2008 6 PDF
2008 6 PDF
2008 6 PDF
APPROACH
Professor PhD Himayatullah KHAN
Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, Pakistan
Associate professor PhD Laura Giurca VASILESCU
University of Craiova, Romania
Associate professor PhD Asmatullah KHAN
University of Science and Technology, Bannu, Pakistan
Abstract:
The present study explains the various concepts used in disaster
management. The concepts explained include: Disaster, Hazard,
Vulnerability, Capacity, Risk and Disaster Management Cycle. In addition to
the terminologies, the study also seeks to explain various types of disasters.
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Main components of disaster which are exclusively of natural origin.
management Landslides, floods, drought, fires are
socio-natural hazards since their causes
What is a Hazard? are both natural and man made. For
Hazard may be defined as “a example flooding may be caused
dangerous condition or event, that because of heavy rains, landslide or
threat or have the potential for causing blocking of drains with human waste.
injury to life or damage to property or Manmade hazards are hazards
the environment.” Hazards can be which are due to human negligence.
grouped into two broad categories Manmade hazards are associated with
namely natural and manmade. industries or energy generation facilities
Natural hazards are hazards which and include explosions, leakage of toxic
are caused because of natural waste, pollution, dam failure, wars or
phenomena (hazards with civil strife, etc. The list of hazards is
meteorological, geological or even very long. Many occur frequently while
biological origin). Examples of natural others take place occasionally.
hazards are cyclones, tsunamis, However, on the basis of their genesis,
earthquake and volcanic eruptions they can be categorized as follows:
Table 1
Various Types of Hazards
Type Hazards
1. Earthquake 4. Landslide
Geological Hazards 2. Tsunami 5. Dam burst
3. Volcanic eruption 6. Mine Fire
1. Tropical Cyclone 6. Cloudburst
Water & Climatic 2. Tornado and Hurricane 7. Landslide
Hazards 3. Floods 8. Heat & Cold wave
4. Drought 9. Snow Avalanche
5. Hailstorm 10.Sea erosion
1. Environmental pollutions 3. Desertification
Environmental Hazards 2. Deforestation 4. Pest Infection
Biological 1. Human / Animal Epidemics 3. Food poisoning
2. Pest attacks 4. Weapons of Mass
Destruction
Chemical, Industrial 1. Chemical disasters 3. Oil spills/Fires
and Nuclear Accidents 2. Industrial disasters 4. Nuclear
1. Boat / Road / Train 3. Building collapse
accidents / air crash Rural / 4. Electric Accidents
Accident related Urban fires Bomb /serial 5. Festival related
bomb disasters 6. Mine flooding
blasts
2. Forest fires
Source: CBSE (2006)
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Figure 2. Disaster Management
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R
I
S
N
T
3%
10%
12%
45%
14%
16%
Figure 4.
. Reported Deaths from all Disasters: World Scenario (1992-2001)
Drought and famine have proved extreme temperature and others (3%).
to be the deadliest disasters globally Global economic loss related to disaster
(45%), followed by floods (16%), events average around US $880 billion
technological disaster (14%), per year (CBSE, 2006).
earthquake (12%), windstorm (10%),
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Conclusions mainstream development and poverty
There has been a dramatic alleviation planning. For example,
increase in disasters and the damages disaster management, development
caused by them in the recent past. Over planning and environmental
the past decade, the number of natural management institutions operate in
and manmade disasters has climbed isolation and integrated planning
inexorably. Accordingly to the statistics, between these sectors is almost
the number of disasters per year lacking.
increased with 60% in the period 1999- Absence of a central authority for
2001 in comparison with the previous integrated disaster management and
period, 1994 -1998. The highest lack of coordination within and between
increase was in the countries of low disaster related organizations is
human development, which registered responsible for effective and efficient
an increase of 142%. disaster management. State-level
In these countries, the responsible disaster preparedness and mitigation
institutions should play an important role measures are heavily tilted towards
but, in general, the disaster structural aspects and undermine non-
management policy responses are structural elements such as the
influenced by methods and tools for knowledge and capacities of local
cost-effective and sustainable people, and the related livelihood
interventions. protection issues.
There are no long-term, inclusive In conclusion, with a greater
and coherent institutional arrangements capacity of the individual/community
to address disaster issues with a long- and environment to face the disasters,
term vision. Disasters are viewed in the impact of a hazard would be
isolation from the processes of reduced.
REFERENCES
[1] Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Natural Hazards and Disaster
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[2] International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, World
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[3] Joshi, S.R. ,Natural Disasters in North-East Region and its Management: An
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[5] United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Disaster Management-
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[7] WCDR, A R e v i e w o f Disaster Management Policies and Systems in
Pakistan, Islamabad, January 2005.
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