6
will have far-reaching implications for generations to come (World Population
Prospects 2017).
Environmental degradation, livelihood selection, settlement patterns and behaviour can all contribute to disaster risk, which will have definite influence on human
development leading to further environmental degradation. The poor people are the
most helpless segment of population to face the disasters because they have to settle
on the most marginal and vulnerable lands to obtain their livelihoods and have the
least access to avoidance, awareness and early warning systems. Aside, these people
are the least resilient in improving their capacity against impending disasters
because they lack strong social networks, useful material support and substitute
livelihood choices.
The incidents which cause damage, devastation, economic loss, land loss, ecological disturbance, human livelihood effect, human suffering, diseases and health
problems, etc., are called disaster (World Health Organization 2007). It has been
found that the number and magnitude of disasters have rapidly increased from
1950s, with the number of people affected also increased by approximately 235 million persons per annum on the average, since 1990s (Boonmee et al. 2017). The
world is very likely to experience an augmenting frequency and intensity of different types of disasters to have overwhelming impacts. The Secretariat of the
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR 2007) has recorded, during
last 10 years, that 478,100 people were killed, more than 2.5 billion people badly
affected, and about US$ 690 billion was the economic loss. Hydro-meteorological
hazards accounted for 97% of the total people affected by disasters and 60% of the
total economic losses. It has been also reported that in India, more than 150,000
lives were lost due to Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 (Wachtendorf et al. 2006). The
greater tragedy is that many of the losses due to disasters could have been averted.
It has been estimated that 376 natural disasters were reported, with the loss of economy accounted to be US$ 70.3 billion and death of 22,765 persons (Guha et al.
2013). These increasing numbers of disasters warrant many researchers for attention to disaster management (DM) with the objective of assisting the persons recover
from the effects of disasters (Akgün et al. 2015). The activity of DM includes four
major approaches including preparation, mitigation, response and recovery
(Coppola 2011). The most important perspective of DM comprises removal and
disposal of debris from the affected sectors (Fetter and Rakes 2012). There is a need
to emphasize the role of complete environmental management for minimizing the
risk of disasters.
Logging, both legal and illegal, contributed to the incidence of increasing run-off
and combined with high intensity rainfall this increases the probability of flooding
and landslides in the steeper slopes (Basu and Srinivas 2014). Land use and land
cover (LULC) changes are deteriorating the natural buffers at global level, as
environment- friendly LULC protect human societies from hazard-risks which
reduce peoples’ capacity to recover from disaster.
Rukhsana et al.
will have far-reaching implications for generations to come (World Population
Prospects 2017).
Environmental degradation, livelihood selection, settlement patterns and behaviour can all contribute to disaster risk, which will have definite influence on human
development leading to further environmental degradation. The poor people are the
most helpless segment of population to face the disasters because they have to settle
on the most marginal and vulnerable lands to obtain their livelihoods and have the
least access to avoidance, awareness and early warning systems. Aside, these people
are the least resilient in improving their capacity against impending disasters
because they lack strong social networks, useful material support and substitute
livelihood choices.
The incidents which cause damage, devastation, economic loss, land loss, ecological disturbance, human livelihood effect, human suffering, diseases and health
problems, etc., are called disaster (World Health Organization 2007). It has been
found that the number and magnitude of disasters have rapidly increased from
1950s, with the number of people affected also increased by approximately 235 million persons per annum on the average, since 1990s (Boonmee et al. 2017). The
world is very likely to experience an augmenting frequency and intensity of different types of disasters to have overwhelming impacts. The Secretariat of the
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR 2007) has recorded, during
last 10 years, that 478,100 people were killed, more than 2.5 billion people badly
affected, and about US$ 690 billion was the economic loss. Hydro-meteorological
hazards accounted for 97% of the total people affected by disasters and 60% of the
total economic losses. It has been also reported that in India, more than 150,000
lives were lost due to Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 (Wachtendorf et al. 2006). The
greater tragedy is that many of the losses due to disasters could have been averted.
It has been estimated that 376 natural disasters were reported, with the loss of economy accounted to be US$ 70.3 billion and death of 22,765 persons (Guha et al.
2013). These increasing numbers of disasters warrant many researchers for attention to disaster management (DM) with the objective of assisting the persons recover
from the effects of disasters (Akgün et al. 2015). The activity of DM includes four
major approaches including preparation, mitigation, response and recovery
(Coppola 2011). The most important perspective of DM comprises removal and
disposal of debris from the affected sectors (Fetter and Rakes 2012). There is a need
to emphasize the role of complete environmental management for minimizing the
risk of disasters.
Logging, both legal and illegal, contributed to the incidence of increasing run-off
and combined with high intensity rainfall this increases the probability of flooding
and landslides in the steeper slopes (Basu and Srinivas 2014). Land use and land
cover (LULC) changes are deteriorating the natural buffers at global level, as
environment- friendly LULC protect human societies from hazard-risks which
reduce peoples’ capacity to recover from disaster.
Rukhsana et al.