Chapter 3: Natural Disaster
Fill in the blanks
1. Disasters that are caused by nature are called as……………………………………
2. The earthquake zoning map divides India into …………………...seismic zones.
3. The state of Jammu and Kashmir falls in seismic zone ………….. and …………..
4. ……………………… is a large mass of snow that moves rapidly down a mountain slope.
5. ……………………….. can be defined as a lack or shortage of water for an unusually long period.
6. A …………………………. is a widespread scarcity of food in an area.
7. Storing rain water on the roofs of the houses is called as …………………………..
8. ………………….. is a disastrous weather event in which, the heavy rainfall occurs over a localized area.
9. An …………………….. is a natural disaster in which the sudden shaking of earth’s surface is involved.
10. Instrument used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake is called as ………………..
Answers:
1. Disasters that are caused by nature are called as Natural Disasters.
2. The earthquake zoning map divides India into four (Zone II, III, IV and V) seismic zones
3. The state of Jammu and Kashmir falls in seismic zone IV and V
4. Snow Avalanche is a large mass of snow that moves rapidly down a mountain slope.
5. Drought can be defined as a lack or shortage of water for an unusually long period.
6. A famine is a widespread scarcity of food in an area.
7. Storing rain water on the roofs of the houses is called as Roof top rain water harvesting
8. Cloud burst is a disastrous weather event in which, the heavy rainfall occurs over a localized area.
9. An earthquake is a natural disaster in which the sudden shaking of earth’s surface is involved.
10. Instrument used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake is called as seismograph
One word Answers
1. Which disaster hit Muzaffarabad region in year 2005?
Answer: Earthquake. (with magnitude of 7.6 on Richter scale on 8th October, 2005 at 9.20 a.m.)
2. Which disaster involves the movement of a mass of soil, rock or debris down the slope?
Answer: Landslide.
3. Which disaster hit the famous Kedarnath Shrine area at Uttrakhand in June, 2013?
Answer: Flash Flood.
4. Which disaster devastated the normal life in Leh on 6th August, 2010?
Answer: Cloud Burst
5. Which disaster hit the Bhaderwah area in year 2013
Answer: Earthquake.
Very short/ short answers
1. What is the difference between hazard and disaster?
Answer: HAZARD: is a situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property or environment.
DISASTER: Disasters occur when hazards meet vulnerable situations. A disaster is a natural, man-madetechnological event that causes significant physical damage or destruction, widespread loss of life or drastic change to the environment.
2.What do you understand by a natural disaster? Enlist few.
Answer: A Natural Disaster is an event that is caused by natural hazards and leads to loss of life and damage to physical infrastructure and environment. Examples of natural disasters are:
- Tsunami,
- Earthquake,
- Snow Avalanche,
- Cloudburst
- Landslides
3. Write down some events of earthquakes in India?
Answer: Some important Earthquakes in India are;
Area | Year | Magnitude |
---|---|---|
Rann of Kutch | 1819 | 8.0 |
Assam | 1897 | 8.7 |
Kangra | 1905 | 8.0 |
Arunachal Pradesh | 1950 | 8.5 |
Uttrakashi | 1991 | 7.0 |
Kutch | 2001 | 7.7 |
Sikkim | 2011 | 6.9 |
Uri Muzaffarabad | 2005 | 7.6 |
5. Illustrate briefly how an earthquake occurs.
Answer: An earthquake is a sudden shaking of earth’s surface due to release of energy in the Earth's crust.
The epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the focus, the point where an earthquake originates.Earthquakes generate seismic waves which can be detected with seismograph.
Long answers
1. What do we understand by Mitigation? Give some examples.
Answer: Mitigation is an effort to reduce loss of life and property by reducing the impact of disasters. Mitigation is taking preventive actions before the next disaster happens in order to reduce human and financial consequences.
MITIGATION MEASURES TO REDUCE THE EFFECTS OF LANDSLIDES
Drainage Management: Landslides occur mostly when water infiltrates into the land during heavy rains. In order to prevent or minimize this infiltration, natural drains should be strengthened to allow the smooth flow of water.
Retaining walls: Construction of concrete retaining walls prevents the slippage from slopes.
Plantation: Growing more and more plants along the landslide zones helps in total or maximum arrest of the slippage.
Mapping: Mapping helps to identify the landslide risk areas. This data can help to avoid such areas to use for settlements.
Awareness programmes: People should be educated about various signs and caution boards installed at various landslide risk zones.
2. List some of the major natural disasters that are likely to occur in hilly regions. Elaborate any one of them.
Answer: Some of the major natural disasters that are likely to occur in hilly regions are;
- Landslide
- Cloud Burst
- Snow Avalanches
- Flash Floods
3. What is a drought? Describe how it can be prevented?
Answer: Drought can be defined as a lack or shortage of water for an unusually long period. A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply whether surface or underground. A situation of drought occurs generally when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region.
The Drought can be prevented by adopting below mentioned measures:
- Construction of dams/check dams to store water
- Watershed management
- Proper selection of drought resistant crop for drought affected areas
- Soil conservation techniques
- Reducing deforestation and cutting of firewood in affected areas
- Education and awareness to people
4. What are the relief steps that need to be taken in the aftermath of landslides or snow avalanches?
Answer: The relief steps that need to be taken aftermath of landslide or snow avalanches include shifting people and property from the areas which are prone to avalanches, or by protecting the people and property by using engineered sheds, walls, berms and deflectors to absorb, dissipate or redirect moving avalanches. In addition the following mitigation measures can be adopted:
- Stopping indiscriminate mining and quarrying in mountain areas which may lead to avalanches during winter.
- Afforestation of zones prone to snow avalanches.
- Modifying the slopes removing unstable material through engineering measures.
5. Describe some of the safety measures that should be adopted during an earthquake.
Answer: The safety measures that should be adopted during an earthquake are:
- Remain calm, try to be calm and reassure others to derive an action plan.
- If you are inside a building, watch for falling plaster/bricks/stones, light fixtures and other objects.
- Watch for high book cases, shelves and other cabinets which might slide or topple.
- Stay away from glass, windows, mirrors and chimneys.
- If in danger get under a table, desk or bed in a corner away from the window with your head covered by your arms.
- Encourage others to follow your example and don't run and create panic, instead walk calmly outside to an open area
- If outside avoid high building walls, power poles and other objects that could fall.
- Do not run through streets. If surrounded by buildings take shelter in the nearest strongest one.
- If in an automobile, stop in a safe place available, preferably an open area
- Don’t use elevators while coming out of a building instead use stair cases.
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