Page 243 - Health, Population and Environment Education 9

of a sudden and out of human control. Some examples of natural hazards are earthquake,
volcanic eruption, landslide, glacial flood, cyclone, etc. In comparison to man-made
hazards, natural hazards are more dangerous and devastating.

ii. Man-made hazards
Some hazards in nature are caused due to adverse impact of various human activities
in nature. The hazards which occur as a result of human activities are called man-made
hazards. Some examples of man-made hazards are road occident, collapsing of buildings,
bomb explosion, epidemics, outburst of dams, aeroplane crash, desertification, etc. In
comparison of natural hazards, man-made hazards are less destructive and in the control
of human being to a large extent.

Fig: 6

Types of Risk

In each and every step of life, we have to face risk. However, we can avoid risk by
adopting precautions or safety measures. There are various types of risks on the basis of
their causes. Risks are broadly classified into following two types.
1. Risks induced by natural disasters 2. Risks induced by human activities

1. Risk Induced by Natural Disasters

The natural events that occur suddenly and cause loss of life and property are called
natural disasters. Earthquake, volcanic eruption, cyclone, Flood, landslide, etc. are
some examples so natural disasters. These disasters seriously disrupt the function of a
community or a society involving economic and environmental losses. Natural disasters
cause massive loss of life and goods.
Disaster risk is widely recognized as the consequence of the interaction between a hazard
and the characteristics that make people and places vulnerable and exposed.
Risk = Hazard × Exposure × Vulnerability

Disasters are somethings considered external Do You Know
shocks, but disaster risk results from the complex • Exposure and vulnerability
interaction between development process that turn a hazard into a disaster.
generate conditions of exposure, vulnerability
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