Deforestation and changes in the river courses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nAll factors are favourable in eastern India. Therefore, flood in eastern India is different from the one in western India.<\/p>\n
(v) Why are there more droughts in thecentral and western India?
\nAnswer:
\nThe central and western India i.e. Rajasthan, west of Aravali Hills, Kachchh region of Gujarat, Jaisaimer and Barmer receive less than 90 mm. average annual rainfall. So that there are more droughts.<\/p>\n
Question 3.
\nAnswer the following questions is not more than 125 words :
\nIdentify the Landslide-prone regions of India and suggest some measures to mitigate the disasters caused by these.
\nAnswer:
\nLandslide is the rapid sliding of large mass of bedrocks or regolith. On the basis of frequency and eertain casual relationship with the controlling factors like geology, geomorphic agents, slope, landuse, vegetation cover and human activities, India has been divided into the following landslide prone-regions:
\n(i) Very high Vulnerability Zone-The Himalayas and Andaman and Nicobar, high rainfall regions, north-eastern regions, along with areas that experience frequent ground shading.<\/p>\n
(ii) High Vulnerability Zone – All Himalayan stateS Juid states from the north eastern regions except the plains of Assam.<\/p>\n
(iii) Moderate to Low Vulnerability Zone – Areas that receive less precipitation such as trans-Himalayan areas of Ladakh and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh). Land-slides due to mining are most common in the states like Jharkhand, Orissa, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Kerala.<\/p>\n
Measures to mitigate the disaster caused by landslide :<\/p>\n
(i) Afforestation – The planting of trees and other vegetation on hill slopes and uncultivated land is helpful in controlling landslides to some extent.<\/p>\n
(i) Restricted grazing of animals – Restricted grazing of animals should be practiced in order to minimise the loss of plant cover.<\/p>\n
(iii) Terracing – Terracing is cutting the hill slopes in a series of large steps made up of flat fields. Terracing is also effective in checking the landslides.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Question 4.
\nWhat is vulnerability? Divide India into natural disaster vulnerability zones based on droughts and suggest some mitigation measures.
\nAnswer:
\nVulnerability – The disasters are sudden and violent, different social groups gets affected and respond to it differently. The difference in their ability to cope up with disasters is known as vulnerability, poor people are more vulnerable than the rich due to their lower tolerance capabilities.<\/p>\n
Disasters are the result of harmful attacks brought against human beings by external agents. Drought is shortage of water due to inadequate precipitation and excessive rate of evaporation. Droughts and floods are the two accompanying features of Indian climate, about 30% of country’s total area is identified as drought vulnerized area.<\/p>\n
There is large-scale variation and unpredictability in the behaviour of the monsoon in India. On the basis of severity of droughts, India can be divided into the following vulnerability zones:<\/p>\n
(i) Extreme Vulnerability Zone – Most parts of Rajasthan,particularly areas to the west of Aravali Hills and Kachchh region of Gujarat, Jaisalmer and Barmer from Indian desert that receive less than 90 mm. average annual rainfall.<\/p>\n
(ii) Severe Drought Vulnerability Zone – Parts of eastern Rajasthan, most of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka Plateau, northern parts of interior Tamil Nadu and southern parts of Jharkhand and interior Orissa.<\/p>\n
(iii) Moderate Drought Vulnerability Zone – Northern parts of Rajasthan, Haryana, southern districts of Uttar Pradesh, remaining parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra except Konkan, Jharkhand and Coimbatore plateau of Tamil Nadu.<\/p>\n
Mitigation measures
\nThe following steps to be taken for the drought mitigation programme:<\/p>\n