• Disaster Management UPSC Questions 2022

• भारतीय उपमहा,वीप के संदभ3 म4 बादल फटने क: ;<या=व>ध और घटना को समझाइए । हाल के दो उदाहरणH क: चचा3
क:िजए (150 शQदH म4 उRर दSिजए)

• Explain the mechanism and occurrence of cloudburst in the context of the Indian subcontinent.
Discuss two recent examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10

• भारत म4 तटSय अपरदन के कारणH एवं VभावH को समझाइए खतरे का मक

ु ाबला करने के Yलए उपलQध तटSय Vबंधन तकनीक4
Zया है ? ( 250 शQदH म4 उRर दSिजए)
• Explain the causes and effects of coastal erosion in India. What are the available coastal
management techniques for combating the hazard?(Answer in 250 words)
• 2021 – Disaster Management Questions in UPSC Mains

1.Discuss about the vulnerability of India to earthquake related hazards. Give examples including the
salient features of major disasters caused by earthquakes in different parts of India during the last
three decades. (Answer in 150 words)

2. Describe the various causes and the effects of landslides. Mention the important components of the National
Landslide Risk Management Strategy. (Answer in 250 words)
• 2020 – Disaster Management Questions in UPSC Mains

• Discuss the recent measures initiated in disaster management by the Government of India departing from the
earlier reactive approach.

• आपदा Vब_धन म4 पवू व

3 तa Vbत;<याcमक उपागम से हटते हुए भारत सरकार ,वारा आरeभ ;कए गए अYभनत
ू न उपायH क:
=ववेचना क:िजए l
• 2019 – Disaster Management Questions in UPSC Mains

1. Vulnerability is an essential element for defining disaster impacts and its threat to people. How and in what ways
can vulnerability to disasters be characterized? Discuss different types of vulnerability with reference to disasters.
(आपदा VभावH और लोगH के Yलए उसके खतरे को पfरभा=षत करने के भे,यता एक अcयावhयक तiव है | आपदाओं के Vbत
भे,यता का ;कस Vकार और ;कन-;कन तरSकH के साथ चfरn->चnण ;कया जा सकता है ? आपदाओं के संदभ3 म4 भे,यता के
=वYभ_न VकारH पर चचा3 क:िजए |)
1. Disaster preparedness is the first step in any disaster management process. Explain how hazard zonation
mapping will help disaster mitigation in the case of landslides.
• ;कसी भी आपदा Vबंधन V<म म4 आपदा तैयारS पहला कदम होता है | भo
ु खलनH के मामले म4 , oपqट क:िजए क: संकट
अनrु ेn मान>चnण ;कस Vकार आपदा अsपीकरण म4 मदद करे गा |)
• 2018– Disaster Management Questions in UPSC Mains
• Describe various measures taken in India for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) before and after signing ‘Sendai
Framework for DRR (2015-2030)’. How is this framework different from ‘Hyogo Framework for Action, 2005’? (250
Words, 15 Marks
• 2017 – Disaster Management Questions in UPSC Mains

• In December 2004, a tsunami brought havoc on 14 countries including India. Discuss the factors responsible for
the occurrence of Tsunami and its effects on life and economy. In the light of guidelines of NDMA (2010) describe
the mechanisms for preparedness to reduce the risk during such events.
• 2016 – Disaster Management Questions in UPSC Mains

• With reference to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines, discuss the measures to be
adopted to mitigate the impact of recent incidents of cloudbursts in many places of Uttarakhand.
• 2015– Disaster Management Questions in UPSC Mains

• The frequency of earthquakes appears to have increased in the Indian subcontinent. However, India’s
preparedness for mitigating their impact has significant gaps. Discuss various aspects
• 2014 – Disaster Management Questions in UPSC Mains
1. Drought has been recognized as a disaster in view of its party expense, temporal duration, slow onset and lasting
effect on various vulnerable sections. With a focus on the September 2010 guidelines from the National disaster
management authority, discuss the mechanism for preparedness to deal with the El Nino and La Nina fallouts in
India.
• 2013 – Disaster Management Questions in UPSC Mains
1.How important is vulnerability and risk assessment for pre-disaster management? As an administrator,
what are key areas that you would focus on in a Disaster Management System?

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ू -$ आपदा *बंधन के 1लए भे5यता और जो<खम म?
ू यांकन @कतना महBवपण
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*मख ु MेN हO िजन पर आप आपदा *बंधन मI Qयान केिRSत करI गे
•
• 2021 – Disaster Management Questions in UPSC Mains

1.Discuss about the vulnerability of India to earthquake related hazards. Give examples including the
salient features of major disasters caused by earthquakes in different parts of India during the last
three decades. (Answer in 150 words)

2. Describe the various causes and the effects of landslides. Mention the important components of the National
Landslide Risk Management Strategy. (Answer in 250 words)
• 2019 – Disaster Management Questions in UPSC Mains

1. Vulnerability is an essential element for defining disaster impacts and its threat to people. How and in what ways
can vulnerability to disasters be characterized? Discuss different types of vulnerability with reference to disasters.
(आपदा VभावH और लोगH के Yलए उसके खतरे को पfरभा=षत करने के भे,यता एक अcयावhयक तiव है | आपदाओं के Vbत
भे,यता का ;कस Vकार और ;कन-;कन तरSकH के साथ चfरn->चnण ;कया जा सकता है ? आपदाओं के संदभ3 म4 भे,यता के
=वYभ_न VकारH पर चचा3 क:िजए |)
1. Disaster preparedness is the first step in any disaster management process. Explain how hazard zonation
mapping will help disaster mitigation in the case of landslides.
• ;कसी भी आपदा Vबंधन V<म म4 आपदा तैयारS पहला कदम होता है | भo
ु खलनH के मामले म4 , oपqट क:िजए क: संकट
अनrु ेn मान>चnण ;कस Vकार आपदा अsपीकरण म4 मदद करे गा |)
• The term landslide in the strict sense may be defined as a process involving
the downward and outward movement of a part of the slope forming
material due to the action of gravity, other forms of mass movements like
falls, flows, topples and creeps are generally included in the term
landslides.
• Vulnerability will be close to nil in the case of well managed and protected slopes. It will be the maximum for
unprepared populations living on slopes with a proven history of landslides.
• Landslides are a natural hazard that affect at least 15 per cent of the land area of our country, covering an area
of more than 0.49 million sq. km.
• The Himalayan mountain ranges and hilly tracts of the North-Eastern region are highly susceptible to slope
instability due to the immature and rugged topography, fragile rock conditions, high seismicity resulting from
proximity to the plate margins, and high rainfall. Extensive anthropogenic interference, as part of
developmental activities, is another significant factor that increases this hazard manifold.
• As a result, the landscape in the Himalayan and North-Eastern regions is highly susceptible to reoccurrence of
landslides. The Ambutia landslide, located on the picturesque tea garden clad hill slopes around the Kurseong
town in Darjeeling is probably the largest such landslide in Asia.

Similarly, the Western Ghats, overlooking the Konkan coast, though located in a relatively stable domain,
experience the fury of this natural hazard due to steep hill slopes, overburden and high intensity rainfall. The
Nilgiri hills located at the convergence zone of the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats bear the innumerable
scars of landslides due to their location in a zone of high intensity and protracted rainfall where overburden is
sensitive to over-saturation.
• In addition to landslides, the snow avalanche is another natural hazard involving mass
movement that is experienced at high altitudes in the Himalayan terrain during the late
winter season when the snow starts melting Vast areas of western Sikkim, Kumaon,
Garhwal, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, and several other hilly regions have been denuded
of protective vegetal cover, which has been reduced to less than 30 per cent, which is
less than half of what would be considered desirable.
• As the pressure of population grew rapidly, more and more human settlements, roads,
dams, tunnels, water reservoirs, towers and other public utilities came up in vulnerable
areas. The road network in the Himalayan region is more than 50,000 km in length.
• A large number of dams have been built in the Himalayan region. There are more than
25 river dam projects on the river Ganga and its tributaries in the hills alone.
• A number of tunnels and towers for microwave, television, and power transmission dot
the hilly areas. Quarrying and mining, for example, in the Doon valley, Jhiroli (Almora)
and Chandhak (Pithoragarh) have inflicted heavy damages to the slopes and the
associated environment.
• The Shillong earthquake of 1897, the Kangra earthquake
of 1905, the Assam earthquake of 1950, the Uttarkashi
earthquake of 1991, and the Chamoli earthquake of 1999
generated numerous landslides over vast areas. Similarly,
the October 2005 Kashmir earthquake generated
numerous landslides in both Pakistani as well as Indian
territory. In the Western Ghats, over 500 lives were lost
due to landslides in the Konkan area in Maharashtra
during incessant rain in 2005, which accounted for 100
lives in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area alone
Impact
• Landslide disasters have both short-term
and long-term impact on society and the
environment. The short-term impact
accounts for loss of life and property at
the site and the long-term impact
includes changes in the landscape that
can be permanent, including the loss of
cultivable land and the environmental
impact in terms of erosion and soil loss,
population shift and relocation of
populations and establishments.
• Like in any other disaster, the most affected are the socio-
economically weaker sections of the society who inhabit the
vulnerable areas. They have meagre sources of livelihood,
which when wiped out by a hazard, leaves them without any
food or shelter. Apart from this, the injuries and casualties
suffered add to the woes of the affected families. The biggest
loss is that of private and government property, as well as
damage to/destruction of infrastructure and heritage
structures.
• Landslide dams result in the flooding of
large upstream areas. Further, if the dam
fails, it causes flooding and large scale
devastation in downstream areas. Also,
solid landslide debris can ‘bulk’ or add
volume and density to otherwise normal
stream flow or cause channel blockages
and diversions creating flood conditions
or localised erosion. Landslides can also
cause overtopping of dams resulting in
flash floods and/or reduced capacity of
reservoirs to store water.
Landslide Hazard Zonation Mapping
• The aim of LHZ mapping, which is needed
for risk assessment, is to determine the
spatial and temporal extent of a landslide
hazard. In general the LHZ map divides the
landslide prone hilly terrain into different
zones according to the relative degree of
susceptibility to landslides. This requires
the identification of those areas that are,
or could be affected by landslides, and the
assessment of the probability of such
landslides occurring within a specific
period of time.
• A landslide risk zonation map integrates
the landslide hazard, vulnerability, and a
quantification of the elements at risk. It
cannot be developed unless an LHZ map
is prepared. An important input for the
preparation of an LHZ map is a landslide
inventory database, which is not yet
available in India. Thus, a landslide hazard
assessment broadly involves the
preparation of a landslide inventory, a
landslide hazard zonation map, followed
by a landslide risk zonation map.
• Landslide hazard maps are also
essential for the assessment of
damage potential, and for the
quantification of risks. Scientific
forecasting of a landslide for
early warning finds its first clue
in the landslide hazard map of
the area.
• It is necessary to understand the
conditions and processes of landslide
control, and to determine existing
landslide hazards if future landslide
occurrence is to be estimated. A map
of existing landslides serves as the
basic data resource for understanding
these conditions and processes.
Existing landslides and their
relationship with other key
parameters—nature of the slope
forming material, slope inclination and
aspect, land cover, land use, climate,
and hydrology—form the basis for
hazard assessment.
• Structural measures:
• Planting (Avalanche Prevention Forest): They prevent the movement of avalanches due to the resistance of
tree trunks and branches, increase the stability of the snow cover due to their uniform distribution, and
control sudden changes in the avalanches.
• Stepped Terraces: These help in stabilising the snow cover. Stepped terraces are easy to construct but are
not effective in controlling surface layer avalanches.
• Avalanche Control Piles: Avalanche control piles are a collection of single piles driven into the slopes in the
avalanche zones to control surface layer avalanches. The distance between the piles depends on the type of
snow or the topographical features. The average distance is about 5 metres.
• Avalanche Control Fence: Avalanche Control Fence is installed on slopes of avalanche zones to prevent full
depth or surface layer avalanches.
• Suspended Fences: Suspended fences are used in steep slopes or in areas where foundations cannot be
properly installed because of poor ground conditions. These are useful in small area.
• Snow Cornice Control Structures: These structures are installed at tops of mountain areas to prevent the
development of snow cornices that can cause avalanches.
•
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USE DISCOUNT CODE-
• Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeeth established a wireless sensor-based
landslide detection system in the Western Ghats of Kerala in 2009,
which has delivered multiple successful warnings
• The same institution took on the second project in Sikkim in 2018,
installing sensors in an area encompassing roughly 150 acres of
Chandmari, a heavily inhabited village in the Gangtok district
Vulnerability is an essential element for defining disaster impacts and its threat to
people. How and in what ways can vulnerability to disasters be characterized?
Discuss different types of vulnerability with reference to disasters.
(150 Words, 10 Marks)
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!कार कR संवेदनशीलता कR ;ववेचना कRिजए। (150 शYद,10 अंक)