Natural Hazards and Disasters

India actually has massive natural physical barriers, such as the Himalaya and Hindu Kush mountain ranges to the north and northwest, and oceans on its other sides. While invaders did occasionally enter through mountain passes like the Khyber Pass, the statement that India lacked natural physical barriers is false.

The Himalayas are geologically active and prone to various natural hazards, including snowstorms, earthquakes, and landslides.

Extreme weather, crop failures, and economic instability are all significant threats to food security. Therefore, all these factors contribute to putting the supply of food at risk.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami (which affected Sri Lanka in late 2004/early 2005) caused massive destruction and loss of life across the region.

A pyroclastic flow is a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter that moves away from a volcano. It is one of the most dangerous volcanic phenomena.

A tsunami is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally due to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or underwater landslides.

A floodplain is the flat land adjacent to a river that is subject to periodic flooding, depositing nutrient-rich silt.

During a thunderstorm, it is dangerous to use corded telephones or electrical appliances connected to the grid because lightning can travel through wires. Mobile phones are wireless and generally considered safe to use.

A tsunami is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake, often triggered by underwater earthquakes.

Earthquakes, cyclones, and lightning are natural phenomena. Earthing is a man-made safety procedure involving the connection of electrical equipment to the ground.

Lightning is a massive electrostatic discharge caused by the buildup of electrical charges in clouds. The discharge occurs between clouds or between a cloud and the ground.

The verb destroy means to damage something so severely that it ceases to exist or is ruined. Hurricanes are powerful enough to cause this level of physical damage to buildings.

A flood occurs when an overflow of water submerges land that is usually dry. Option A accurately describes this phenomenon.

Famine is defined as an extreme scarcity of food. Marasmus and Kwashiorkor are specific types of protein-energy malnutrition, while over-nutrition refers to excessive intake of nutrients.

Tsunamis are most commonly caused by underwater earthquakes that displace large volumes of water. Therefore, an earthquake is a primary precursor event.