Dead... naturally!

In the last two decades, the number of persons affected by disasters increased at the rate of six per cent per year, which corresponds to three times the annual population growth. There were nearly 600 natural catastrophes in 1995 which claimed about 20,000 lives, displaced millions and resulted in total financial losses of around US $180 billion (the figures for 1994 were 580 disasters, 10,000 deaths and loss of $65 billion). Out of the $180 billion, the Kobe earthquake alone caused a loss of US $96 billion. At the beginning of the century, less than one in three large earthquakes caused casualties. This number has gradually risen throughout this century, and in the '90s, two earthquakes in every three have been killers. With rapid growth of urban areas, it becomes necessary to ensure that urban communities suffer the least from the avoidable and unavoidable disasters that will strike them in the future.Making a green mark Although some areas are more vulnerable, no region on earth is hundred per cent safe from the threat of a sudden natural disaster. More attention is, therefore, needed for long-term planning to mitigate disasters.

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