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Hazard and Vulnerable Profile of India

India is highly vulnerable to various natural disasters due to its unique geo-climatic conditions. 57% of India's land is vulnerable to earthquakes, 28% to droughts, 12% to floods, and 8% to cyclones. India experiences frequent floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, and cyclonic storms that cause widespread damage and loss of life each year. The disasters impact millions of people and hinder the country's development.

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1K views

Hazard and Vulnerable Profile of India

India is highly vulnerable to various natural disasters due to its unique geo-climatic conditions. 57% of India's land is vulnerable to earthquakes, 28% to droughts, 12% to floods, and 8% to cyclones. India experiences frequent floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, and cyclonic storms that cause widespread damage and loss of life each year. The disasters impact millions of people and hinder the country's development.

Uploaded by

Ananya
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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HAZARD AND VULNERABLE PROFILE OF INDIA

The unique geo-climatic and socio-political conditions of the Indian sub-continent make the region
vulnerable to both natural and man-made disasters. The increase in the vulnerability in recent years
has been serious threat to the overall development of the country.

India's vulnerability to various disasters has led to mounting losses year after year. Funds were drawn
to provide post-disaster relief to the recurring victims of floods, cyclones, droughts and the less
suspecting landslides and earthquakes. India consists of vast area of landmass, around –

● 57% of the land is vulnerable to earthquakes


● 28% is vulnerable to droughts.
68% of its cultivable area is vulnerable to droughts.
● 12% is vulnerable to floods
● 8% of the land is vulnerable to clones. Close to 5,700 kms, out of the 7,516 kms long
coastline is prone to cyclones and tsunamis.
Avalanches:

o They are rapid flow of snow or ice sliding downhill, similar to a stream from the mountain
tops. They are very destructive and cause enormous loss to life and property.
o Location - Himalayas, avalanches are common in Drass, Pir Panijat, Lahaul-Spiti and
Badrinath areas.
o Destruction- An average around 30 people are killed every year due to this disaster in various
zones of the Himalayas. They also destroy the roads and others properties and settlements
falling in its way.

Landslides:

o The landslides are basically defined as the mass movement of rock, debris or earth
downward a slope and have to include a broad range of motions whereby falling, sliding and
flowing under the influence of gravity displaces earth material.
o They often take place in conjunction with earthquakes, floods and volcanoes.
o Location : The Himalayan Mountain, the north-east hill ranges and the Western Ghats and
the Nilgiris experience considerable landslide activities of varying intensities.

Earthquake:

o Earthquakes are one of the most hazardous and critical natural hazards. The impact of this
disaster is very sudden with a little or no warning which makes it just impractical to forecast.
o India has a huge fraction of its land area prone to extensive range of possible highest seismic
intensities where shallow earthquakes of magnitudes of 5.0 or more on Richter Scale, have
been recorded in the last 100 years.
o Approximately 56% of the total areas in the country are vulnerable to seismic activities of
varying intensity.
o Location : Himalayan and sub-Himalayan regions, Kutch and Andaman Nicobar Islands.

Windstorms/cyclones:

o The long coastline of 8,000 kms, in India has been exposed to tropical cyclones
originating from Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.
o Location - On an average, about 5-6 tropical cyclones originate in the Bay of Bengal and
Arabian Sea every year, out of which two to three could be severe.
o The east coastline of the country is more prone than the west as cyclones as about 80
percent of the total cyclones generated in the region hit here.
o Destruction - The impact of these cyclones is confined to the coastal districts, the
maximum destruction being within 100 km. from the center of the cyclones and on
either side of the storm track.

Flood:
o India receives an annual precipitation of 400 million hectare meters. Of the total
annual rainfall received, 75% is received during four months of monsoon
(June-September) and, as a result, almost all the rivers carry heavy discharge during
this period.
o The flood vulnerability is multiplied by the problems of sediment deposition,
drainage congestion and harmonization of river floods with sea-tides in the coastal
plains zones.
o Destruction - The area that is susceptible to floods is 40 million hectares and
annually, the average area affected by floods is about 8 million hectares.
Approximately 30 million people are affected by flood every year.
o Location - Floods in the Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra plains are an annual feature.

Drought:

o Approximately 68% arable land area of the nation is susceptible to drought in varying
degrees.
o Drought prone areas comprise 108.11 million hectares out of a total land area of 329 million
hectares.
o About 50 million people are affected by drought annually. Of approximately 90 million
hectares of rain-fed areas, about 40 million hectares are prone to scanty or no rain.

Submitted by –
Madhav Singla (2050991032)
Smriti (2050991053)

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