Natural and Man-made disasters

Natural and man-made disasters

• Disaster is a sudden calamitous event that brings great damage, loss and destruction. In case of natural disasters steps can be taken to minimize the effects. Man made disasters can be avoided by careful planning and applying prevention methods. 
• Natural disasters are the destructive forces of nature that have a severe impact on the environment. Examples of natural disasters are blizzards, cyclones, earthquakes, famines, floods, landslides, tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanoes, wildfires, bushfires, etc.
• Manmade disasters are the hazards caused by human activities leading to the loss of life and property as well as damage to the country's economy and productive capacity. Examples of this kind are environmental pollution, terrorism, destruction of property, widespread hunger, road and rail accidents, bomb explosion, chemical spills, industrial accidents, nuclear accidents caused by by complex anthropogenic interacrions.
• Disasters can be classified based on their causative factors:
• Natural disasters are caused by natural forces while man made disasters are caused by activities of human beings. 
• Both types of disasters have a major impact on the society. 
• Examples of man-made disasters are 
• leakage of toxic chemical (MIC - Methyl Iso Cyanide) from the UCIL plant in Bhopal, India. 
• The great London smog of 1952 is another example of man-made disaster. The main cause for this disaster was severe air pollution and it resulted in the death of more than 6000 people aside from respiratory problems.