Let’s begin with a simple idea — disasters don’t respect borders.A cyclone that forms near the Andaman coast may hit Bangladesh, Myanmar, or Sri Lanka too.Hence, disaster management must not remain only a national agenda — it must be a global partnership. India, being one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, plays a leadership role…
🌍 The Idea: From Relief to Resilience Historically, disasters were seen as “acts of God” — unpredictable and unavoidable.The global community’s response used to be reactive: rescue, relief, and rehabilitation. But gradually, especially after repeated natural catastrophes, the realization grew that “disasters are not natural — vulnerabilities are.” Hence, focus shifted from: Post-disaster relief →…
Imagine a dense crowd suddenly starting to move or panic — people push, stumble, and fall, and before anyone can help, the force of human bodies becomes uncontrollable.That uncontrollable surge of human movement leading to crushing or trampling is called a stampede. 👉 Definition: A stampede occurs when a crowd surges beyond the capacity of…
🛢️What is an Oil Spill? Let’s begin with a simple image:Imagine a black layer of oil spreading across the ocean surface, suffocating marine life below and coating the feathers of seabirds above.That is an Oil Spill — one of the most visible and destructive forms of marine pollution. 👉 Definition: An oil spill is the…
☢️ What is a Nuclear Hazard? Let’s start with a simple image — imagine invisible energy radiating from the nucleus of an atom.When this radiation goes beyond control or leaks into the environment, it poses a nuclear hazard. 👉 Definition: A nuclear hazard is the risk or danger to human health and the environment caused…
Let’s start with a question:When do industries — the very symbol of development — turn into sources of destruction? When hazardous chemicals, industrial processes, or negligence cause fire, explosion, or toxic release beyond human and environmental coping capacity — the result is an Industrial Chemical Disaster. 👉 Definition: Industrial disasters occur when industrial hazards—arising from…
What is a Biological Disaster? Let’s begin with a simple question —What happens when diseases spread uncontrollably, affecting not just humans, but also animals and plants? That scenario is called a Biological Disaster. 👉 Definition: A biological disaster is a situation where disease, disability, or death occurs on a large scale among humans, animals, or…
While natural hazards arise from environmental and geological processes, anthropogenic or human-induced disasters result from technological failures, human negligence, mismanagement, or sociopolitical causes. These events often have far-reaching and long-lasting impacts because they occur in densely populated or industrialized areas and involve hazardous substances or chaotic crowd situations. Such disasters include biological outbreaks, industrial and…
🔥 What is a Wildfire? A wildfire is an uncontrolled combustion that rapidly spreads through vegetation (forest, grassland, or scrubland), consuming large areas.While small fires are natural and help in forest regeneration, uncontrolled fires cause enormous ecological and economic loss. 🔹 Forest fires are nature’s way of recycling — but human interference turns them into…
🧭 Definition A cold wave is a marked drop in temperature over a large area, caused by the advection (horizontal movement) of very cold air masses from higher latitudes into lower latitudes.It is often accompanied by frost, fog, or strong winds — leading to physiological stress, crop damage, and sometimes death. According to IMD: 🌀…
