Government Polytechnic, Washim

MICRO PROJECT REPORT

ON
“IMPACT OF NATURAL DISASTER AND MAN-MADE HAZARDS”

OF

Subject: Environmental Studies (22447)

Submitted By
Vaishnavi S. Jahirao Sahil S. Jawale

Kanhaiyya V. Supe Dnyaneshwar Pophale

Vijay Bedre

Subject Teacher H.O.D.

Mr V. B. Kale Mr U. A. Bagade
Lecturer in Info. Tech. Department HOD of Info. Tech Department

Principal

Dr. B. G. Gawalwad

Government Polytechnic, Washim

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Term I 2023-2024

Micro Project, Dept. IT, GP Washim 2023-24

 Government Polytechnic Washim
CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the

Vaishnavi S. Jahirao 2200310426 Sahil S. Jawale 2000310219

Kanhaiyya V. Supe 2100310217 Dnyaneshwar Pophale 2100310426

Vijay Bedre 2100310161

Third year Student of Information Technology has submitted a MICRO

PROJECT report on

“IMPACT OF NATURAL DISASTER AND MAN-MADE HAZARDS”

During the academic session 2023-2024 in a satisfactory manner in the partial

fulfilment for the requirement of Subject: Environmental Studies (22447)

for the Diploma in “Information Technology”

Awarded by

Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education, Mumbai.

Subject Teacher H.O.D.

Mr. V. B. Kale Mr U. A. Bagade

Lecturer in Info. Tech. Department HOD of Info. Tech. Department

Principal

Dr. B. G. Gawalwad

Government Polytechnic, Washim

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Term I 2023-24

Micro Project, Dept. IT, GP Washim 2023-24

 INDEX

Sr. No Name of Chapter Page No

1 Introduction 4

2 Impact of Natural Disasters and Manmade 5

Hazards

3 Earthquakes 7

4 Tsunami 9

5 Floods 11

6 Man-Made Disasters 14

7 Conclusion -Reference 18

Micro Project, Dept. IT, GP Washim 2023-24

 Introduction
Environmental studies are the study of human interaction with the environment and in the interests
of solving complex problems. Environment includes which we are directly or indirectly dependent
for our survival, whether it is living component like animals, plants or non living component like
soil, air and water. Importance of environmental studies are (a) People have to clarify modern
environmental concept like how to conserve biodiversity. (b) Usage of natural resources more
efficiently. (c) Try to know the sustainable way of living. The field encompasses study in basic
principles of ecology and environmental science, as well as associated subjects such as ethics,
geography, policy, politics, law, economics, philosophy, environmental sociology and
environmental justice, planning, pollution control and natural resource management. The main
factors influencing environmental behaviors: there is waste management behaviors like waste
reduce, reuse, Recycle and Recycling Processes. Reduce: People should make a simple habit to
reduce waste by avoiding disposable items like paper products, straws, plastic covers and single
serving containers. Pack your lunch or snacks in a box and it does not involve throwing anything
away. Avoid food wastes to your trash it prevents lost of nutrients. Reuse: when we use something
again is called reuse. Clothes are used to reuse for the same purpose by washing dirty. People
make a habit of donating clothes or unused items to the orphanages or old age homes. Recycle: It
involves collecting processing and selling products from old materials. Cereal box made with
100% recycled paper and aluminum can only be made from 40% recycled content.

pg. 4
 Impact of Natural Disasters and Manmade Hazards
1.0 Rationale:
Natural and manmade hazards include, for instance, droughts, desertification, floods, fires,
earthquake and dispersion of radioactive gases in the atmosphere. They have significant
social, environmental and economic impacts. The JRC carries out extensive work to
continuously monitor the situation, assess risks and potential impacts, and forecast future
events as accurately as possible in order to help prevent these phenomena from happening or
to limit their impact.
The JRC provides the knowledge base that helps EU countries and international partners
prepare for a respond to natural and manmade disasters. An import part of this work is the
development of methods and tools to monitor the situation, assess risks and predict future
developments.
2.0 Aims/Benefits of the Micro-Project:
Disaster management aims to reduce, or avoid, the potential losses from hazards, assure
prompt and appropriate assistance to victims of disasters, and achieve rapid and effective
recovery. The disaster management cycle illustrates the ongoing process by which
governments, businesses, and civil society plan for and reduce the impact of disasters, react
during an immediately following disasters, and take steps to recover after disasters has
occurred.
Develop an awareness of chronological phase of natural disasters response refugee relief
operations. This project aims to understand the relationship of disaster phases to each other
and linkage of activities from one phase to next. Identify the major disaster types and
understand the relief system and the disaster victim.

pg. 5
3.0 Course Outcomes Achieved:
1) Conserve Ecosystem and Biodiversity.
2) Apply techniques to reduce environmental pollution.
3) Manage social issues and environmental ethics as lifelong learning.

4.0 Actual Methodology Followed:

Disasters can be defined as a sudden, accidental event of great magnitude that causes
considerable damage to life and property. They are sudden, drastic and normally occur
without any alarm or warning. Some disasters may be short lived such as earthquakes and
some other may be of long duration, such as floods. However, irrespective of the duration of
a disaster, the damage in the form of deaths, injuries and losses of property is immense. The
magnitude of the disasters can be judged by the fact that only during the past two decades,
occurrences of floods, earthquakes, landslides, cyclones, etc. have killed several million
people. Most of the disasters have a natural origin, however, some disasters are manmade as
well. On this basis, disasters can be broadly classified into two groups:

Natural disasters:
When disasters occur due to natural forces they are called natural disasters, over which man
has hardly any control. Some common natural disasters are earthquakes, landslides floods,
droughts, cyclones, etc. Tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and wildfires are also included under
natural disasters. These disasters cause enormous loss to life and property. Man-made
disasters: When the disasters are due to carelessness of human or mishandling of dangerous
equipment’s they are called man-made disasters. Common examples of these disasters are
train accidents, aero plane crashes, collapse of buildings, bridges, mines, tunnels, etc. Natural
Disasters: Some of the common natural disasters, their impact on environment, and their
prevention, control and mitigation are discussed below:

pg. 6
 EARTHQUAKES
An earthquake is the shaking of the earth’s surface caused by rapid movement of the earth’s crust
or outer layer. Ever since it came into existence 4.6 billion years ago, the earth has been a dynamic,
evolving system. The position of the different continents and oceans that we see today, has
changed a number of times in the earth’s history. Impact of Earthquake on the Environment: The
destruction, an earthquake causes, depends on its magnitude and duration or the amount of shaking
that occurs. In the last 500 years, earthquakes around the world have killed several million people.
Earthquake is one of the most catastrophic natural disasters. Massive loss of life and property
occurs due to collapse of buildings. Besides, roads, bridges, canals, electric poles, etc. are severely
damaged. Certain regions of the earth are more prone to earthquakes. These are places located in
the unstable region of the earth crust, which are subjected to tectonic activities. Countries like
Japan, parts of Southeast Asia, Turkey, Iran, Mexico, etc. are affected by severe earthquakes. In
India, the entire Himalayan region, parts of the Gangetic Plain, Kutch and Andaman and Nicobar
islands are in the earthquake hazard zone (Table 18.2).

pg. 7
 The major impacts of earthquakes are as follows:

Date Details
October ,2005 Jammu and Kashmir intensity 7.4, about 40,000 people died
26 January 2001 Gujrat intensity 7.9, about 20,000 people died
29 March 1999 Chamoli, Uttaranchal, intensity 6.8, about 1000 people died
22 May 1997 Jabalpur, Mandla MP, about 50 people died
30 September 1993 Latur, Osmanabad, Maharashtra about 10,000 people died
20 October 1991 Uttarkashi, Uttaranchal, intensity 6.6, about 1000 people died

Shaking of the ground and surface rupture:

This is the main cause of destruction in which buildings, bridges, roads, canals and other
structures are damaged.

Liquefaction:
Earthquakes make sands and silts to transform from a solid to liquid state. This also results in
building collapse.

Landslides: Earthquakes of high intensity often trigger many landslides in the hilly regions.

Fires: It is a major hazard associated with earthquakes. The shakings of the ground and building
damage often break the gas pipes and electric lines that cause fires.

pg. 8
 TSUNAMI

It is a Japanese term meaning ‘harbour waves’. Tsunamis are massive sea waves that are mainly
caused due to earthquakes in the ocean floor or possibly due to an undersea landslide or volcanic
eruption. When the ocean floor is tilted or offset during an earthquake a set of waves is created
similar to the concentric waves generated by an object dropped into the water. These waves are
massive in size and gain height as they approach the seashore. Tsunamis up to the height of
30m are recorded (Fig. 18.2). Tsunamis are the most catastrophic among natural disasters as they
affect a very wide geographical area. The tsunami of 26 December, 2004 killed around three lakh
people and affected parts of Indonesia, Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India, Sri Lanka and even
Somalia.

Prevention and Mitigation:

Despite the advances made by modem science, the exact time and place where an earthquake may
strike cannot be predicted. Hence, the occurrence of an earthquake cannot be prevented. However,
there are certain regions that are earthquakes prone and so the administration must work before
hand to minimize the damages due to occurrence of earthquakes in such areas. The control and
mitigation measures in earthquake prone regions include hazard reduction programmers,
development of critical facilities and proper land use planning.

pg. 9
Hazard reduction programmes:
i. Earthquake education and evacuation plans.
ii. Use of proper construction material that is not injurious even if the structures collapse.
iii. Construction of quake resistant buildings having proper structural design.

Development of critical facilities:

i. Establishment of earthquake regulatory agencies for fast relief.
ii. Establishment of specific health care units for treating earthquake injuries Proper
land use planning.
iii. Mapping of faults and weak zones in earthquake prone areas.
iv. Buildings such as schools, hospitals, offices, etc. should be in areas away from active
faults.

pg. 10
 FLOODS

Floods refer to the ‘inundation of large parts of land which otherwise remain dry by water
for some duration of time’. Floods are one of the most common natural disasters occurring in
many parts of the world every year. Floods occur due to heavy rainfall within a short duration of
time in a particular region which causes the rivers and streams to overflow. Since most of the
precipitation occurs within span of two to three months during the rainy season, most floods occur
during that time. The floods in the mountainous regions due to cloudbursts or damming of streams
are referred to as flash-floods. In flash-floods, the water drains away quickly but only after
causing extensive damage. The plain areas of a region which are drained by a number of rivers,
are the places most affected by floods. In India, states like Assam, Bihar and parts of Gangetic
Uttar Pradesh are quite prone to floods during the rainy season (Fig. 18.3). The Ganga and
Brahmaputra rivers and their tributaries are most susceptible to floods. However, heavy rains
cause occasional floods in parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Flooding,
in India, is a major problem and some part or the other is affected by the fury of floods usually
during the months from July to September. Floods cause untold miseries to the affected regions
in the form of huge losses of life and property. There is great damage to agriculture and livestock.
Flood affected areas face acute shortages of food and drinking water. Besides, floods cause a
number of water borne diseases such as diarrhea, gastroenteritis, jaundice, malaria, etc.

pg. 11
Impact on the Environment:

Though the lives lost in floods may not be as high as in case of earthquakes or cyclones, the
damage to the environment is immense. The problem is further aggravated if the floods last for a
longer duration of time.

Floods not only damage property and endanger if lives of humans and animals, but have
other effects as well, such as:
1. Floods cause the spread of many epidemic diseases.
2. Rapid runoff causes soil erosion.
3. Wildlife habitat and forests are often destroyed.
4. Manmade structures like buildings, bridges, roads, sewer lines, power lines, etc. are damaged.
5. Floods cause widespread damage to the standing crops and degrade the agricultural land.
6. Flood affected areas are faced with acute shortage of food and drinking water.

Prevention, Control and Mitigation:

Though floods are a natural hazard, it is sometimes intensified due to undesirable human activities.
The measures that can be taken to control the extent of flood damage include land use planning,
building of physical barriers, preventing human encroachment and use of technology for relief.

Land use planning:

Proper land use planning in flood prone areas includes:
1. Demarcation of the flood-prone areas that are first inundated during floods.
2. Construction work and concentration of human population should be avoided in the floodplains.
3. Afforestation on the upper reaches of the river (catchment areas) to control soil erosion and
excessive runoff.

Building of physical barriers:

Flood can be prevented by building certain structures, such as:
1. Embankments along the banks of rivers in densely populated areas.
2. Building of reservoirs to collect excess water during floods.
3. The construction of channels that divert floodwater.

pg. 12
Preventing human encroachment:
Human encroachment should be avoided in the following areas:
1. Floodplains and catchment areas.
2. This would control deforestation and soil erosion which would prevent excessive runoff.

Use of technology for relief:

Advanced technology can be used in the following ways:
1. Advanced communication techniques for flood forecasting and warning.
2. Fast evacuation of people.
3. To provide relief in temporary shelters.
4. Immediate supply of medicines, drinking water, food and clothes.
5. Epidemic diseases must be controlled through spraying, vaccination, etc.

pg. 13
 MAN-MADE DISASTERS

Man-made disasters are the result of carelessness or human errors during technological and
industrial use. The disasters are in the form of accidents, which occur all of a sudden and take a
huge toll on life and property. Mostly such disasters cause injuries, diseases and casualties where
they occur.

Man-made disasters are mainly of two type:

• Local disasters:
These are small-scale disasters such as train accidents, plane crashes and shipwrecks.

• Industrial and technological disasters:

These are much larger in scale and are the result of technology failures or industrial accidents.
Such disasters affect both local population and may even cover a much larger area. Industrial
disasters result due to accidental leakage of water or air pollutants. Many of the chemicals are
extremely toxic and carcinogenic which affect the human population in an adverse way. Some
people die instantly while others are crippled for whole life in the form of blindness, paralysis and
many other chronic diseases.

pg. 14
 Impact on the environment:
Leakage of toxic chemicals from the industries and accidents in the nuclear reactors has
short-term and long-term effects on the environment and human health. Short-term effects
on human health relate to casualties and diseases like blindness, cancer, paralysis, heart trouble,
gastric and respiratory abnormalities. Long-term effects include genetic imbalances in
humans and its impact on the future generations. Soil and water sources also remain
polluted for long durations of time.

Prevention, control and mitigation:

Man-made disasters can be minimized to a large extent by adopting the following measures:
1. Proper training of personnel working in the hazardous industries.
2. Proper maintenance and care of safety measures.
3. Removing human encroachments around hazardous industries.
4. Making the people aware about the first-aid methods in case of accidents.
5. Applying wet cloth over the mouth and nose in case of gas leakages minimizes the health
hazards.
6. Remaining indoors in case of radioactive accidents.
7. Providing the people with proper medical care, in some cases throughout their life.
8. Providing adequate compensation to the affected people by way of money and employment.

pg. 15
BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY (BGT):
The most serious industrial disaster occurred on December 3, 1984 at Bhopal, India, which
is known as the Bhopal Gas Tragedy (BGT). The Bhopal gas tragedy occurred due to
leakage of methyl isocyanide (MIC) gas from the factory of Union Carbide of India Ltd. MIC
gas is used as an ingredient in pesticides.

It leaked from the factory and formed the deadly cloud over Bhopal. People living in slums
in the vicinity of the factory were the most affected and more than 5000 people were killed, half
of them due to direct exposure and other half due to after affects. MIC is a colourless gas which
causes severe irritation, violent coughing, swelling of the lungs, bleeding and death due to direct
inhalation. It also caused loss of eye-sight in more than 1000 people. More than 50,000
people were affected with respiratory, eye, gastric, neurological and gynaecological problems.

Another technological disaster is due to the potential damages of nuclear fallout. An example
is the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster.

pg. 16
CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER:

This nuclear disaster occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which was one of the largest
power plants in the Ukrainian Republic of erstwhile USSR, on April 26, 1986. It is the worst
nuclear disaster recorded in a nuclear power plant. This nuclear power plant had four reactors of
1000 megawatt each for electricity generation. A sudden power surge resulted in two explosions,
which destroyed the reactor core and blasted a large hole in the roof of the reactor building.

The Radioactive debris moved up through that hole to heights of 1 km. Approximately 100 to 150
million curies of radiation (radioactive isotopes of iodine and caesium) escaped into the
atmosphere. To reduce emissions, the rescue team bombarded the reactor with 5,000 metric
tonnes of shielding material consisting of lead, boron, sand and clay. Soviet officials placed the
toll of human lives to 31.

However, according to western estimates, 2000 people were killed. Large areas of the Ukrainian,
Byelorussia Republics of the USSR and even parts of Poland, Denmark and Sweden were
contaminated. Around 200,000 people had to be evacuated and resettled. The after affects lasted
for many years and a rise in the incidence of thyroid and blood cancer has been observed in a wide
group of people. Other affects on the human health included skin diseases, hair loss, nausea,
anemia, respiratory and reproductive diseases.

pg. 17
 Conclusion

In this Microproject we learned about Impact of Natural Disasters and Man-Made Hazards, Different Type
of Disasters and more!

6.0 Skill Developed/Learning outcomes of this Micro-Project:

We learned how to manage the situation after the disasters occurred. We understand the basic impacts
of natural as well as man-made disasters impacts on environment. We learned the mitigation and prevention
controls for the various disasters. We also understand the causes for the disasters.

7.0 Applications of this Micro-Project

1) Provides decision support system in disaster management.
2) Useful for hazard zone mapping and duration emergency conditions.
3) Provide awareness about natural disasters.

Reference

• www.google.com
• www.openai.com

Thank You...-
pg. 18