Top 10 Natural Disasters in India

Natural disasters are beyond human control. Many disasters are the result of human activities, but many are part of the routine of nature. India has faced some of the top major and deadly disasters in its history. Natural disasters are also called the ‘wrath of God’.

It is also named as payback as what humans are doing with nature for its own greediness.  Today man is exploiting the forests, plains, mountains, and minerals indiscriminately for his personal selfishness. As a result of that natural calamities are increasing day by day.

Here are the top 10 natural disasters in India:

Bhopal Disaster

Bhopal disaster is one of the top 10 natural disasters in India.  This crummy neighborhood on the outskirts of the Indian city of Bhopal is just meters from the chemical plant that exploded just after midnight on December 2, 1984, engulfing the poison in their lives forever. The blackened ruins of the Union Carbide plant still stand behind the factory walls.

 The pesticide factory was surrounded by slums, resulting in more than 600,000 people being exposed to the deadly gas cloud that night.

The gases stayed low to the ground, killing people. Estimates of the death toll range from 3,800 to 16,000, but government figures currently put the death toll at 15,000 over the years.

It remains the world’s worst industrial disaster, releasing 40 tons of toxic methyl isocyanate gas into the air. Over 3,000 people die instantly and hundreds of thousands are thrown into a future of long-term pain, cancer, stillbirth, abortion, lung and heart disease. 

Finally, in an out-of-court settlement in February 1989, Union Carbide agreed to pay $470 million in damages for the Bhopal disaster. Also called on UCC and its subsidiary UCIL to “voluntarily” fund a hospital in Bhopal, estimated at US$17 million, to treat victims of the Bhopal disaster. 

Many actions were carried out: demonstrations, sit-ins, hunger strikes, and marches, accompanied by pamphlets, books and articles.

These often include marches through old Bhopal, culminating in the burning of an effigy of Warren Anderson. No wonder it is one of the top major natural disasters in India. 

2018 Kerala Floods

In August 2018, Kerala floods were one of the top major natural disasters in India.  Kerala experienced a prolonged period of very heavy rains earlier in the month, followed by a monsoon low a few days later, due to a low-pressure system. The resulting floods killed more than 400 people and displaced a million more.

 It is the worst flooding in Kerala after the great flood of 99 in 1924. The floods affected hundreds of villages, destroyed around 10,000 km of roads, and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes. The government canceled the Onam celebrations and the funds provided were used for humanitarian aid. 

The government has provided people in need with essential goods and carried out relief efforts. Many Members of Parliament, Members of State Parliaments and Councils, civil servants, and government employees across the country have also donated their salaries and/or monthly allowances to Kerala’s Chief Relief Fund. Moreover, it is one of the major natural disasters of India. 

2001 Gujarat Earthquake

On the morning of Republic Day 2001, the residents of Bhuj awoke to the sounds of a devastating catastrophe that claimed nearly 20,000 lives.

The Gujarat earthquake is one of the top 10 natural disasters in India. It was caused by movements on a previously unknown south-dipping fault parallel to suspected rift structures.

 The earthquake struck the city of Bhuj on the morning of India’s annual Republic Day and was felt across much of northwest India and parts of Pakistan.

The earthquake not only killed more than 20,000 people and injured people and more than 150,000 others, but it also displaced hundreds of thousands and destroyed or damaged more than a million buildings. 

The government also announced a $2.5 million program to revitalize small, medium, and small businesses. The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank also provided loans worth US$300 million and US$500 million, respectively. That’s why it is one of the major natural disasters of India. 

1999 Odisha Cyclone

The Odisha cyclone is one of the top 10 natural disasters in India. On October 29, the cyclone made landfall near the town of Bhubaneswar in Orissa, India. Maximum sustained surface wind speeds at touchdown were estimated at 260 km/h and minimum central pressure at 912 mb. 

After landfall, the cyclone was unable to move inland due to a subtropical ridge to the north. A total of 12.9 million people were affected by the storm.  The effects of the storm destroyed 1.6 million homes in 14,643 villages and 97 apartment buildings. 

Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has announced a £3 billion allocation to the Odisha state government. Three villages were “adopted”; by BAPS charities in January 2000 for Jagatsinghpur reconstruction: Chakulia, Banipat, and Potak. Overall it is one of the major natural disasters of India. 

2007 Bihar Floods

The 2007 Bihar floods, one of the top 10 natural disasters of India which began in August 2007, were described by the United Nations as the worst flooding in living memory from Bihar. Rainfall in July was five times the monthly average over the 30-year period. 

The area around the city of Darbhanga is one of the hardest-hit areas in the state. The floods have inundated over 40% of Bihar. The states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are the hardest hit due to their high population density. Almost two million people in 11 districts of Bihar have endured the floods terribly. 

Many major rivers including the Ganges, Punpun, Bagmati, Gandak, and Kosi flowed above the danger line. At least 4,822 villages and 10,000,000 hectares of agricultural land were affected. 

About 29,000 homes were destroyed by the floods and 44,000 were damaged. Thousands of people have been taken to places of safety, including humanitarian camps.

 The total death toll from the 2007 Bihar floods was over 1,300, which was the second highest death toll in the state after over 2,500 deaths in the 1 Bihar floods. GoB says all of the money needed to deal with the floods was spent on Annual Floods which are one of the worst natural disasters of India. 

Bengal Famine of 1943

Bengal Famine of 1943: A massive famine shook the pre-independence state of Bengal, also one of the top 10 worst and major natural disasters in India.

The year was 1770 and it took almost three years until 1773. The famine resulted in the death of 1 million people from starvation, thirst, and disease, reducing the population to 30 million Bengalis. 

The Bengal province of pre-partition British India was hit by another famine in 1943, killing an estimated 4 million people from starvation, of them from malnutrition and disease. More than half of the region’s population died from starvation-related diseases. 

Around October 1943 the disease began to increase rapidly, and around December it overtook starvation as the leading cause of death. Mortality from illness continued to be felt in early to mid-1944. Of the diseases, malaria was the deadliest. 

Families have also been broken, with cases of abandonment, child trafficking, prostitution, and sexual exploitation.

Rows of small beggars stretched for miles outside the cities. At night the “children could be heard crying bitterly and coughing terribly in the pouring monsoon rain, naked, homeless, motherless, fatherless and friendless.

 Communists, socialists, wealthy merchants, women’s groups, private individuals as far away as Karachi, and Indian migrants as far away as East Africa have supported the relief effort or sent donations of money, food, and clothing. Still, it is known as one of the top major natural disasters in India.

2014 India-Pakistan Floods

2014 India Pakistan floods are one of the top 10 natural disasters in India.  In September 2014, due to persistent torrential rains, the Kashmir region was hit by massive floods that killed around 500 people.

Hundreds of people were trapped in their homes for days without food and water. About 2,600 villages are said to have been affected in Jammu and Kashmir.

 In Kashmir alone, 390 villages were completely submerged. Many parts of Srinagar were also inundated by the floods.1, 225 villages were partially affected, and 1,000 villages in the Jammu Division. About 50 bridges across the state were damaged with property damage estimated at Rs 5,000-6,000. 

Two IL 76s, a C-130J and AN 32 carried a total of 50 tons of supplies including food, water, and medicine. 300 boats have been sent to South Kashmir to rescue people in the flooded areas.

 Military forces including the Border Security Force (BSF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have rescued over 200,000 people from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir. Overall it is one of the top natural disasters of India.

2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is one of the top 10 natural disasters in India. A powerful tsunami with waves up to 30 m high, known in some countries as the Boxing Day tsunami, devastated communities along the surrounding Indian Ocean coasts and killed an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries in one of the deadliest natural disasters of the world. 

Along the coast of Tamil Nadu, the 13-kilometer stretch of Marina Beach in Chennai was devastated by a tsunami that swept across the beach and surprised morning strollers. 

The hardest hit area in Tamil Nadu was Nagapattinam district where 6051 people were killed by a five-meter-high tsunami, followed by Cuddalore district where many villages were destroyed. 

Most of those killed are members of the fishing community. The sanctuary complex, surrounding villages, hundreds of shops, houses, and pilgrims were swept away by the sea: around 600 pilgrims lost their lives. Prakasham district was hardest hit with 35 dead, with Singraikonda suffering the most damage. 

Nations around the world have provided more than $14 billion in aid to devastated regions. Many charities have received large donations from the public. In the UK, for example, around £330m has been donated by the public. Moreover, it is one of the top natural disasters of India.

Latur Earthquake

Latur Earthquake It was one of the top 10 natural disasters in India. It was 1993. Almost 20,000 people died and about 30,000 were injured. The magnitude of the earthquake was measured at 6.4 on the Richter scale. There was enormous property damage. 

Fifty-two villages were destroyed by the earthquake within the plate. The earthquake’s hypocenter was about 10 km deep – relatively shallow – which allowed the shock waves to do more damage. It is believed to be the deadliest earthquake with stable continental crust ever recorded in history. 

The hygienists and staff of the Railway Hospital, Solapur, and V.M. Medical College, Solapur, were among the first to arrive and over the next few weeks helped treat the wounded. 

The first convoy of more than 120 truckloads of supplies including tents, blankets, food and clothing, medical supplies, and emergency shelter donated by international donors. Moreover, it is one of the top natural disasters in India.

1737 Calcutta Cyclone

1737 Calcutta Cyclone It was one of the top 10 natural disasters in India. The first recorded supercyclone in the northern Indian Ocean and is considered one of India’s worst natural disasters.

It struck the coast near Calcutta on the morning of October 11, 1737, killing probably over 300,000 people both inland and at sea, and causing great catastrophic damage.

 Houses near or in the port were destroyed and the local church of St Anny was badly damaged and then collapsed. As a result, more than 20,000 ships, barges, sloops, boats, canoes, and other maritime infrastructure were damaged and swept away.

Many cattle, tigers, and rhinos were drowned in 10-13 m floods due to the storm and the “earthquake”. Moreover, it is one of the top major natural disasters in India.

Conclusion

As for the final day these are some of the top 10 natural disasters of India. These disasters have caused huge havoc and millions of deaths and damage. During those times governments and charities have taken major steps to provide relief to the public. 

see also: Top 10 Worst and Major Natural Disasters in India