Cyclone, earthquakes, landslides, Avalanches

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Cyclone, earthquakes, landslides, Avalanches

Cyclones are caused by atmospheric disturbances around a low-pressure area distinguished by swift and often destructive air circulation. Classified as: (i) extra tropical cyclones (also called temperate cyclones); and (ii) tropical cyclones. The word Cyclone is derived from the Greek word ‘Cyclos’ meaning the coils of a snake. The term coined by Henry Peddington because the tropical storms in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea appear like coiled serpents of the sea.

Extra tropical cyclones occur in temperate zones and high latitude regions, though they are known to originate in the Polar Regions. Tropical cyclones that develop in the regions between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer are called tropical cyclones. Tropical cyclones are large-scale weather systems developing over tropical or subtropical waters, where they get organized into surface wind circulation.

Do’s in Cyclone (Before the Cyclone season): 1. Check the house; secure loose tiles and carry out repairs of doors and windows. 2. Keep some wooden boards ready so that glass windows can be boarded if needed. 3. Keep a hurricane lantern filled with kerosene, battery operated torches and enough dry cells. 4. Keep some extra batteries for transistors. 5. Keep some dry non-perishable food always ready for use in emergency

Do’s in Cyclone (When the Cyclone starts): 1. Listen to the radio and follow the instructions (All India Radio stations give weather warnings). Reading Manual on Introduction to Disaster Management (PGS 507) 8 2. Ignore rumours and do not spread them; this will help to avoid panic situations. 3. Believe in the official information. Post-cyclone measures: 1. You should remain in the shelter until informed that you can return to your home. 2. You must get inoculated against diseases immediately. 3. Strictly avoid any loose and dangling wires from lamp posts. 4. If you have to drive, do drive carefully. 5. Clear debris from your premises immediately. 6. Report the correct losses to appropriate authorities.

 International Standardized System for cyclone warning: Blue alert: Winds may reach Beaufort Force 6 in 24 hours or winds of Beaufort Force 6~7 are already blowing. Yellow alert: Winds may reach Beaufort Force 8 in 24 hours or winds of Beaufort Force 8~9 (gale force) are already blowing. Orange alert: Winds may reach Beaufort Force 10 in 12 hours or winds of Beaufort Force 10~11 (storm force) are already blowing. Red alert: Winds may reach Beaufort Force 12 in 6 hours or winds of Beaufort Force 12 (hurricane force) are already blowing.

Cyclone Warning System in India

India is a large country with a coastline of about 8000 km, which makes the country vulnerable to severe tropical cyclones arising in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Tropical cyclones are mostly characterized by torrential rain, gales and storm surges, causing massive loss of life and property. They also result in extensive damage to standing crops and loss of livestock. In the last five decades, government is making attempts to highlight the use of information technology in providing early warning systems for effective disaster management, especially in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal coasts, which are susceptible to such storms.

Area Cyclone Warning Centres in India

Area Cyclone Warning Centres

v Calcutta v Chennai v Mumbai

Cyclone Warning Centres

v Bhubaneswar v Visakhapatnam and Ahmedabad.

Cyclone Warning Division, New Delhi

Mission of Cyclone Warning Division : As per one of the recommendations of the Cyclone Review Committee (CRC), a Cyclone Warning Directorate co-located with RSMC-Tropical Cyclones, New Delhi was established in 1990 in the Office of the Director General of Meteorology, New Delhi to co-ordinate and supervises the cyclone warning work in the country in totality. The mission of this division is to improve the cyclone warning activity in the country and to improve linkage between early warning system of cyclone and disaster management.

The extreme weather events like cyclone and severe local storm are most devastating and deadly weather events all over the world. The tropical cyclone can be defined as a low pressure area with strong winds rotating anti-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. The nomenclature of the cyclone is region specific.

It is referred to as tropical cyclone, hurricane and typhoon over tropic, Atlantic and pacific region respectively. Conceived over warm tropical oceans and nurtured by the converging moisture, the mature tropical cyclones are associated with violent wind, torrential rainfall and the worst of all, the cumulative effect of storm surges and the astronomical tides are the three major elements of tropical cyclone disaster.

The severity of cyclonic hazard can be gauged from some of the major calamitous cyclones that include the cyclones of 1876 and 1970 in Bangladesh which together killed more than 5 lakh people, Orissa Super Cyclone of 1999, the very severe cyclonic storm Nargis of 2008 etc.

The North Indian seas (Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea) have the least number of cyclones in a year than any other part of the world. But, their impact has been much more devastating in this region due to a combination of factors such as coastal topography, storm surge, coastal population density, science and technological advancement, infrastructural development, social and economic conditions etc.

Though early warning system for cyclones have been in operation for centuries now, recent developments suggest that the cyclone hazard can be better dealt with the concept of cyclone risk management which in addition to an effective early warning integrates various other mitigation and preparedness measures.

At the same time, severe local storm like thunderstorm / tornado is a mesoscale system of space scale of a few kilometers and time scale of some minutes to few hours. Most of the part of tropics observed thunderstorms and occasionally tornadoes, but the severe thunderstorms formed over eastern and north eastern part of India in the pre-monsoon seasons which are locally known as “Kal-baishakhi” or “Nor’westers”.

Strong heating of landmass during mid-day initiates convection, which moves from northwest and gets intensified by mixing with warm moist air mass from Head Bay of Bengal. It produces heavy rain, lightning, thunder, hail-storms, dust-storms, strong surface wind with squalls and down-bursts. By the same season, the northwest India also gets convective dust-storms locally called as “Andhi”. These severe thunderstorms have significant socio-economic impact which leads to loss of life, property and standing crops in the eastern and north eastern parts of the country. An accurate location specific and timely prediction is required to disseminate adequate warning to various sectors.

“Challenges in Tropical Cyclone Forecasting”. Three factors (a) will the Cyclone hit the coast and where and when (b) what will be its intensity and (c) What will be the cumulative damage?

The IMD’s operational forecast track errors are there and some of the major initiatives were taken to improve the track and intensity forecast by the department. More research effort is needed for non conventional data-satellite products, radar inputs, etc. and importance of aircraft and dropsonde facilities for tropical cyclone structure and intensity forecast.

          “Characteristic feature of land falling cyclone and cyclone prone districts of India”. The cyclone proneness of a district was assessed using a composite rating procedure based on five parameters, viz (i) total number of Tropical cyclones (TCs), (ii) total number of severe TCs, (iii) maximum wind, (iv) probable maximum storm surge and (v) probable maximum precipitation for the district. These parameters take into consideration the frequency and intensity of TCs along with associated adverse weather conditions. Based on different categories of ratings, the districts were classified into moderately prone, highly prone and very highly prone districts. The study shows that cyclone proneness is very high for the districts of south 24 praganas & Midnapore (West Bengal), Balasore, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur & Ganjam (Orissa), Nellore, Guntur, east Godabari and Srikakulam (Andhra Pradesh) and Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu).

Spatiotemporal variability of frequency of TCs and severe TCs landfalling over different coastal districts were also analysed based on mean, coefficient of variation, linear trend coefficient and periodicities. The results indicate that the landfalling TCs for the coastal districts in west coast are trendless and random in nature. They show epochal behavior with maximum landfall during 1971-1990 over coastal districts of West Bengal, north Orissa and south Andhra Pradedesh.

“Storm Protection Services Mangroves: Evidence from the Super Cyclone of 1999”. Impact of mangrove cover in minimizing losses is emphasized that total death may have doubled during Orissa cyclone 1999 in the absence of mangrove cover

“Dissemination to Response: In search of new strategies for Broadcast media in Cyclone warning of Bangladesh”. Many other factors such as poverty level, education, frequency of exposure, house pattern, availability of cyclone shelters and God’s mercy are important other than media broadcast warning message in public response to cyclone warning. It is recommended that (a) cyclone warning should be reoriented according to the need and understanding of the public; (b) radio and television should take care to check authenticity of broadcast warning; (c) broadcast media such as radio and television should operate round the clock in Bangladesh if there is a depression and (d) comprehensive education/awareness campaigns should be undertaken at all levels.

Recommendations

·         Enhancement of observations over data sparse oceanic regions as well as establishment ™ of mesoscale-network of observations over vulnerable regions.

·         Implementation of better assimilation techniques utilizing all available data including ™ land surface, remote sensing (satellite, DWR, UAV, aircraft) data etc. for initialization of mesoscale models.

·         Extensive use of coupled mesoscale atmosphere-ocean-wave model for better track and ™ intensity prediction of tropical cyclones.

·         Preparation of probability forecasts for striking potential of cyclones using multi-models for effective and reliable warning system.

·         Better prediction of storm surges and associated costal inundation along with providing ™ information on river and estuarine water level height.

·         Identification of risk/ vulnerability zones of coastal regions.

·         More intense and systematic interaction among scientific community, disaster managers and society.

·         Awareness, community involvement & preparedness and social defense mechanism need to be strengthened.

·         Introduction of disaster management courses / special subject in all graduate level technical education.

·         Improved techniques for mangroves generation and maintenance to reduce causalities

Mass Movements (Landslide & Avalanches)

Landslides: Landslides and avalanches are among the major hydro-geological hazards that affect large parts of India besides the Himalayas, the Northeastern hill ranges, the Western Ghats, the Nilgiris, the Eastern Ghats and the Vindhyans, in that order, covering about 15 % of the landmass. India has the highest mountain chain on earth, the Himalayas, which are formed due to collision of Indian and Eurasian plate, the northward movement of the Indian plate towards China causes continuous stress on the rocks rendering them friable, weak and prone to landslides and earthquakes. The slow motion of the Indian crust, about 5 cm/year accumulates stress to which natural disasters are attributed. Landslides in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal as also those in Sikkim, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh pose chronic problems, causing recurring economic losses worth billions of rupees.

 

Do’s in landslide prone locality: 1. Prepare tour to hilly region according to information given by weather department or news channel. 2. Move away from landslide path or downstream valleys quickly without wasting time. 3. Keep drains clean. 4. Inspect drains for - litter, leaves, plastic bags, rubble etc. 5. Keep the weep holes open 6. Grow more trees that can hold the soil through roots, Identify areas of rock fall and subsidence of buildings, cracks that indicate landslides and move to safer areas. Even muddy river waters indicate landslides upstream. 7. Mark path of tracking so that you can’t be lost in middle of the forest.

 

Don’ts in landslide prone locality: 1. Try to avoid construction and staying in vulnerable areas. 2. Do not touch or walk over loose material and electrical wiring or pole. 3. Do not built houses near steep slopes and near drainage path.

Mass movements are massive failures of slope masses including rock, debris, soils and snow/ ice that cause loss of life, economy, environment, land and natural resources. These events are widespread and frequently recurring geological hazards that disrupt socio-cultural and commercial activities, communication and transport services, basic amenities and utilities like power, drinking water and irrigation supply etc. in the affected area. These mass movements are also often associated and sometimes even form a major part of other disasters such as earthquakes, floods, thunderstorms, heavy rainstorms, cyclones, forest fires, wild fires, volcanoes and so on.

Haphazard human activities like construction of roads, buildings, structures and infra-structure facilities; mining, quarrying, deforestation and logging; blasting; disturbances in natural drainage and slope conditions etc. have further aggravated the incidences of these disastrous mass movements. Besides aggravating the hazardous processes, humans have also increased their vulnerability and exposure to the consequences of these mass movement by occupying areas highly prone to such hazards and unrestricted unscientific development of critical structures such as dams, tunnels, bridges and highways at such sites. This has lead to other potentially hazardous events like dam bursts, glacial lake outburst floods, flash floods, debris flow and bursting landslide dammed lakes. If one considers the cumulative impacts of mass movements including all such primary and secondary hazards directly or indirectly related to mass movement, the losses would be thousands of billions of Rupees besides innumberable losses of human lives.

A World Bank Report (2005) indicates that 3.7 million square kilometers of land area of the globe is exposed to landslides and the population exposed to it is 300 million i.e. 5% of world population. About 8,20,000 km² is identified under high risk category which has a population of 66 million at high risk. The CRED data shows that landslides are responsible for 17% of all fatalities from natural hazards worldwide. It has been observed that Asia is the worst affected continent due to landslides and within the Asian countries, it is South Asian Countries which are more affected and even among the South Asian Countries, India is the most affected country. About 25% of the India’s landmass (~0.82 million square kilometers) is prone to landslides. These unstable hill slopes are spread across 22 States and 2 UTs to varying extent. Even in the Indian scenario, the Himalayan States suffer more due to landslides compared to Western Ghats, Niligiris etc. Some of the studies have indicated that on an average, a landslide occurs at almost every two kilometers along the highways in Himalayan terrain.

 Although individual landslides in these areas do not result in mass causality or heavy damages yet the cumulative losses over a period of time are comparable to other disasters like earthquakes, cyclones and floods. Average Annual losses are estimated to be approximately 3-4 billion Rupees (INR) besides loss of hundreds of lives and other intangible damages. However, the losses are rising due to increased occupation of human population on susceptible slopes and unscientific haphazard development without due consideration to landslides risk management.

As outlined above, the losses/risks from landslides in the hilly terrains have a rising trend and need a serious concern to minimize these losses and protect people’s life, property, infrastructure, environment and natural resources. National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India, took a great initiative by issuing national guidelines on landslides and avalanches on 23 June 2009 to guide the Central Government, State Governments, District Administration, different Ministries/Agencies/Organization in preparation of plans for management of landslides and avalanches. But still there are lot of existing gaps in information, data-bases, maps, methodologies, techniques and technologies in this field and few dedicated efforts have been made in education, training, research and capacity building of human resources to cater to the needs of this sector.

A systematic action is required for building reliable and credible databases on mass movements, preparation of inventory maps, hazard zonation maps at different scales for use by various stakeholders, vulnerability and risk assessment studies, classification and prioritization of the risks, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and risk reduction measures. An overview of the status of practices in landslides risk management indicates that the application of state-of-art technologies in assessment, prevention, mitigation, monitoring, warning, and preparedness is lacking in Indian context. Most often crude traditional approach of constructing a retaining wall (made of gabions or RR masonry) is followed at landslide sites as a reactive measure.

 There is a need to shift this attitude for a proactive continuum risk management. Not much use of scientifically prepared hazard and risk zonation maps has been made in selection, designing and development of sites/ projects. There is also a dire need to prepare minimum standards for landslide/avalanches database, inventories, hazard zonation mapping, investigation and management.

The country lacks good rehabilitation, relocation/resettlement, and reconstruction policies which affect adversely the affected people of these areas. A significant reduction of risks/losses could be achieved by preventing/minimizing the exposure of people and properties through land use and developmental regulations and enhancing the coping capacities of communities.

Little attention is given to the use of indigenous knowledge, information, skills, expertise/ experiences and local resources while planning and implementing activities related to management of mass movements. NIDM has a national mandate to undertake training, capacity building, networking, linkage, coordination, dissemination of knowledge, documentation, and research related to disaster risk management.

“The Aknes rock slope: Early warning system and emergency preparedness” large rock slides can be predicted based on accelerating creep behavior. In order to record sub-surface movements, inclinometers and piezometers were used. The climatic conditions were also monitored for temperature, precipitation, snow depth, and wind speed. Alarm threshold criteria were decided based on total displacement, velocity and acceleration. Alert levels were classified into green, blue, yellow, orange and red. These were communicated through various media including 26 sirens with sound signals and messages in Norwegian, English and German. Automatic phone calls were sent to all registered phoned. Emergency plans have also been prepared and tested at the site.

“Sonapur Landslide and its mitigation through RCC Cut and Cover Structure”. Sonapur landslide located on National Highway 44 between Shillong and Agartala. The landslide blocked the highway for 60 days in 1988. Although numerous investigations were done and several remedial works also carried out, yet it did not stabilize. BRO planned to construct a cut and cover tunnel structure across an active landslide for the first time in India. The tunnel was 123m long, 8m wide and 9m high. A similar structure can also be used as avalanche protection and underground structures

Landslides constitute one of the most damaging disasters for India affecting 15% area, spread over 22 States and one Union Territory. Almost all landslides are located either in the Himalayan and the ArakanYoma belt of the North-Eastern parts of the country or the relatively stable domains of the Meghalaya Plateau, the Western and Eastern Ghats and the Nilgiri Hills. Landslide occurrence varies significantly both spatially and temporally; almost all the landslides were preceded by relatively long duration rainfall or high intensity rainfall for a short period; and Landslide distribution spatially follows the landslide susceptibility. 

“Hazards Mitigation through Application of Bioengineering Measures in Landslide Areas: A Case Study of Varunavat Landslide, Uttarkashi” Vegetation can be used to arrest further loss to the ecosystem and society in landslide damaged areas. Bioengineering measures have been used to check further damage due to erosion of loose materials.

“Forecasting Erosion Induced Landslide”. Landslides are a major problem in Malaysia. It was mentioned that combination of two main factors namely rainfall erosivity and soil erodibility can be used as a predictive tool in forecasting erosion induced landslide. By knowing the level of rainfall erosivity and soil erodibility impact of an area, the potential risk of erosion induced landslide can be made known.

Landslides and Avalanches listed under Geological hazards are no longer only geological in nature but involve a very strong component of anthropogenic factor complicated by continued neglect of slopes, unabated non-engineered constructions and climate change.

The challenge before us is not to take management of Landslides and Avalanches as an all out war to stop them from occurring. It should mean inculcating the same culture of non-violence against Mountains as we find in the thoughts and teachings of Mahavir and Gandhiji.

A number of human ™ settlements, roads and highways, communication lines, bridges, water reservoirs and dams are becoming increasingly vulnerable to landslides and other mass movements. This is amply brought out by examples of the human settlements in the over stressed Kashmir Valley, unauthorized and non-engineered constructions in the Sikkim Himalaya, vulnerability of hydroelectric projects in Garhwal Himalaya, perennial threat to pilgrim routes to the shrines of Badrinath  and Vaishnav Devi and problems encountered on the Nainital-Kathgodam portion of NH 87, widened cuts of NH 22 and constant avalanche threat to NH 1A connecting Jammu with Srinagar- a lifeline for civil and defence population.

All the above concerns are distributed over a number of states, Government departments, public and private sector undertakings, institutions and others. It follows therefore that new knowledge generated, experiences gained, challenges faced, and lessons learnt will   continue to remain scattered unless a conscientious effort is made to breed bilateral and multi-lateral interactions among different agencies between the conferences such as this one. Most major slope failures of today are landslide disasters in making and call for timely ™ preventive action.

The best way to promote healthy landslide management practices suited to different geo-climatic and geotechnical situations is to create examples others can follow. Two examples of major landslides controlled through intensive effort; the Sonapur landslide in Meghalaya and the Varnavrat Landslide in Uttrakhand. A few handpicked cases of landslides should be taken on hand to showcase scientific geological and geotechnical engineering best practices including merit of new technology and efficacy of early warning systems. Investment in disaster resilient communities will pay rich dividends. Border Roads Organization is repository of national experience on landslide control and Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment does the same as regards to snow avalanches. Both these organizations, among others, need strengthening. Whereas proliferation of new institutions is to be resisted, we do need more such organizations or centres in areas that deserve specific focus. Most of the projects involving landslide control have no built in mechanism to know ™ about the efficacy of control measures and cost-effectiveness of the designs.

Adequate investments are essential for monitoring of major lan slides over a length of time for early warning and cost effective remediation. NDMA, State Governments and our national project funding agencies must insist on making slope management an integral part of development projects and their control effort should involve a comprehensive slope treatment after a thorough investigation in place of the usual piece-meal (palliative) approach without adequate investigation. Capacity Building is primarily building of our institutions. Thanks to creation of Snow ™ and Avalanche management that we not only have one dozen papers in this conference on the multi-faceted aspects of Snow and Avalanche management.

Western Himalaya, Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand together regularly displays a spectrum of deadly avalanches and this matchless opportunity have been availed of by SASE to tests avalanche evaluation models, forecasting techniques, early warning systems, preventive works, avalanche control measures, search and rescue, and field training in avalanche management.

Our network of Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), Upper Air Stations (UAS) and Doppler radar for collection of snow meteorological and avalanche related data on daily basis has facilitated coordinated avalanche disaster management, avalanche forecasting, awareness generation and delivery of avalanche zonation and a digital Avalanche Atlas. A further impetus to Airborne hyperspectral imaging, Spectroradiometer, LiDAR, digital photogrammetry and GPR and continued innovation in tapping the full potential of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and related robotics and sensor technology in the ongoing studies on snow and glacier will go a long way in national capacity building in the area of Snow and Avalanche management. Landslide management in the country can only be as efficient as the quality of investigations we make and appropriateness of technology we use.

Geohazards across the globe, be they earthquakes, landslides, avalanches or volcanoes, are closely being studied and much better understood thanks to a spate of fast emerging new technologies. The Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) Monitoring study reported at the conference, is now routinely being used, for example, in monitoring landslide activities  along strategic and transportation corridors in Canada, China and Latin America.

The fact that Geohazard sites could be frequently revisited makes it possible to keep a constant vigil on the problematic sites for timely remediation and early warning. Germans have come out with a technology that equips cars with special radio receivers that would trigger horns even in parked cars, in the event of an early warning. India enjoys a pre-eminent position in space technology and it is time that we multiply Satellite based warning systems (SatWaS) and Geohazard monitoring.

There is an enormous potential for use of Ground Based Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (GBSAR) networked with Global Positioning System (GPS). National investments should come to this area. Planning and Engineering of slopes and landslides critically depend on the reliability and user friendliness of Landslide Zonation maps.

Geological Survey of India, the nodal agency for Landslide management, and many other organizations are engaged for decades in developing Landslide Zonation Maps at varying scales of mapping. These institutions must address four major concerns expeditiously.

First of all they must converge on the criteria leading to choice of mapping scale and methodology used. Secondly, they must ensure that the maps are not open-ended but validated based on quality field evidence. Thirdly, all maps should be made user-friendly to architects, planners, engineers, builders and disaster managers for whom they are intended. And finally, all completed and certified maps should be placed in public domain with conscientious effort to promote their use. Studies on zonation of Satluj and zonation of rain-induced landslides studies can help the process of validation. The melting of glaciers due to Climate Change has attracted our attention to Glacial  Lake Outburst Floods.

Investments are necessary to pro-actively identify potentially dangerous glacial lakes and early warning systems should be developed to forewarn the population under threat. The   science   of   landslide   investigation   needs   enormous improvement. Geological, ™ geotechnical, seismological, meteorological and anthropogenic studies are all vital but the weakest link in the chain is the usual absence or poor quality of geotechnical investigation. The DST’s initiative of opening a National Geotechnical Institute is laudable. Finding land, constructing a building and procuring the state of the art equipment will pose no problem, if funds are available.

What needs ensuring is that geotechnical professionals of vision , experienced in institution building, are associated with this task right at the onset and a young scientists and engineers are pro-actively trained at the best centres of the world to be ready in time to man the institute. The launching of South Asia Disaster Knowledge Network is a laudable initiative. ™

Launching of India Disaster Knowledge Network is also realization of the vision reflected in the recommendation of the High Powered Committee Report to the Government of India, 9 years ago. This one single initiative can make all the difference, if dedicated groups are charged with the specific responsibilities. Besides recourse to the best in information communication technology, the challenge will lie in managing flood of unfiltered information from diverse sources and platforms, and timely presenting the continuous flow of information to fulfill the needs of stakeholders.

Educating the children on the diverse aspects by embedding the subject in school curricula is a visionary move which will ensure future success at the hands of posterity.  It is time that we develop appropriate knowledge products and train a breed of teachers who will be able to do justice with the subjects they teach.

Earthquakes

1. An earthquake is a phenomenon that occurs without warning and involves violent shaking of the ground and everything over it.

2. It results from the release of accumulated stress of the moving lithospheric or crustal plates.

3. The earth’s crust is divided into seven major plates, that are about 50 miles thick, which move slowly and continuously over the earth’s interior and several minor plates.

4. Earthquakes are tectonic in origin; that is the moving plates are responsible for the occurrence of violent shakes

What to do during an earth quake?

 Stay as safe as possible during an earthquake

If indoors 1. DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON until the shaking stops. If there is no a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building 2. Protect yourself by staying under the lintel of an inner door, in the corner of a room, under a table or even under a bed Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, (such as lighting fixtures or furniture). 4. Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place. 5. Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, load bearing doorway. 6. Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside.

Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.

1. Do not move from where you are. However, move away from buildings, trees, streetlights, and utility wires. 2. If you are in open space, stay there until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings; at exits; and alongside exterior walls. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects. If in a moving vehicle 1. Stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires. 2. Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that might have been damaged by the earthquake.

If trapped under debris

1. Do not light a match 2. Do not move about or kick up dust 3. Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing 4. Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. 5. Use a whistle if one is available. 6. Shout only as a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.

Earthquakes represent a risk in many parts of the world, particularly Western South and North America, China, Japan, Philippines, Iran, Turkey and northern part of India, to name a few of the higher seismic risk regions. Assessing the seismic risk, determining mitigation alternatives and making a decision about what to do and doing it adequately with the utilization of knowledge, methods and data from disparate fields, including the geosciences, engineering, emergency planning, business continuity, insurance and economics, form the gamut of earthquake risk management process.

Effective disaster reduction depends upon a multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration among all concerned stakeholders. While there have been notable achievements in the mitigation of natural hazards in recent times and while awareness of risk from natural and environmental disasters has considerably increased in global scale, there remain areas where loss of life and impoverishment of large communities continue to increase at an alarming rate.

The severity and frequency of disasters and their impact on the society will intensify in near future, thus requiring the urgency for sustained strategies to reduce disaster risk. In the 2nd India Disaster Management Congress (IDMC-2009) all level decision makers (from ministers to local authorities), scientists, technocrats, leaders of the executive and legislative powers, doctors, social activists, NGOs & INGOs, relief organizations, business corporate, representatives from private sectors and media are invited to take part and help devising strategy for the reduction of disaster impacts on the population, vital infrastructure and property.

About 59% of India’s geographical area is under the threat of moderate to severe earthquakes. The increase in demographic pressure, unplanned and ill-planned development practices and poor quality construction techniques have contributed immensely to the proliferation of seismic risk. Almost the entire northeast region, northern Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and some parts of Kutch are in seismic zone V (IS 1893 - 2002), while the entire Gangetic plain and some parts of Rajasthan are in seismic zone IV.

In the last 19 years the country has experienced eight major earthquakes that took more than 25000 lives and thereby affecting the local or regional economy. The effect would be colossal if such earthquakes hit metro cities where developmental activities are alarmingly high. In India, where 90% of the population lives in buildings built without proper guidance from qualified engineers and architects, occurrence of an earthquake of even a medium scale spells disaster.

The country has been classified into four macro-seismic zones indicating the intensity of damage or frequency of earthquake occurrences. These zoning maps indicate broadly the seismic coefficient that could generally be adopted for design of buildings in different parts of the country. These maps are based on subjective estimates of intensity from available information on earthquake occurrence, geology and tectonics of the country. The Indian seismic zoning is a continuous process, which keeps undergoing changes as more, and more data on occurrence of earthquakes becomes available.

National policies on earthquake risk mitigation, preparedness, emergency response, and recovery and reconstruction, individually and collectively shall be addressed to: Reduce increasing the risk to people, building stock, and lifeline infrastructure that future construction and urban development will lead to increased earthquakes.

Start decreasing the risk to community, businesses, organizations, buildings, and infrastructure already placed at risk to future earthquakes by the vulnerabilities of past urban developments. Devise planning and implementing ways to respond to and recover from the inevitable earthquake, including the unthinkable extreme event—a catastrophic earthquake in the Himalayan belt or Tsunami effect due to oceanic sub-duction plate movement— that will severely disrupt the production, distribution, and financial systems of habitat, industries, vital establishment and the nation as a whole.

Ensure implementation of bye laws relating to earthquake resistant design and constructions. To spread awareness amongst vulnerable communities to develop seismic hazard and risk microzonation map in order to examine and evaluate seismic safety of their own dwellings and to take measures for the retrofitting of the buildings.

Seismic risk reduction demands a systematic evaluation of the hazards, vulnerability and risk mapping of the entire region. Town and Country Planning Acts, Master Plan, Development Control Rules and Building Regulations of some of the metro cities in the country have mentioned adequately on the importance of safety requirements against natural hazards. Moreover, roles and responsibilities of different stake holders namely, owner, builder, developer, architect, engineer and the personnel in the regulatory bodies/authorities have been defined but they are not adequately put to practice due to lacking in performance oriented testing, mockdrill and accountability of disaster safety measures in the form of pilot projects.

As per guideline issued by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) many states have already formulated broad Disaster Management Plan, keeping in view the nature of natural and man-made disasters likely in the State with appropriate response mechanism for action at various levels, starting from State level headquarters through the district headquarters, towns down to the local village units. Appropriate preparations keeping in view the State level disaster mitigation plan in respect of preparedness, prevention, capacity building, training, mockdrills, the nature of equipments and machinery needed to be provided for has been underway.

 

There are two huge problems so far as earthquake is concerned in this country or in the SAARC region. First is the safety of new constructions. Second, a huge unsafe stock of buildings in this region and the plan of action in this regard. As per 1991 census, there were 197 million units, and the number has increased to 249 million in 2001 census out of which 111 million are brick buildings and about 76 million housing units are adhoc or kachcha. Whether these units are safe against the disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones, etc., The answer will be almost NO. Therefore, the government has a huge task to ensure that whatever is built should be disaster resistant.

The important question now is how to achieve zero tolerance against disasters and make the buildings safe. The available technology to retrofit the existing building to make them safe, and advocated that the local bodies must revise their ‘building by-laws’ so that the dwelling units/buildings are strengthened from the earthquake and other disasters. The new buildings, esp. Indira Awas Yojana houses, the funds provided by Central Government are so inadequate that no safety against any disaster can be built in those houses. Therefore, there is a need to look at this problem to build disaster safe houses, for which adequate funds should be provided by the Government.