Get textual answers, explanations, solutions, notes, extras, MCQs, PDF of Chapter 6 Hazard and Disaster: WBBSE Class 9 Geography (English medium). However, the educational materials should only be used for reference, and students are encouraged to make necessary changes.
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Summary
A hazard is a sudden event that harms nature, people’s belongings, and homes on Earth. The word ‘hazard’ comes from old words that meant ‘death’, showing how serious these events can be. Hazards can be grouped into types. Natural hazards happen because of nature, like a big flood. Quasi-natural hazards start from nature but become worse because people are not careful or have old beliefs. Man-made hazards are caused by what people do, such as accidents in factories or too many people living in one place.
A disaster is what happens when a hazard becomes very big and very bad. The word ‘disaster’ comes from old words meaning ‘bad star’. Long ago, people believed that a ‘bad star’ in the sky caused terrible events on Earth. This was their way of understanding why bad things happened. A disaster is a harsh event that stops people from living their normal lives. It causes great harm to people, animals, and plants, happening very quickly and without warning. It can mean loss of life, injuries, and damage to homes and the environment.
Many kinds of disasters come from nature. Floods happen when there is too much rain and water covers the land. Floods can be caused by heavy rain, melting ice, or big storms. Sometimes, things people build, like dams, can also cause floods if they break. Floods can wash away homes and crops and spread diseases. Drought is when there is no rain for a very long time. This makes the land dry, and it’s hard to grow food. Droughts can be caused by nature or by people cutting down too many trees.
Cyclones are big storms with very strong, swirling winds. They have different names in different parts of the world. Earthquakes happen when the ground suddenly shakes. This is usually caused by movements deep inside the Earth. Earthquakes can make buildings fall and are measured on a special scale. A tsunami is a giant wave in the sea, often caused by an earthquake under the ocean. Tsunamis can travel far and cause a lot of damage when they reach land.
Landslides occur when earth, rocks, and soil slide down a hill or mountain. Heavy rain or earthquakes can cause landslides. An avalanche is when a large amount of snow slides down a mountain. A blizzard is a strong, cold wind with a lot of snow, usually in very cold places. Volcanism is when hot liquid rock, gas, and ash burst out from a volcano. Wildfires are large fires that burn in forests or grasslands, spreading very quickly. All these events can change the land and affect many lives.
Textual Questions, Answers (Oriental)
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Loss of human life and property due to environment
A. incident
B. accident
C. danger
D. disaster
Answer: D. disaster
2. Soil erosion is what type of hazard?
A. natural
B. man made
C. quasi-natural
D. extra terrestorial
Answer: C. quasi-natural
3. Tsunami is a disaster like
A. geological
B. water-related
C. atmospheric
D. biological
Answer: A. geological
4. Example of an organic disaster
A. earthquake
B. tsunami
C. volcanism
D. landslide
Answer: D. landslide
True and false
1. In ancient time people believed disaster as evil star on bad star.
Answer: True
Explanation: The word ‘disaster’ originates from the belief that a bad or evil star caused misfortune. Ancient Greeks and other Europeans thought that natural disasters were linked to such celestial influences.
2. In West Bengal two drought prone districts are Bankura & Purulis.
Answer: True
Explanation: The document mentions that 315 out of 725 talukas in 99 districts in India are drought-prone, and Bankura and Purulia in West Bengal are commonly cited examples of such areas.
3. When blocks of ice fall down from high altitude then it is termed as waterfalls.
Answer: False
Explanation: This describes an avalanche, not a waterfall. An avalanche involves the downward movement of large masses of ice or snow, typically on a steep slope.
4. Tsunamies are the effects of cyclones.
Answer: False
Explanation: Tsunamis are caused by undersea earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or landslides, not by cyclones. Although both are coastal hazards, their causes are completely different.
Fill in the blanks
1. The word ‘Sea tremor’ was first used by the Geographer ______.
Answer: Charles F. Richter
2. In West Bengal the person who looks after district disaster management authority is ______.
Answer: the Secretary
3. The date ______ is celebrated as disaster minimised day.
Answer: October 13
Answer the following very short type question
1. What is natural disaster?
Answer: A natural disaster is a harsh natural incident which affects normal activities of human being. It is the next adverse condition or extreme result of a natural hazard, which happens because of natural calamity and damages life and environment.
2. What do you mean by hazard?
Answer: Hazard may be defined as sudden incidents which damage natural, economic and human properties on the surface of the earth. According to dictionary, Hazard is such a condition which destroyes life, property and creates a serious threat in the environment.
3. What types of disaster is flood?
Answer: Flood is a climate-related extreme hazard which sometimes may be a disaster. The different types of flood are (a) Natural flood and (b) Man-made flood.
4. What is flash flood?
Answer: A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields.
5. What do you mean by cloud burst?
Answer: A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period of time, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood-like conditions. It is a sudden, very heavy rainfall, usually local in nature and of brief duration.
6. Define drought.
Answer: Drought is either absence or deficiency of rainfall from its normal pattern in a region for an extended period of time leading to general suffering in the society.
7. Define Tsunami.
Answer: Tsunamis are popularly called tidal ‘waves’ although they actually have nothing to do with the tides. These waves often affect distant shores and originate by rapid displacement of water from the lake or the sea either by seismic activity, landslides, volcanic eruptions or large meteoroid impacts.
8. Name the most destructive and biggest tsunami, when and where did it happened?
Answer: One of the most destructive and biggest tsunamis in recorded history was the Indian Ocean tsunami, which occurred on December 26, 2004. It was triggered by a massive undersea earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, and affected 14 countries, causing widespread devastation and loss of life.
9. What is avalanche?
Answer: When a huge bulk of ice move downward due to steep rock slope then it is termed as avalanche.
10. What is blizzard?
Answer: During prolonged winter season in Tundra region there is a continuous cold wind along with snow fall which is termed as blizzard.
11. What is ice fall?
Answer: An icefall is a portion of a glacier characterized by rapid flow and a chaotic, crevassed surface. It occurs where the glacier bed steepens and/or narrows. It is essentially a frozen waterfall, where large blocks of ice can break off and fall.
12. What is wild fire?
Answer: When there is a sudden fire, in the forest area on grassland regions or bushes it is called wild fire.
Essay type questions
1. Classify natural hazard describe it in brief.
Answer: Hazard may be classified into three types: (1) Natural Hazard: It happens because of natural calamity and damages life and environment. For an example in West Bengal most areas are often affected by flood during summer. (2) Quasi-natural Hazard: There are some hazards which occur mainly due to natural causes but due to lack of human consciousness and superstitions it becomes very much dangerous. For an example flood, soil erosion etc. (3) Man made Hazard: There are some hazards which are caused by unscrupulous activities of human being such as Bhopal gas leakage, (chemical hazard) Chernobil (Russia) atomic hazard, organic hazard (increase of population).
2. Mention the differences between natural hazard and man-made disaster.
Answer: Natural Hazard happens because of natural calamity and damages life and environment. For an example in West Bengal most areas are often affected by flood during summer. Man made Hazard are some hazards which are caused by unscrupulous activities of human being such as Bhopal gas leakage, (chemical hazard) Chernobil (Russia) atomic hazard, organic hazard (increase of population).
3. As a hazard or disaster define, classify and mention the causes of flood.
Answer: Hazard may be defined as sudden incidents which damage natural, economic and human properties on the surface of the earth. ‘Disaster’ is the next adverse condition or extreme result of hazard. Disaster is such a harsh natural incident which affects normal activities of human being.
According to Indian Meteorological Department when a particular area experiences average annual rainfall of more than 125% and becomes waterlogged then it is termed as flood. Different types of flood: (a) Natural flood (b) Man-made flood.
(a) Natural flood caused due to (i) heavy rainfall with in a short period (ii) melting of ice (iii) cyclonic storm (iv) tsunami (v) excessive rainfall during long time, (vi) sinuous river course (vii) steep slope of land. etc.
(b) Man made causes like (i) Multipurpose river valley project (ii) breaking down of dams etc.
4. Describe the causes of drought and drone prone areas.
Answer: Causes of drought: (A) Natural causes: (i) due to insufficient rainfall (ii) high rate of evaporation (iii) delayed arrival of monsoonal rain (iv) early departure of monsoon (v) during monsoon season if there is continuous rainless days (vi) increase of temperature due to effect of green house gases. (B) Man made causes: (i) deforestation for which rainfall decreases and CO₂ increases (ii) urbanisation etc.
Drought-Prone Area: (A) Sahal region of Africa: Sahal means the edge of Sahara desert which is excessive drought prone area of the world. This region was affected by drought during 1905-1909, 1950-1969, 1973, 1984, 1990 and 2007. (B) Drought-Prone region of India: Around 68% of India’s total area is drought-prone to drought. 315 out of a total of 725 talukas in 99 districts are prone. In 2001 more than eight states suffered the impact of severe drought.
5. Write in brief about nature of hazard and disaster in West Bengal and also describe its impact on people.
Answer: In West Bengal most areas are often affected by flood during summer. In West Bengal two drought prone districts are Bankura & Purulia.
The impact of hazard and disaster on people includes loss of human life and property due to environment incident/accident/danger/disaster. Disasters cause great damage to human beings as well as plants and animals. Disasters occur rapidly, instantaneously and indiscriminately. Disaster is such a physical phenomenon which cause the loss of life or injury, property damage, social & economic disruption or environmental degradation. According to some researchers of Colorado University of U.S.A. disasters means loss of hundreds of life, wastage of one million dollar and injuries of one million people.
6. Mention the strategies adopted for disaster management in West Bengal.
Answer: Key disaster management strategies in West Bengal generally include:
- Risk Assessment: Identifying hazard-prone areas (floods, cyclones, landslides, droughts) and assessing community and infrastructure vulnerability.
- Prevention & Mitigation: Implementing structural measures like embankments and cyclone shelters, alongside non-structural approaches such as afforestation, land-use planning, and public awareness.
- Preparedness: Strengthening early warning systems, training response teams and communities, establishing Emergency Operations Centers, stockpiling relief supplies, and conducting mock drills.
- Coordinated Response: Ensuring rapid search and rescue, timely evacuation, provision of immediate relief (food, water, shelter, medical aid), and quick restoration of essential services.
- Recovery & Reconstruction: Conducting damage assessments, rebuilding infrastructure with disaster-resilient features (“building back better”), and supporting livelihood restoration for affected communities.
- Institutional Framework: Strengthening State and District Disaster Management Authorities and integrating Disaster Risk Reduction into development plans.
Extras
Additional MCQs
1. Which term is defined as sudden incidents which damage natural, economic and human properties on the earth’s surface?
A. Hazard
B. Disaster
C. Risk
D. Vulnerability
Answer: A. Hazard
40. What term is used for cyclonic storms in the Philippines?
A. Bagui
B. Typhoon
C. Hurricane
D. Tornado
Answer: A. Bagui
Additional Questions, Answers
1. What is the origin and meaning of the word “hazard”?
Answer: The word ‘Hazard’ is originated from ancient Anglo-French word ‘hasard’ or Arabic word ‘az-zahr’ means ‘death’. According to dictionary Hazard is such a condition which destroyes life, property and creates a serious threat in the environment.
50. Describe the spread of wild fires globally, mentioning the area destroyed in any two countries.
Answer: When there is a sudden fire, in the forest area on grassland regions or bushes it is called wild fire. Wild fire spreads from one place to another immediately in three ways: (i) crawling fire from lower level to upper (ii) crown fire from upper level to lower. (iii) jumping fire: fire spreads fast due to blowing of wind.
In U.S.A. 17,400 sq km area (0.18%) were destroyed due to massive volume of wild fire. In France 211 sq km forest area (0.04%) were destroyed due to massive volume of wild fire. In 2003 due to wild fire 4,249 sq km area in Portugal and in Indonesia 97,550 sq km area in 1997, in 1999, 440-90 sq km area and in 2001 143-51 sq. km, in 2005 133-28 sq km, in 2003 37.45 sq km forest area was destroyed.
Ron’e Dutta is a journalist, teacher, aspiring novelist, and blogger who manages Online Free Notes. An avid reader of Victorian literature, his favourite book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. He dreams of travelling the world. You can connect with him on social media. He does personal writing on ronism.
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