How do natural disasters as floods and cyclones adversely affect the lives and properties? Explain your answer with suitable examples in about 250 words.

 

Floods are the most common of all natural calamities. Floods regularly claim thousands of lives and adversely affect millions of human beings annually worldwide. Bangladesh and India together account for over two-third of global death count each year. More than the loss of life and damage to property, millions of people are displaced every year due to floods in the South Asian countries.

A flood is the discharge of water that exceeds the canal capacity of the river. Floods are caused by different factors that include:

• ·         climate extremes – heavy and prolonged rainfall
• ·         melting of snow and ice
• ·         collapse of dams
• ·         deforestation and land slides
• ·         silting of river beds reducing the carrying capacity of rivers
• ·         lack of coordination between officials of adjoining countries or states facing similar problems

It is possible to reduce the adverse effects of floods by construction of dams and reservoirs at appropriate places, strengthening the embankments on rivers and canals, improving the carrying capacities of rivers, canals and reservoirs by periodical deepening and deepening operations.

Weather forecasting and flood plain management techniques can help in minimising causalities and damage.

Cyclones are caused in the tropical belt when sea water gets heated up to 27 Co and more, so that low pressure areas develop above the water levels. The low pressure areas remain stationary for three to four days and draw energy from the sea surface. As the pressure in the centre falls, the wind speed increases and cloud burst starts spiralling around the centre causing squalls. As the pressure falls in the centre, the winds in the surrounding areas rush inwards creating spirally moving storms. The cyclone then moves landward towards areas of lowest pressure. Strong winds and heavy rain destroy and annihilate weather comes in their way.

     A tropical cyclone that struck northern Bay of Bengal in 1970 caused tidal waves of 6 meters height killing three hundred thousand people and destroying 65% of the total fishing capacity of the coastal region.

     Today, with the advancement in weather prediction techniques, remote sensing satellites and cooperation between countries in sharing information on weather conditions, it is possible to predict the birth of a cyclone and monitor its movements to pinpoint the area where it is likely to hit the coast. In spite of this, the damage caused is very severe, the well planned relief operations going haywire in the last minute.

Subcribe on Youtube - IGNOU SERVICE

For PDF copy of Solved Assignment

WhatsApp Us - 9113311883(Paid)