for instance, tsunami and Uttarakhand floods in recent times. We have not been able to mount adequate rescue and rehabilitation efforts to effectively deal with the situation.
Essay 2 (300 words)
Definition
A disaster is a serious disruption in the functioning of a community and society as a fall-out of widespread human, material, or environmental losses that exceed the ability of the affected population to cope with its own resources.
India is a disaster-prone country. In fact, there is no country which is immune to disasters which can be classified as-
Types of Disasters
There are two majorly two types of disasters:
- Natural disasters
- Man-made disasters
Natural disasters are the disasters caused due to natural reasons which are beyond the control of humans including floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and volcano eruptions that have immediate impacts on human lives.
Man-made disasters also known as complex emergencies are the disasters caused due to major accidents like fires, the breakdown of authority, looting, and attacks, including conflict situations and war.
Disaster management is a continuous phenomenon of mitigating the impact of disasters. Disaster management calls for collective and coordinated efforts. A number of activities need to be undertaken in the event of a disaster. These include coordination, command and control, rapid assessment of damage, restoration of power, telecommunication and surface transport, deployment of search and rescue teams, medicals and Para-medical teams, arrangements for drinking water and food material, setting up of temporary shelters, sanitation, and hygiene identification and earmarking of resources, last but not the least, maintenance of law and order is equally important.
The most vulnerable sections in these disasters are the poor. Hence it is necessary to mobilize them towards preparedness for any emergency. A quick and timely response is the essence of providing immediate relief and rescue operations, to save human lives and mitigate miseries as soon as possible.
India has set up many departments and organizations for the same i.e. National disaster management authority (NDMA), national remote sensing center (NRSC), central water commission (CWC), etc. And due to the presence of so many authorities, it is not feasible for all of them to take steps in a single direction.
Conclusion
Disaster management has assumed great importance in recent times. To handle any unforeseen situation efficiently, we need to be well-equipped with the latest technologies. It cannot avert the outbreak of the disaster but can mitigate its impact to a large extent.
Essay 3 (400 words)
Introduction
God has created everything including land, water, air, etc. Nature has several manifestations – benign as well as hostile. Sometimes, it is soothing, sometimes it is ferocious. Whenever it turns to be in its bad temper, it can bring about the devastation which is known as disaster.
Definition
A catastrophic situation in which a normal pattern of life and or ecosystem gets disturbed and extraordinary emergency interventions are required to save and preserve lives or environment can be termed as a disaster. Natural disasters are the manifestation of nature and they can take place anywhere anytime.
Classification of disasters:
The disasters can be classified as-
Natural disasters: A natural hazard is a natural process or phenomenon that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage. Various disasters like earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, tsunamis, and cyclones are all-natural disasters.
Human instigated: Human-instigated disasters are the consequence of technological hazards. Examples include fires, transport accidents, oil spills, and nuclear explosions/radiation. War and terrorist attacks may also be put in this category.
Disasters in India: well, there is no country which is completely free from disasters and neither is India. India, due to its geographical locations & geological formations, is a highly disaster-prone country.
India has faced a number of disasters, ranging from floods, earthquakes, cyclones, tsunami, drought, landslides. A few recent disasters faced by India include floods in Uttarakhand, cyclone “Vardah” in Chennai, recurring earthquakes in northern India, the Chama earthquake in Gujarat, a super cyclone in Orissa in 1999, Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat in 2001, the Tsunami in 2004 and Mumbai-Gujarat flood in 2005. Besides, India has had to suffer technology-related tragedy in the form of gas tragedy in Bhopal in 1984. India also faced the problem of plague in Gujarat.
Effects:
The direct or indirect impact of disasters has always been deadly, destructive and damaging. They cause loss of life to humans as well as livestock.
Disaster management
Disaster management is the management of resources and responsibilities in order to lessen the impact of disasters.
Disaster management in India
In India, a lot of forums, funds, and organizations are functioning to mitigate the effects of disasters like the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC), Indian council of medical research (ICMR), Central Water Commission (CWC), etc. A separate fund called “National Disaster Management Fund” (NDMF) is also there for exclusive mitigation.
Sometimes, due to lack of coordination between the central and state government as well as the absence of correct resources; the concerned forums, organizations are unable to provide apt rehabilitation.
Conclusion
To handle the situation efficiently, we need to be well-equipped with the latest technologies. Disaster management cannot avert the situation but can mitigate its impact to lessen the sufferings of humans, plants, and animals.
Essay 4 (600 words)
About disaster
Land, water, air, etc are some of the beautiful creations of the almighty. Nature has several manifestations – smooth as well as hostile. Sometimes, it is soothing while sometimes it is ferocious. Whenever it turns to be in its bad temper, it can bring about devastation or destruction which is known as a “disaster”.
Types of disasters
Disasters can be broadly classified into two major categories:
- Natural disasters
- Man-made / human instigated disasters
A Natural Disaster is a natural process that may cause loss of huge lives, injuries or other health impacts, property damages, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruptions or massive environmental damage. Various disasters like earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, floods, blizzards, tsunamis, and cyclones are covered under the scope of the term natural disaster. Human instigated disaster is also known as the complex emergency and is the disaster caused due to major happenings such as fires, oil spill, breakdown of authority, looting, wars, etc.
Effects of disasters in India:
The impact of natural as well as human instigated disasters is colossal death, destruction, injuries, huge loss of the lives of humans and livestock.
The impact of human activities on natural disasters:
Since a long for now, it has been noticed that modernization is leading to grave ignorance towards the environment. Environmental bylaws are being neglected by industries. Due to over-exploitation of nature, we humans have created such a situation where events like earthquakes, landslides are increasingly being elevated to the extent that they are causing a massive loss in terms of human life and property.
It’s not that, every one of us is being ignorant about the environment. There are a lot of people who are very much concerned about nature and the environment. Even, there are many NGOs that are taking the issue of global warming and pollution publically by taking out rallies and organizing several campaigns to save the environment and such initiatives need to be appreciated.
Disaster management in India
National disaster management authority (NDMA) is the apex body that is mandated to lay down the policies and guidelines for disaster management to ensure timely and effective response towards disasters. A separate fund called “national disaster management fund” (NDMF) is also there for exclusive mitigation.
NDMA mostly performs the following functions:
- Administration
- Policies formation for disaster management
- Mitigation of disasters
- Approval of the plans laid down
- Formation of funds for the purpose of mitigation of disasters etc
- Running various programs and imparting guidelines
Prevention & control
The natural disasters are inevitable, even if we have measures to predict/ forecast the disasters we can’t stop them from happening. The best which can be done is to avoid the practices which are hazardous for the environment which is leading towards environmental degradation while preparing plans for our disaster management.
Once a disaster strikes it leads to massive destruction and loss of life. In case of the disasters like earthquakes, floods, etc. Where a number of humans are displaced and post-disaster there are a number of causalities. This is the time when the actual emergency preparedness comes into effect by giving first aid to the injured ones, providing rescue and relief operations to the victims.
Conclusion
To handle the situation efficiently, we need to be well-equipped with the latest technologies. Also, it is of utmost importance to be prepared with a proper disaster management team that can take charge as soon as possible when the disaster strikes.
