Department of Environmental Science’s Karakoram international University Gilgit

Topic: History of Natural disasters in Pakistan:

Submitted to: Dr .karamat ali

Submitted by: Ali

Registration No: 2018-KIU-451

Course: Disaster management

Semester: Bs6th

Date: 30/Jan/2021

Introduction

A natural disaster is a sudden event that causes widespread destruction, major collateral damage or loss
of life, brought about by forces other than the acts of human beings. A natural disaster might be caused
by earthquakes, flooding, volcanic eruption, landslide, hurricanes etc. To be classified as a disaster, it will
have profound environmental effect and/or human loss and frequently causes financial loss. Natural and
human-caused disasters affect thousands of people each year. Major adverse events such as these have
the potential to cause catastrophic loss of life and physical destruction. They are often unexpected and
can leave whole communities in shock.

People who live through a disaster can experience emotional distress. Feelings of anxiety, constant
worrying, trouble sleeping, and other depression-like symptoms are common responses to disasters
before, during, and after the event. Many people are able to “bounce back” from disasters with help
from family and the community, but others may need additional support to cope and move forward on
the path of recovery. Anyone can be at risk, including survivors living in the impacted areas and first
responders and recovery workers.

Levels of Disaster
The severity or degree of damage can be further divided into three categories:

Small Scale Disasters: Small scale disasters are those that extend from 50 Kms. to 100 Kms. So this kind
of disasters does not cause much damage.

Medium-scale disasters: Medium Scale disasters extend from 100 Kms to 500 Kms. These cause more
damage than a small scale disaster. Moreover, they can cause greater damage if they occur in colonial
states.

Large Scale Disasters: These disasters cover an area of more than 1000 Kms. These cause the most
severe damage to the environment. Furthermore, these disasters can even take over a country if the
degree is high. For instance, the wiping out of the dinosaurs was because of a large scale natural
disaster.

Types of Disasters Natural Disasters

Natural disasters are large-scale geological or meteorological events that have the potential to cause
loss of life or property. These types of disasters include:

o Tornadoes and Severe Storms

Tornadoes are outgrowths of powerful thunderstorms that appear as rotating, funnel-shaped clouds.
They extend from a thunderstorm to the ground with violent winds that average 30 miles per hour.
Also, they can vary in speed dramatically from being stationary to 70 miles per hour. With a loud
roar that sounds similar to a freight train, tornadoes in the United States typically are 500 feet
across and travel on the ground for five miles. Every state is at some risk from tornadoes and the
severe storms that produce them. These same destructive storms also cause strong gusts of wind,
lightning strikes, and flash floods.

o Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

Hurricanes are types of tropical storms that form in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf
of Mexico, and eastern Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes affect millions of people who live along the Atlantic
and Gulf of Mexico coasts each year. Parts of the Southwest United States and the Pacific Coast can
also experience severe weather associated with hurricanes, which include tornadoes, floods, and
heavy winds.

o Floods

Floods are one of the most common hazards in the United States. They occur when land that is
normally dry experiences an overflow of water. Several events cause floods, including hurricanes and
tropical storms, failed dams or levees, and flash floods that occur within a few minutes or hours of
excessive rainfall.
o Wildfires

Wildfires are usually triggered by lightning or accidents and often go unnoticed at first. They can
spread quickly and are especially destructive if they occur near forests, rural areas, remote mountain
sites, and other woodland settings where people live. While not reported as often as floods or
tornadoes and severe storms, they, too, can cause emotional distress in people living in affected
areas.

o Earthquakes

An earthquake is the shifting of the Earth’s plates, which results in a sudden shaking of the ground
that can last for a few seconds to a few minutes. Within seconds, mild initial shaking can strengthen
and become violent. Earthquakes happen without warning and can happen at any time of year.

Top 10 natural disasters in pakistan since 1935

 1935 Quetta earthquake: A 7.7 Richter scale earthquake virtually levelled the city of Quetta
in the eastern province of Balochistan, then part of British India. Some 60,000 people were
killed in one of the deadliest earthquakes to hit South Asia. The epicentre was 4km
southwest of the town of Ali Jaan, some 153km from Quetta.

 1945 Balochistan earthquake: A 7.8 Richter Scale earthquake hit southwestern Balochistan
on 28 November 1945. The epicentre was 98km southwest of the town of Pasni. Apart from
massive damage to property, the quake led to a 40-foot tsunami causing the deaths of over
4,000 people.

 1950 floods: Monsoon rain in 1950 killed an estimated 2,900 people across the country.
Punjab Province, including the city of Lahore, was among the worst hit when the River Ravi
flooded. Flooding also affected parts of the southern province of Sindh. Over 100,000 homes
were destroyed, leaving around 900,000 people homeless.

 1970 East Pakistan cyclone: The Bhola tropical cyclone struck the territory of East Pakistan
(now Bangladesh) on 12 November 1970. It was the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded
and is rated as one of the worst natural disasters in modern times. Up to 500,000 lost their
lives, primarily as a result of the storm surge that flooded much of the low-lying islands of
the Ganges Delta. The cyclone also gave rise to unrest which contributed to a civil war and
the formation in 1971 of the independent state of Bangladesh.

 1974 Hunza earthquake: A 6.2 Richter Scale quake hit the Hunza area in northern Pakistan
and also the Hazara and Swat districts of the then North West Frontier Province on 28
 December 1974. About 5,300 people were killed, 17,000 injured and 97,000 affected.
Landslides and rockfalls contributed to the damage. Most of the destruction was centred
around the village of Pattan, around 160km north of Islamabad.

 2000 drought: At least 1.2 million people in Balochistan were affected by drought, and over
100 died, mostly because of dehydration, according to the government. Millions of animals
perished. One of the worst-affected areas was the town of Nushki, close to the border with
Afghanistan. The drought lasted over 10 months.

 2005 Kashmir quake: A 7.6-Richter scale quake struck the Kashmir region on the India-
Pakistan border and parts of northwestern Pakistan on 8 October 2005. According to official
figures, at least 73,000 people were killed and more than 3.3 million made homeless. The
worst affected areas included Neelum Valley and Bagh District in Pakistan-administered
Kashmir and Mansehra Division. A massive international relief effort was launched. Work
continues today to rebuild damaged infrastructure.

 2007 Cyclone Yemyin: At least 380 people were killed in Balochistan, 250 in Sindh and 100 in
Balochistan as a result of flash floods triggered by Cyclone Yemyin, which struck coastal
areas in early July 2007. Some 350,000 people were displaced, 1.5 million affected and more
than two million livestock perished.

 2010 Hunza Lake disaster: A landslide in January 2010 in Attabad village in Hunza-nagar
District in the far north of the country killed 20 people and led to around 40 houses sliding
into the Hunza river.

 2010 floods: The toll so far: 1,600 deaths; over six million affected. Pakistan has sought
international help to cope with the catastrophe. Despite mass evacuations, there are fears
the death toll will rise as flooding reaches the southern province of Sindh and the risk of
water-borne disease outbreaks increases in many areas.

References

 https://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management/about-disasters/definition-of-
hazard/
 https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline/disaster-types
 https://reliefweb.int/report/pakistan/pakistan-numbers-affected-people-continue-rise
 https://reliefweb.int/report/pakistan/pakistan-top-10-natural-disasters-1935
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