Natural disasters in India with special reference to Tamil Nadu
Résumé
Natural disasters in India, many of them related to the climate of India, cause massive losses of Indian life
and property. Droughts, flash floods, cyclones, avalanches, landslides brought on by torrential rains and
snowstorms pose the greatest threats. Landslides are common in the Lower Himalayas. Parts of the Western
Ghats also suffer from low-intensity landslides. Floods are the most common natural disaster in India. The
heavy southwest monsoon rains cause the Brahmaputra and other rivers to distend their banks, often
flooding surrounding areas. Though they provide rice paddy farmers with a largely dependable source of
natural irrigation and fertilization, the floods can kill thousands and displace millions. Excess, erratic, or
untimely monsoon rainfall may also wash away or otherwise ruin crops. Almost all of India is flood-prone,
and extreme precipitation events, such as flash floods and torrential rains, have become increasingly
common in central India over the past several decades, coinciding with rising temperatures. Mean annual
precipitation totals have remained steady due to the declining frequency of weather systems that generate
moderate amounts of rain. A natural disaster might be caused by earthquakes, flooding, volcanic eruption,
landslide, hurricanes etc. In order to be classified as a disaster it will have profound environmental effect
and/or human loss and frequently incurs financial loss. This review elucidates the natural disasters of
Tamil Nadu and its possible cause as well as the preventive/mitigation measures.