UNIT 3: ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION-DEFINITION
Any undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of any component of
the environment (air, water, soil) which can cause harmful effects on various forms of life or property.
Types of environmental pollution:-
a) Air pollution
b) Water pollution
c) Soil pollution
d) Marine pollution
e) Noise pollution
f) Thermal pollution
g) Nuclear hazards

AIR POLLUTION:
It is an atmospheric condition where certain substances are present in conc. which can cause
undesirable effects on man and his environment. Ex. Gases, particulate matter, radioactive substances etc.
Gaseous pollutants – sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon oxides, volatile organic compounds
Particulate pollutants – smoke, dust, soot, fumes, aerosol, liquid droplets, pollen grains
Radio active pollutants – Radon 222, Iodine 131, Sr 90

Natural Man made

1 Volcanic eruption, thermal power plants
Industrial units, fossil fuel burning
(fly ash, SO2 )

2 Forest fires, Biological decay vehicle emission-

3 Sea salt spray, Pollen grains of flowers Agricultural activities, Metallurgical plants (SO2,
CO2), Fertilizer plants, Textile mills Refineries
Paper and pulp mills
Classification of air pollutants:
Primary pollutants - (SO2, NOX, smoke)
Secondary pollutants (PAN, SO3 aldehydes)
Indoor air pollution:
Radon is an important air pollutant. It can be emitted from building materials like bricks, concrete,
tiles etc. which are derived from soil containing radium. Burning of fuel
produce pollutants like CO, SO2, soot and many other like formaldehyde, benzo(a)pyrene (BAP) are toxic
and harmful for health. BAP is also found in cigarette smoke and is considered to cause cancer. A
person using wood as fuel for cooking inhales BAP equivalent to 20 packets of cigarette a day.

Effects of air pollution: Effects on human:

Human respiratory system has a number of mechanisms for protection from air pollution. Bigger particles
(> 10 micro m) can be trapped by the hairs and sticky muscus lining in the nose

S.No Pollutant Sources Effects on human

1 Aldehydes Thermal Irritates nasal and respiratory

decomposition of fats and oils tracts

2 Ammonia Chemical processes, dye Upper respiratory passage

making, explosives and
fertilizers
3 Arsenic Coal and oil furnaces Damages kidney, cause jaundice,
lung and skin cancer

4 Carbon Monoxide Motor exhausts, oil Damages lungs and heart

and coal furnaces

5 Cadmium Oil and coal furnaces Damages kidney

6 Chlorine Chemical industries Attacks respiratory tracks, mucous

membranes
7 Hydrocarbons Unburnt gasoline vapours Fog formed with combination of
NOx affects respiratory system

8 Hydrogen Sulfide Sewage treatment, Irritates eyes, causes nausea, bad

refineries odour
9 Nitrogen oxides Motor vehicle exhaust Bronchitis

10 Ozone Photochemical reactions Eye irritation, aggressive asthma

11 Sulphur dioxide Coal and oil combustion Obstructs breathing, irritates eyes
12 Suspended solids Industrial manufactures Eye irritation, asthma, air
suffocation, lung cancer
Control Measures
1. Source control
 Use only unleaded petrol
 Use fuels that have low sulphur and ash content
 Plant trees along busy streets because they remove particulates and carbon monoxide and
absorb noise.
 Industries and waste disposal sites should be situated outside the city centre.
 Use catalytic converters to help control the emissions of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.
 Houses, schools, restaurants & park should not be located on busy street
2. Control measures in Industrial centers
 Emission rates should be restricted to permissible levels
 Air pollution control equipments must be made mandatory
 Continuous monitoring of the atmosphere to know the emission level

Equipments used to control air pollution:

 Mechanical devices such as scrubbers,
 cyclone separator,
 bag houses
 electro-static precipitators

WATER POLLUTION:
Presence of foreign impurities (organic, inorganic, biological) in such quantities so as to constitute a
health hazard by lowering the water quality and making it unfit for use.

Classification of water pollutants:

1. Suspended matter
2. Thermal discharge
 3. Pathogens (bacteria, fungi, protozoa fungi)
4. Natural organic pollutants
5. Synthetic organic pollutants
6. Inorganic chemicals
7. Radioactive waste, oil, sediments

Effects of water pollution

1. Objectionable colour and odour is unacceptable and unsuitable for drinking and other purposes.
2. Highly turbid and very hard water is unpleasant to drink, food processing
3. Acid and alkaline water cause serious health problem
4. Water borne infectious enteric disease like typhoid, cholera, dysentery, are the predominant health
hazard arising from drinking contaminated water
5. Radioactive pollution enter human body through food and get accumulated in thyroid gland, liver,
bones and muscles
6. Biodegradable waster deplete D O in the receiving stream, affect the flora cause creates anaerobic
conditions
7. Non biodegradable waste and pesticides travel the food chain and ultimately reach human where they
accumulate in fatty tissues
8. Thermal discharge in stream depletes DO
9. Phosphate, nitrate, promote the growth of algae and encourage eutrophication
10. Industrial effluents result in addition of poisonous chemicals such as arsenic, mercury, lead may
reach human body through contaminated food.
Causes & Effects of water pollutants
1. Infectious agents:
Example: Bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasitic worms.
Sources: Human and animal wastes.
Effects: Variety of diseases.
2. Oxygen demanding wastes:
Example: Animal manure and plant debris that can be decomposed by aerobic bacteria.
Sources: Sewage, paper mills, and food processing facilities.
Effects: Wastes can degrade quality by depleting water of DO, make aquatic life to die
3. Inorganic Chemicals:
Example: Water soluble inorganic chemicals. Compounds of toxic metals such as lead, arsenic and
selenium. Salts such as Nacl in water.
Sources: Surface runoff, industrial effluents, household cleansers
Effects: Skin cancers & neck damage, Damages nervous system, liver & kidneys, Lower crop yields,
Harm fish & other aquatic life Accelerate corrosion of metals
4. Organic Chemicals:
Examples: Oil, gasoline, plastics, pesticides, cleaning solvents, detergents
 Sources: Industrial effluents, household cleansers, runoff from farms
Effects: Causes nervous system damage, cancer, harm fish & wild life.
5. Radio active materials:
Example: radioactive isotopes of iodine, radon, uranium, cesium & thorium
Sources: Nuclear power plants, mining, nuclear weapons production.
Effects: Genetic mutation, birth defects, and certain cancers.

Point and non-point sources of water pollution

Point sources: These are discharged pollutants at specific locations through pipes, ditches or sewers eg:
factories, sewage treatment plants

Non-point sources: They are usually large areas or air shed that pollute water by runoff
Eg: runoff of chemical from cropland to surface water.

Control measures of water pollution

 The administration of water pollution should be in the hand of state or central government.
 Scientific techniques are needed to control pollution in river, ponds or streams.
 Industrial plants should be based on recycling operations.
 The national goal should be “conservation of forests” and campaign should be “plant more trees”.
 Highly qualified and effective persons should be consulted for effective control or water pollution.
 Awareness to public through radio, tv etc
 Suitable laws, standards and practices should be framed to regulate pollution.
 Basic and applied research in public health engineering be encouraged.
 The possible of reuse or recycling of waste material should be encouraged.
 Companies should not discharge any type of waste either treated or untreated into rivers, lakes, ponds
etc.

Domestic treatment
 Screening, Sedimentation
 Filtration, Disinfection

Waste water treatment

 Preliminary treatment
 Primary treatment
 Secondary treatment & Tertiary treatment
I. Preliminary Treatment
In this treatment, coarse solids and suspended impurities are removed by passing the waste water through
bar and mesh screens.
II. Primary treatment (or) settling process
In this treatment, greater proportion of the suspended inorganic and organic solids are removed from the
liquid sewage by settling. In order to facilitate quick settling coagulants like alum, ferrous sulphate are
added.
These produce large gelatinous precipitates, which entrap finely divided organic matter and settle rapidly.
Secondary (or) Biological treatment
In this treatment, biodegradable organic impurities are removed by aerobic bacteria. It removes upto 90% of
the oxygen demanding wastes. This is done by trickling filter or activated sludge process.

1. Trickling filter process

Trickling filter is a circular tank and is filled with either coarse or crushed rock. Sewage is sprayed over this bed
by means of slowly rotating arms. When sewage starts percolating downwards, microorganisms present in the
sewage grow on the surface of filtering media using organic material of the sewage as food.

After completion of aerobic oxidation the treated sewage is taken to the settling tank and the sludge is removed.
This process removes about 80-85% of BOD.

2. Activated sludge process

Activated sludge is biologically active sewage and it has a large number of aerobic bacterias, which can easily
oxidize the organic impurities.

The sewage effluent from primary treatment is mixed with the required amount of activated sludge. Then the
mixture is aerated in the aeration tank Under these condition, organic impurities of the sewage get

oxidized rapidly by the micro-organisms. After aeration, the sewage is taken to the sedimentation tank. Sludges
settle down in this tank, called activated sludge, a portion of which is used for seeding fresh batch of the sewage.
This process removes about 90-95% of BOD.

SOIL POLLUTION:-
It may be defined as “the contamination of soil by human and natural activities which may cause harmful
effects on living beings”.
 Types
1. Industrial wastes
Sources: Pulp and paper mills, chemical industries, oil refineries, sugar factories,tanneries, textile,
steel, fertilizers etc.
Effects: Affect and alter the chemical and biological properties of soil.
Hazardous chemicals enter into human food chain from the soil and finally lead to serious effects.

2. Urban wastes
Sources and effects: Plastics, Glasses, metallic cans, fibers, papers, rubbers, street sweepings, and
other discarded manufactured products. These are also dangerous.
3. Agricultural practices
Sources and effects: Huge quantities of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and weedicides are added to
increase the crop yield. Apart from these farm wastes, manure, slurry, are reported to cause soil pollution.
4. Radioactive pollutants
Sources and effects: These are resulting from explosions of nuclear dust and radio active wastes
penetrate the soil and accumulate there by creating land pollution.
5. Biological agents
Sources and effects: Soil gets large quantities of human, animal and birds excreta which constitute the
major source of land pollution by biological agents.

Control measures of soil pollution (give explanation for each topic on your own)
• Population growth
• Decrease of the available farm land due to urbanization
• Forestry and farm practices
• Proper dumping of unwanted materials
• Production of natural fertilizers
• Proper Hygienic condition
• Public awareness
• Recycling and Reuse of wastes
• Ban on Toxic chemicals.

MARINE POLLUTION
It may be defined as “the discharge of waste substances into the sea resulting in harm to living
resources hazards to human health, hindrance to fishery and impairment of quality for use of sea water”.
Source of marine pollution
Dumping the wastes: Huge amounts of sewage, garbage, agricultural discharge, pesticides, heavy
metals, plastics are dumped in sea.
Effects: So many marine birds are affected by gastro-intestinal disorders.
Oil pollution of Marine water: Caused by petroleum and its products.
Effects: Oil films inhibit photosynthesis & formation of oxygen.
This inhibit the growth of marine plants
 Effects of marine pollutants
• Cause more damage in birds as thinning of eggshell and tissue damage of egg.
• Oil spilling causes low body temperature in birds resulting in hypothermia.
• Oil films decreases the rate of oxygen uptake by water.
• Cause damage to marine fauna & flora including algae, fish, birds, invertebrates
• Oil films inhibit photosynthesis & inhibit the growth of the plants
• Hydrocarbon & benzpyrene accumulate in fish & consumption of fish by man cause cancer.

Control measures of marine pollution

 Plants for conserving marine biodiversity must be taken into account of human needs.
 People should be educated about marine ecosystems and the benefits offered by them.
 Local communities must be involved in protecting and managing their coastal resources.
 Social and economic incentives must be offered for conserving and sustainable use of marine
resources.
 Governments must manage their own water while extending cooperation to the neighboring states.

NOISE POLLUTION:-
It may be defined as “the unwanted, unpleasant or disagreeable sound that causes discomfort for all living
beings”. Sound intensity is measured in decibel (dB).

Types of noise
• Industrial noise (drilling sound, mechanical saws)
• Transport noise (bus, trucks, motors, scooters, rail traffic noise)
• Neighborhood noise (Musical instruments, TV, VCR, Radios, telephones, loudspeakers ets)

Area Permissible noise

level(dB)
Day Night
Industrial 75 70
Commercial 65 55
Residential 55 40
Silent Zone 50 40

Effects of Noise pollution

• This affects human health, comfort and efficiency.
• It causes muscles to contract leading to nervous breakdown, tension.
• It affects health efficiency and behavior.
 • loss of hearing due to excessive noise,
• impulsive noise also causes psychological and pathological disorders.
• Brain is also adversely affected by loud and sudden noise as that of jet and aero plane noise.
• Ultrosonic sound can affect the digestive, respiratory, cardio vascular system.
• Rate of heart beat decrease or increase depending on the type of noise
• Blood is also thickened by excessive noises
• Optical system is also affected by noise pollution & lead to colour perception & loss of night vision.

Control and preventing measures

Source control – acoustic treatment to machine surface, design changes, limiting the
operational timings.
 Transmission path intervention- the source inside a sound insulating enclosure, construction of a
noise barrier or provision of sound absorbing materials.
 Oiling – Proper oiling will reduce the noise from the machines.
 Receptor control: Protection of the receiver by altering the work schedule, by using ear plugs etc
 Planting trees also act as effective noise barriers
 Different absorptive materials can be used to control interior noise.

THERMAL POLLUTION
It may be defined as the “addition of excess of undesirable heat to water that makes it harmful to
man, animal or aquatic life or otherwise causes significant departures from the normal activities of
aquatic communities in water”

Sources of thermal pollution

1. Nuclear power plants (drainage from hospitals, research institutes, nuclear experiments & explosions,
emission from nuclear reactors)
2. Coal fired power plants (some thermal power plants use coal as fuel, condenser coil are cooled &
discharge the hot water back to the nearby lake, & kills the fish & marine organisms)
3. Industrial effluents (Textile, paper, pulp, sugar industries discharge wastes)
4. Domestic sewage (Municipal sewage has higher temperature which decrease the dissolved oxygen
content & result in foul & offensive smell in water)
5. Hydro – electric power.
Effects of thermal pollution

 Reduction in dissolved oxygen

 Increase in Toxicity
 Interference with biological activities
 Interference with reproduction
 Direct mortality
 Food storage for fish.

Control measures of thermal pollution

 Cooling towers - This is used as a coolant wet cooling tower, dry cooling tower.
 Cooling ponds and spray ponds.
 Artificial lakes – The heated effluents can be discharged into the lake at one end and the water for
cooling purposes from the other end.
NUCLEAR HAZARD:
The radiation hazard in the environment comes from ultraviolet, visible, cosmic rays & microwave
radiation which produce genetic mutations in man

Sources of Nuclear Hazards:

Natural sources: Space which emits cosmic rays, soil, rocks, air, water, food, radioactive radon-222 etc.
Man-made sources: Nuclear power plants, X-rays, nuclear accidents, nuclear bombs, diagnostic kits etc.

Effects of Nuclear Hazards:

• Causes delirium, convulsions & death within hours or days with brain exposure
• Eye cell die, forming cataracts with eye exposure
• Vomiting, bleeding of the gums, mouth ulcers etc.
• Blood vessel damage is indicated by red spots on the skin
• Nausea, vomiting & Infection of the intestinal wall can kill weeks afterwards
• Unborn children are affected by mental retardation or brain damage.

Control measures from Nuclear Hazards:

• Nuclear devices should never be exploded in air.
• In nuclear reactor coolants may be used to prevent extraneous activation products
• Tightly sealed boxes & closed cycle system can be used to decrease the radioactive emissions
• Production of radioisotopes should be minimized
• Minimum no of nuclear installations should be commissioned
• Fission reactions should be minimized
• The use of radio isotopes may be carried under jet of soil or water instead of gaseous forms
• Wet drilling may be employed along with underground drainage
• Extreme care should be exercised in disposal of industrial wastes
• Use of high chimneys & ventilations at the working place for dispersing radio-pollutants
• Disposal methods are the possible ways to distribute the radio-pollutants
Disposal of Radioactive wastes:
 High level wastes (HLW) - They are dangerous & so converted them into inert solids & then buried
deep into earth or stored in deep salt mines. Ex. Spent nuclear fuel

 Medium level wastes (MLW) - MLW are solidified & are mixed with concrete in steel drums before
buried in deep mines
 Low level wastes (LLW) - LLW are disposed off in steel drums in concrete lined trenches
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT:-
Any material that is thrown away or discarded as unwanted is considered as solid waste.

Types:-
 Garbage or food waste
 Rubbish
 Agricultural waste
 Industrial waste
 Hazardous waste

Cause:-
Over population, Food waste, cloth, waste paper, glass bottles, polythene bags, waste metals, etc.,
Polythene bags, scrap metals, glass bottles, etc.,
Other industries produce, packing materials, rubbish, organic wastes, acids, alkalis, scrap metals, rubber,
plastic, paper, glass, wood, oils, paints, dyes, etc.,
Affluence Technology

Effects:-
Health hazard, foul smell and breeds various types of insects, which spoil the land value.
Affect the soil characteristics and productivity of soils
Environmental impact - percolate into the ground and contaminate the ground water
Furans, dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, which are harmful to human beings.

PROCESS OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Steps Involved

I Reduce, Reuse, Recycling (3R)

a) Reduce the usage of raw materials: Usage of raw materials is reduced.
b) Reuse: refillable container which is discarded after using can be reused.
c) Recycling: recycling of discarded materials into new products.
Eg: Preparation of new cans and bottles from old aluminum cans and glass bottles.
Preparation of fuel pellets from kitchen waste.

II Discarding wastes:

Methods: a) Land fills b) Incineration c) Composting

a) Land fills:
• Solid wastes are placed in sanitary landfill system in alternate layers of 80 cm thickness of refuse
• Covered with selected earth fill of 20 cm thickness
• After 2 or 3 days solid wastes volume shrinks by 25-30%
• Then the land is used for parks, roads, small buildings etc.
Advantages
 Simple and economical
 Segregation is not required
 Landfill areas can be used for other purposes
 Natural resources are retained to the soil.
Disadvantages:
 Large area is required Transportations cost is heavy.
 Bad odors, if landfill is not properly managed Insecticides, pesticides should be applied at regular
intervals
 Causes of fire hazards due to formation of methane
b) Incineration (or) Thermal process
 In this method combustible substances (rubbish, garbage, dead organisms) & non-combustible
substances (glass, porcelain, metals) are separated first.
 The combustible waste substances are first dried in a preheater
 Then it is taken in a large incinerating furnace which incinerate about 100 to 150 tonnes per hour
 The temperature is maintained between 700ºC to 1000ºC
 The left out ashes & clinkers from the furnace is further d disposed by landfill method
 The heat produced in the incinerator is used for generating electricity though turbines
 The non combustible substances are left out for recycling & reuse.

Advantages:
Require little space
Cost of transportation is not high Safest and hygienic
Capacity 300 tonnes per day and can generate 3MV of power.
Disadvantages:
 Capital and operating cost is high Need skilled persons
 Formation of smokes, dusts, and ashes
 a) Composting:
• In this method the bulk organic waste is converted into fertilizer by biological action
• The separated compostable waste is dumped in underground trenches(1.5m)
• Covered with earth of 20 cm and left over for decomposition
• Micro organism (actinomycetes) is introduced to start decomposition.
• After 2 or 3 days the organic waste are destroyed bt micro organism and produce heat
• Composting will happen at 75ºC
• Finally the refuse can converted to powdery brown colored odorless mass called humus (fertilizer).
• It contains lots of nitrogen, plants growth phosphates and other minerals.
Advantages:
• Increase of water retention and ion exchange character of soil Number of industrial waste can also be
treated by this method Manure can be produced
• Recycling occurs.
Disadvantages:
• Non combustible have to disposed separately
• No assured market

ROLE OF AN INDIVIDUAL IN PREVENTION OF POLLUTION

 Plant more trees
 Help more in pollution prevention than pollution control
 Use water, energy and other resources efficiently
 Purchase recyclable, recycled and environmentally safe products
 Reduce deforestation
 Remove NO from motor vehicular exhaust
 Use of eco friendly products.
 Use CFC free refrigirators
 Use natural gas than coal
 Use machines in well ventilated areas
 Use less polluting substances for cleaning agents, paints & other products
 Increase use of renewable resources
 Don’t use polystyrene cups that have chloro fluoro carbon (CFC) which destroy ozone
 Use rechargeable batteries which will reduce metal pollution
 Use organic manure instead of inorganic fertilizers
 Reduce garbage by recycling & reuse, Slow population growth
POLLUTION CASE STUDIES:-

1. Bhopal gas tragedy:- (Air Pollution)

Pesticide factory-Union Carbide- corporation leak large volume of methyl isocyanate –
atmosphere Bhopal- India-midnight on December 3,1984-city- change-as chamber-within a week
10,000 people died – 1000 people turned blind-lakhs of people still continue to suffer various
diseases
2. Gulf War: (Marine Pollution)
Gulf war was fought between Iraq and US-Period of 6 weeks in 1991- Americanfighters dropped
a lakh of bombs-force the Iraq army to withdraw from Kuwait-retreat of Iraq-burning of 700 oil
wells-near sea shore – oil from well spills out into the sea-the floating oil oversea water nearly 80 km
long-burning of oil wells nearly 10 months-released huge amounts of pollutants likeCO2 and SO2
into theatmosphere-1 million birds killed.
3. Chernobyl Disaster : ( Nuclear pollution)
Occur at Chernobyl in USSR 28th April, 1986-the reactor exploded- result of uncontrolled nuclear
reactions-radioactive fuel spread out in to the surrounding areas – killed at least 20,000 people-
damage to soil, water and vegetation around60 km.
4. Minamata Disease :( Marine Pollution)
Minamata- Small hostel village in Japan – Chicago-chemical company produces Venyl polymer
plastics-industry release its effluent into Minamata sea-Effluents containing mercury ions-converted
into methyl mercury- highly toxic consumed by fishes affect human being through food chain-damage
central nervous system-loss of vision and hearing-loss of muscular coordination and severe head
ache- nervous disorders

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Hazard
It is a perceived natural event which threatens both life and property.
Disaster
 A disaster is the realization of this hazard.
 It is defined as the geological process and it is an event concentrated in time and space in which
danger and causes loss of its members and physical property
Types
Natural disasters – refers to those disasters that are generated by natural phenomena.
Manmade disasters – refers to the disasters resulting from manmade hazards.

FLOODS
Whenever the magnitude of water flow exceeds the carrying capacity of the channel within its banks
the excess of water overflows on the surroundings causes floods.
Causes of floods
• Heavy rain, rainfall during cyclone causes floods
• Sudden snow melt also raises the quantity of water in streams and causes flood
• Sudden and excess release of impounded water behind dams
• Clearing of forests for agriculture has also increased severity of floods.
Flood Management
• Encroachment of flood ways should be banned.
• Building walls prevent spilling out the flood water over flood plains.
• Diverting excess water through channels or canals to areas like lake, rivers where water is not
sufficient.
• Optical and microwave data from IRS is also used for flood management.
• Flood forecasts and flood warning are also given by the central water commission.

CYCLONES
It is a meteorological process, intense depressions forming over the open oceans and moving towards
the land. Cyclone is measured by Saffir-Simpson scale.
Effect
 The damage depends on the intensity of cyclone the damage to human life, crops, roads, transport,
could be heavy.
 Cyclone occurrence slows down the developmental activities of the area.

Cyclone management
• Satellite images are used by meteorological departments for forecasting the weather conditions which
reveal the strength and intensity of the storm.
• Radar system is used to detect the cyclone and is being used for cyclone warning.

LAND SLIDES
The movement of earthy materials like coherent rock, mud, soil and debris from higher to lower region
to gravitational pull is called landslides.
Causes
• Movement of heavy vehicles on the unstable sloppy regions.
 Earthquake, shocks, vibrations and cyclone.
 Effects of landslides
1. Block roads and diverts the passage.
2. Soil erosion increases.
3. Causes damages to houses, crops and live stock.

EARTH QUAKES
An earthquake is a sudden vibration caused on earth surface with the sudden release of
tremendous energy stored in rocks under the earth’s crust.

Causes
1. Disequilibrium in any part of the earth crust
2. Underground nuclear testing
3. Decrease of underground water level.

Severity of an earthquake: Generally it is measured by its magnitude on Richter scale.

Richter Scale Severity of earthquake

Less than 4 Insignificant
4- 4.9 Minor
5- 5.9 Damaging
6- 6.9 Destructive
7- 7.9 Major
More than 8 Great

Effect
 Damage the settlements and transport systems
 Collapses houses and their structures
 Deformation of ground surface
 Tsunami

Earthquake Management
 Constructing earthquake resistant building
 Wooden houses are preferred
 Seismic hazard map should give the information about the magnitude of intensity of
anticipated earthquakes.

TSUNAMI
A tsunami is a large wave that is generated in a water body when the seafloor is deformed by seismic
activity. This activity displaces the overlying water in the ocean.

Causes of tsunami
 Seismic activities like earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, explosions, can generate tsunami.
 Deformation of the sea floor due to the movement of plates.
Concept of Tsunami
A tsunami is not a single wave but a series of waves like the ordinary waves which we see on seas.

Effects on Tsunami
 Tsunami attacks mostly the coastlines, causing devastating property, damage and loss of life.
 Tsunami can kill lot of human beings, livestock’s.
 Tsunami may also spread lot of water borne diseases.
Tsunami Management
 Earthquakes under the water are monitored by sensors on the floor of the sea.
 The sensors send the information of floating buoys on the surface, whenever they detect any changes
in pressure of the sea.
 The information is then relayed to satellites, which passes it on to the earth stations.
 Finally the country make the people alert through the media to take all necessary precautions.