Annex I. Natural disasters in member countries (2002
summary)
Bangladesh is a path for cyclones spawned in the Bay of
Bengal, making the country prone to hydrometeorological
disasters. In Bangladesh, epidemics, extreme temperatures,
floods and windstorms occurred, and most of these disasters
caused considerable human suffering and loss of life. The
most severe disaster was the flood in 2002.
In China, almost every type of disaster was recorded,
as the country is a vast, heavily populated land. The most
severe disasters in China in 2002 were floods and windstorms,
followed by droughts. Also, earthquakes considerably affected
the population. In 2002, the second-worst type of natural
disaster in China in terms of affected population was flooding.
India is located in a natural-disaster-prone area that
is affected by windstorms spawned in the Bay of Bengal and
the Arabian Sea, earthquakes caused by active tectonic crust
activity in the Himalayan Mountains, floods brought by monsoons,
and drought in arid and semi arid areas. In 2002, India’s
worst and most serious disaster was also the world’s severed
drought, which affected about 300 million people. Floods
also seriously affected the population.
Floods, earthquakes and volcanic activity were the disasters
that most affected Indonesia in 2002. These were found to
be the most serious disasters in terms of affected population.
Since there are seismic belts running through the country,
Indonesia is an earthquake-prone country. Moreover, as there
are 129 active volcanoes in the country, volcanic eruptions
are frequent. Floods tend to occur along with windstorms
in the rainy season in Indonesia.
In Japan, the year 2002 marked an improvement over previous
years in terms of damage, but a significant amount of the
population was affected by windstorms.
Most of the natural disasters that occur in the Republic
of Korea are floods in the rainy season and windstorms.
The year 2002 also recorded floods and windstorms in the
Republic of Korea, and the human suffering and economic
loss they caused were also quite high.
Almost 90 per cent of Kyrgyzstan is covered with mountains
that are over 1,000 Metres above sea level, with about 40
per cent in alpine areas over 3,000 m high. The distinctive
natural disasters of Kyrgyzstan are earthquakes accompanied
by active crustal deformation, floods caused by snowmelt,
and landslides. In 2002, Kyrgyzstan also recorded land slide
disasters causing human suffering.
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is 95 per cent covered
by mountains and its natural forests are more environmentally
sound than forests in other parts of the Asian region. Furthermore,
about 35 per cent of the Mekong River runs through the country.
Consequently, the country is prone to floods during the
rainy season and, in 2002, floods in the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic caused a high degree of human suffering.
In Malaysia, floods and landslides caused by rainfall
during the monsoon season and rainstorms triggered by a
tropical low pressure were often recorded. Also recorded
in 2002 were windstorms and landslides, but the human loss
and economic damage caused by these disasters were relatively
small.
Mongolia is a land-locked country between the Russian Federation
and China; the major disasters are zud (heavy snowfalls),
sandstorms, floods, and so on. In 2002, Mongolia recorded
drought and windstorms; the latter caused heavy human suffering,
as the number of affected persons was high.
Myanmar is often hit by cyclones originating in the Bay
of Bengal, floods in the monsoon season and landslides triggered
by rainfall. In 2002, floods in Myanmar caused rather serious
human suffering.
Nepal is located in the Himalayan region, where the Indian
tectonic plate is wedged under the Tibetan plate; therefore,
depending upon the movements and formation of the Earth’s
crust, earthquakes frequently occur. Floods, slides and
extreme temperatures also often pose a threat to Nepal.
Nepal suffered significantly in 2002 under extreme temperatures
and slides, which caused heavy human loss and terribly affected
many families, causing homelessness, bodily injury, disease
and death.
Papua New Guinea is also highly vulnerable to many kinds
of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic
eruptions, floods and windstorms. The majority of the natural
disasters that occurred in 2002 were geophysical disasters
and these seriously affected a reasonably large number of
people.
The Philippines is located on the “Pacific Rim of
Fire”, making it vulnerable to both hydrometeorological
and geophysical natural disasters. In 2002, as in previous
years, the damage caused by hydrometeorological disasters
grew, with the largest number of people affected by floods
and windstorms, followed by earthquakes. Economic damage,
caused by windstorms was also noticeable.
The Russian Federation has a vast expanse of land, and
the disaster-affected population and the economic losses
were also quite large. Extreme temperatures, floods, slides
and windstorms caused considerable human loss, and a large
part of the population was affected in 2002. These disasters
also resulted in great economic losses.
Sri Lanka is located in the Indian Ocean just south of
India. Droughts in the dry season and windstorms and floods
in the rainy season, owing to cyclones from the Bay of Bengal,
are the prime concerns of Sri Lanka with respect to natural
disasters. In 2002, Sri Lanka was severely damaged by drought
and floods, and the population affected by these disasters
was quite large.
Tajikistan’s mountains cover a majority of the land,
thus earthquakes and floods are the major threats to the
country. In 2002, earthquakes and floods in Tajikistan caused
human suffering.
Thailand is highly prone to natural disasters because of
its location and land slides. Thailand was severely hit
by these disasters in 2002, and the percentage of the population
affected by hydrometeorological disasters was quite high
for the Asian region.
Viet Nam is located in the south-east monsoon climate area,
therefore the majority of the annual rainfall occurrence
is in the rainy season, which causes heavy human and economic
losses every year. Drought, floods and windstorms also caused
severe human suffering and loss in Viet Nam in 2002.
It may be concluded from the above tables that the majority
of Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC) member countries
in the Asian region suffered from hydrometeorological disasters,
which inflicted heavy human and economic losses on society
and hindered economic development. Further, the heavy effects
of disasters on the population deprived people of socio-economic
advancement, thus slowing national and regional development.
The most severe natural disasters in the world in 2002 were
in the Asian region (Bangladesh, China, India and Thailand),
affecting a great number of people. Hence, it is imperative
to design and implement proper disaster mitigation and preparedness
plans to reduce human and economic losses and human suffering,
thus contributing positively to global sustainable development.
Source:<www.ardc.or.jp>
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