Groups Guidance

What is vulnerability? According to UNISDR, “ Vulnerability is the inability to resist a hazard or to respond when a disaster has occurred. ” It is the extent to which a community or geographic area is likely to be damaged on account of its nature and proximity to a disaster-prone area. Vulnerabilities can be categorized into Physical Vulnerability and Socio-economic Vulnerability Physical Vulnerability is based on the physical condition of people and elements at risk, (such as buildings, infrastructure etc;)  and their proximity, location and nature of the hazard. It includes Who and What may be damaged or destroyed by a natural hazard. Socio-economic Vulnerability -The socio-economic condition of the people also determines the intensity of the impact. For example, people who are poor and living along the coasts are generally at risk of loosing their shelters whenever there is a strong wind or cyclone.

What is a Hazard? Hazard may be defined as “any phenomenon or a physical event that has the potential to cause damage to the people, property or the environment.” Etymology: The word ‘hazard’ owes its origin to the word ‘hasard’ in old French and ‘az-zahr’ in Arabic meaning ‘chance’ or ‘luck’. Classification:  Hazards can be classified as: 1. Natural hazards – They are naturally occurring physical phenomena, usually having meteorological, geological, hydrological, or even biological origin). Examples - Cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc. 2. Manmade hazards – These hazards are due to human activities/ negligence.  Examples – Nuclear Hazards/Accidents, industrial accidents, leakage of toxic waste/gases, pollution, etc. 3. Quasi-Natural hazards – They are caused by both human-induced actions and natural processes. Examples – Smog, Landslides, Flash floods, Desertification, famines, etc. Hazards are always prevalent, but the hazard be...

What is a Disaster ? Disasters are not new to mankind. They are as old as the human history.   Etymology: The term disaster owes its origin to the French word “Desastre” which is a combination of two words ‘des’ meaning bad and ‘aster’ meaning star. Thus the term refers to ‘Bad or Evil star’ .   Definition: The Disaster Management Act, 2005 defines a disaster as - “ a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or man-made causes, or by accident or negligence which results in substantial loss of life or human suffering or damage to, and destruction of, property,  or damage to, or degradation of, environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area ” .   The United Nations defines disaster as - “ the occurrence of sudden or major misfortune which disrupts the basic fabric and normal functioning of the society or community ” . A Disaster is a ...

 Disaster Management Syllabus & Strategy Disaster Management topic is found in the syllabus of almost all examinations conducted by the APPSC and TSPSC. In UPSC Mains Syllabus, Disaster Management is given in General Studies Paper III. This section is heavily influenced by current events, so you must stay up to date on current disasters. However, this is an easy topic and a scoring area too. All you need is the right material and the right approach. Lets look at the Syllabus. SYLLABUS Prelims: Disaster Management: vulnerability profile, prevention and mitigation strategies, Application of Remote Sensing and GIS in the assessment of Disaster. Mains: For most of the Exams conducted by APPSC except Group 1, the Syllabus for the objective mode mains examination is same as the prelims. However in the case of Group-1 Mains: Under    PAPER-I - GENERAL ESSSAY, subtopic - iv. Socio- environmental issues  , essay can be asked relating to Disaster Management or thi...