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Disasters are often sudden & intense. They not only disrupt the day-to-day life but also cause widespread
destruction of life & property. Disasters vary in nature, intensity, duration & extent of destruction.
Hazard is a dangerous natural or man-made event. When these natural or man-made events result in large
scale loss of life & property, it is termed as ‘DISASTER’.
Disasters can be natural or man-made. We cannot stop the forces of nature, it is bound to take its own
course. Eg- floods, droughts, earthquakes etc. Similarly man is a part & parcel of environment, but at the
same time man is also responsible for destroying environment. A man-made disaster may strike in form
of pollution, explosion, accidents, terrorist attacks, civil strifes etc. At these instances, Disaster
Management plays a vital role. Preparedness, Response and Relief, Recovery and Rehabilitation and
Prevention (PRRP) are the four elements of disaster management. For preserving the developmental
gains, it is essential to evolve a disaster risk management plan.
Disaster Risk Management includes prevention, mitigation, preparedness, recovery etc.
1)- Preventive measures comprise steps taken to minimize the account of damage due to disaster.
2)- Preparedness involves measures for enhancing the coping-up capability of people.
3)- Recovery measures focus on rehabilitating the victims.
If these steps are taken in practice, we can minimize the fatal effects of disasters and can reduce disasters
upto a certain limit so that there is least loss of health & wealth.
Keywords: Disaster, mitigation, Rehabilitation, pollution.