eChapters

1.1 Introduction

Due to the ever increasing world population, the demand for food would also increase. India is one of the largest food producer countries of the world (first in milk production, second largest in fruit and vegetable production and third largest in grains production). It is the seventh-largest country in the world, with a total land area of 3,287,263 square kilometres. India has varied climates of snow covered Himalayas, desserts, oceans, fertile plains and areas receiving the highest rainfall in the world. Name any food item; it can be grown in one or the other part of the country. All these make the production of various types of foods of plant (fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses, oilseeds, spices etc) as well as animal origin (fish, meat, milk etc.) possible in the country. The annual production of cereals, fruits and vegetables is 260, 57 and 77 million tonnes respectively, besides this, the production of cow and buffalo milk is about 102.1 million tonnes and that of sugarcane and spices are 355.52 and 1.1 million tonnes respectively [15]. Table 1 shows that the production of various food items has increased many folds during the last five decades. On one hand, we feel proud as we produce one of the largest quantities of foods in the world and there has been an enormous rise in the production of various foods in India during the last five decades, on the other hand we should be very much worried being a leading country as far as the wastage of food in the world is concerned. The postharvest losses are huge and only meagre quantity (2%) of the food is processed. Sharma [41] very rightly said that when we do not agree to throw away Rs 4000/-per month out of a salary of Rs 10,000/-per month then why do we accept 40% postproduction losses of food in the country. This would require immediate necessary action to save a major portion of the food that has already been produced.

2.1 Introduction

Each step in the food industry system e.g. food production, processing, transportation, storage, distribution and marketing, has some impact on the environment and there is much concern about environmental pollution. Due to the highly diversified nature of the food industry, various food processing, handling and packaging operations create wastes of different quality and quantity, which, if not treated, could lead to increasing disposal problems and severe pollution problems [24]. The preservation of the natural environment from industrial pollution is currently receiving much attention. In food industry, the most important problem is treatment and disposal of large quantities of waste water, a by-product of various processing operations. It is one of the largest industry groups comprising the manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy [47]. Likewise, India is the world’s second largest producer of food next to China, and has the potential of being the largest food processor. The total food production in India is likely to double in the next ten years [22]. Flour and grain; soft drinks and carbonated water; breweries; starch and miscellaneous food products; meat, poultry and fish; tea, coffee and other beverages; fruit juices; animal feed; sugar; distilleries and blending of spirits; cocoa, chocolates and sugar confectioneries; agricultural and food chemicals and industrial packaging are important sub-sectors of the food processing industry. Food processing projects involve the processing and packaging of meat products, fish and shell fish, dairy products, fruit and vegetables, grains and beverages production. It includes refinement, preservation, improvement of product, storage, handling, packaging and canning (Fig. 1). The processing may involve receiving and storing raw or partially processed plant, animal or other food materials, processing the raw materials into finished products, packaging and storing the finished products.

3.1 Introduction

The production of food grains in India is around 200 million tonnes and most of the grains are converted to primary products after primary processing such as threshing, dehulling, de-branning. Some of the grains are converted to secondary products such as flour or grits. The yields of primary and secondary products range between 65-80% indicating a wastage of 20-35%. These wastes lead to unclean surroundings and air pollution due to fine dust. Hence, proper waste management/utilization of food grain processing industries has become a societal need for a clean environment.

The term ‘waste’ has different meanings to different people. It can be retractions from the main process or less utilizable by-products or undesirable waste material depending on the commodity. All food-processing industries generate wastes and create problems for its management. The best way the food processing industry can treat its waste is to avoid producing it. Much of the waste now being produced or generated in some food processing plants can become a managed resource for producing economic credits. In fact, waste utilization is one of the world’s prominent industries and its activities cut across the normal divisions into which industries are placed. Similarly, there will be wastes from agriculture, animal and meat industries, textile, rubber etc. Even the local governmental activities that collect and dispose the household wastes become apparent in terms of the huge size of it.

4.1 Introduction

A huge amount of waste in the form of liquid and solid is produced in the fruit and vegetable processing industry which causes pollution problem if not utilized or disposed off properly. Generally solid waste is dumped in local landfills, eaten and scattered by stray animals, which has now become a major cause of environmental pollution. The waste obtained from fruit processing industry is extremely diverse due to the use of wide variety of fruits and vegetables, the broad range of processes and the multiplicity of the product [79]. The solid waste from fruits and vegetables includes peel, stone, rag, seed, core etc is of economic value and can be used for manufacturing of various by-products [21]. The extent of the waste produced from processing industries of some of the important fruits and vegetables, is given in Table 1.

In India, utilization of fruits and vegetables for processing is hardly 1.8% of the total production. There were 5166 processing units till 1^st Jan, 2009 of fruits and vegetables products throughout the country. About 90% of these units are small scale units with annual production limit of 50-250 tonnes. These units have no organized methods of waste disposal. In certain places this waste is taken away by farmers for their disposal as cattle feed or field manure.

5.1 Introduction

Waste from the dairy processing industry is generated through production of milk products at different stages. With diversification of dairy products, by-products have also gained some importance. Utilization of dairy by- products improves economical and nutritional aspects of milk production and reduces environmental pollution originating from dairy waste. Important dairy by-products include butter milk, ghee residues and whey, the major waste arising from production of cheese, casein, paneer and chhana. Whey arises as a result of protein coagulation/precipitation in the preparation of these products. It is used for manufacture of whey powder, whey drinks and lactose (milk sugar). Whey protein concentrates can be prepared by modern technological methods like ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis. Desi buttermilk is an important domestic beverage since olden days. Ghee residue can be utilized for manufacture of chocolate burfi, samosa filling etc. Hence, utilization of dairy waste particularly whey, butter milk and ghee residues obtained during manufacturing of various main products, has not only increased the availability of nutritional milk foods but has also indicated the profitable method of by products utilization and helped in minimizing the problems of pollution. This chapter focuses on utilization of these dairy industry wastes.

6.1 Introduction

The food industry produces large volumes of waste both solid and liquid, starting from the initial step of raw material to the final consumption of processed food. Apart from a loss of valuable biomass and nutrients, the generated waste poses increased disposal and potentially severe pollution problems. Meat and meat industry is no exception where slaughter houses, meat processors, wholesalers and rendering plant generates huge amount of waste [1, 2].

Meat and meat processing industry, is among the least profitable industries despite its immense size and large gross sales. Effective recovery and utilization of by-products and wastes is the lifeline of meat and poultry processing industry. Thus, it becomes imperative that an effort be made to reduce expenses by employing the use of new or modified processing methods and through in-plant treatment, where waste effluents and by-products could be recovered and often upgraded to useful products of higher value. Meat processing wastes have a potential for recycling raw materials or for conversion into useful products of higher value as by-product or even as raw material for other industries or for use as food or feed after biological treatment.

7.1 Introduction

Fisheries are emerging as one of the fastest growing food production system all-over the world. The potential for fisheries development world over and especially in India is highly promising in view of physical and biological resources available coupled with technological development. The demand for fish fishery products is ever increasing as the awareness of health benefits are being made available to public at large. The world fish production has not kept pace with demand which means less and less fish is available. Nevertheless, a large fraction of this valuable commodity is wasted due to deterioration after landing or consumer preference. An estimate by FAO [1] indicates nearly 20-25% of the total catches are wasted as postharvest loss. Better utilization of aquatic resources should therefore, aim primarily at reducing this enormous loss by improving preservation of fish and fishery products and upgrading the discarded low value fish to high value fishery products. The processing of fish into different types of products generates considerable waste. Commercially, fish is being processed into fillets, steaks, mince, canned products and a variety of ready-to-eat products. Fish processing plants contributes substantial wastes in the form of skins, bones, offal, exoskeletons from shrimps and nutrients in wash water from surimi plants.

Fish processing waste utilization is an important issue for the seafood industry both from a regulatory standpoint as well as one that has potential economic impacts. It is estimated that only 25-50% of the raw material is utilized for primary products (fillets, canned and stabilized mince production). The remaining 50-75% of the raw material is considered processing waste and is utilized for low-value products or disposed-off at sea. A large volume of solid waste is currently processed into fish meal, fish protein hydrolysates, and fertilizers. A small percentage is processed into higher valued items, such as, seafood flavourants, colourants, chitosan, enzymes, etc.

8.1 Introduction

Spices are appetizers and hence, esse ntially used in the culinary preparations. They also possess antioxidant, antimicrobial and antibiotic properties. Further, they possess medicinal properties and hence, play an important role in human health.

According to International Organization for Standards (ISO), there is no clear cut division between ‘Spices’ & ‘Condiments’ and as such they have been clubbed together. The term ‘Spices’ & ‘condiments’ applies to “such natural plants or vegetable products or mixtures there of, in whole or ground form, which are used for imparting flavour, aroma and piquancy and seasoning of foods”. Spices are divided into different groups based on their plant components such as floral, fruits, berries, seeds, rhizomes, roots, leaves, kernel, aril, bark, bulbs etc.

About 70 spices are grown in different parts of the world and a major portion of these are grown in India. Hence, India is called “The home of Spices”. It is well known that spices played a significant role in ancient times, in the development of civilization – the life of the people and trade among the nations of East and West. Spices like ginger, pepper and turmeric have an intense and immediate impact on sensory perceptions and exhibit strong physiological effects as food and medicinal constituents. Some spices and herbs like cardamom, saffron and vanilla, which have less intense but more delicate sensory effects, are well known for their contribution to fragrance and usage as food flavouring agents. The history of spices and their use in food and medicine in ancient India have been reviewed earlier [1-3].

9.1 Introduction

Depleting natural resources, regulations on synthetic material, growing environmental awareness and economic considerations today happens to be major driving force for utilization of wastes from the agricultural crops and their residues throughout world [1]. These challenges have led to the introduction of sustainable waste management practices via optimization of processing technologies for minimization and creative conversion of the plant and the processing industries biowastes the world over [2,3,4,5]. Although world prices for sugar and petroleum products have shown spectacular variations during the last few decades, the long term outlook is very likely to be a continuous increase in the price of all fossil fuels and stagnation, at best, for the price of sugar [6]. This gloomy prospect led to the renewed interest in the wastes of the sugarcane industry during the last 50 years and has proved that the optimal use of wastes can provide not only a non-negligible support to the sugarcane industry but will also be able to redress the difficult situation sugar is presently experiencing [7]. Reliable statistics are not available to show the detailed end uses of these wastes on a world basis, but from a very rough picture of their trade, we can say that the wastes from the sugar and jaggery industry serve to be amongst the richest bioresource in this era of recycling of biowastes for renewable wealth generation [8].

10.1 Introduction

Edible oil production is a separate sector of the food processing industry. There are several species of plants in the world whose oil can be utilized for human consumption for edible and non-edible uses. Though around 40 oilseeds are known, only around a dozen oilseed crops have become commercially important including ten seed crops and three tree crops. These oil seed crops (mostly annual) of commercial importance are groundnut, rapeseed-mustard, sesame, soybean, sunflower, cottonseed, safflower, niger, castor and linseed. The three major tree oil crops are palm, olive and coconut [63]. Besides these, the kernels of some other tree crops i.e. apricot, almond, walnut, hazelnut, olive (fruits are used), peach, can also be utilized for oil extraction purposes for edible and non-edible uses. Besides oil of the oilseed crops, the oils of tree fruits and kernels are also becoming popular very fast for various food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

Large scale requirement and local shortages of oils for various edible and non-edible uses have prompted the identification of many new sources of oil during the last few decades. They are ricebran, corn, sal, mahua, jatropha, kokum, melia, rubber, mango kernel, kusum, simarouba, neem, karanj, crambe, moringa, tumba, jojoba and tobacco seed etc. Most of these oilseeds and their products have wide utility in the specialty oils sector and are mostly used for non-edible purposes. Soaps and detergents, paint and varnish, lubricants, pesticides and medicines, cosmetics, bio-diesel fuel industry are the major consumers of these non-traditional oilseeds. All the oil crops will gain greater attention in future as they are renewable and biodegradable in nature [63]. List of oil crops have been given in Table 1.

11.1 Introduction

Fermented foods are the result of the activity of a few specialized types of micro-organisms among the thousands of species known to mankind. Success of such processes is depended upon the control of environmental conditions ensuring the growth of the desired microbial species and inhibition of others. The fermentation can be broadly defined as the process in which the carbohydrate or like compounds are broken down, under anaerobic or aerobic conditions [171]. The basic role of micro-organisms is to breakdown the organic compounds to get energy for their metabolic activities. From ancient times, people all over the world have developed traditional processes for production of alcoholic beverages (wine) either from natural sugar such as in wine or by degrading the starchy materials (beer). Fruit wines referred to as ‘Soma’ in our ancient scriptures have been part of food of man and were used as medicine, might have originated accidentally (transformation of fruit juice beverages having exhilarating or stimulating properties). Wines are made principally from fruits like grape or extract of other fruits of various types (table wine, sparkling wine, dessert, aperitif or vermouth and pop wines) while the beers are prepared from grains like barley, rice and corn. The principal carbohydrate in grain is starch which can not be fermented directly. This process is brought about by starch splitting enzymes by germinating the grains followed by drying and storage until needed. Distillation of beer produces a variety of liquors (whisky, rum, gin, vodka), while that of wine produces the brandy. Besides, the improvement in the raw material selection, fermentation conditions and techniques, a lot of waste material is generated during fermentation process in the industries. Nevertheless, the food based industries are significant contributors to the economy of the many countries of the world (Fig 1). The global market value of food fermentation based industries is estimated to be around 250 million US dollars. Interestingly, more than 10% of this accounts for alcoholic beverages (Fig 2) with projected increase of US$ 27 billions in 1989 to 40 billions in 1990 [93,123,123,129].

12.1 Introduction

Man is the most beautiful of all God’s creations and like man, his environment too is beautiful with rivers to quench his thirst with sweet water, atmosphere to provide him oxygen, land and fire to provide him food. Primitive man ate uncooked food and lived in caves. Soon he learnt the use of firewood for cooking of raw meat and provided the first instance of ‘Pollution from food processing’ in history. As man shifted from one place to another, this sort of living never polluted the environment. But as the man ascended the ladder of civiliz ation, his needs grew in arithmeti c progression but corresponding pollution grew in geometric progression. With increase in agriculture produce, a need was felt to preserve the glut production in the form of processed foods giving rise to massive development of food processing industries all over the world. The rapid industrialization of agriculture and horticulture, increased the pollution load many folds especially the biodegradable waste from food industry [41].The wineries and distilleries (distill wine to make brandy) are no exception. Nevertheless, the waste is a precious source of several useful materials as such or after fermentation [1,31,46,86]. Thus, development and environment are two sides of the same coin.

From time immemorial, the biosphere is acting as a sink for all the waste products and recycles them to make good the loss so that every generation finds it the same as one before it. But, of late, this self-cleaning and equilibrium maintenance of biosphere is disastrously disturbed as the waste produced from man’s activities is continuously exceeding the capacity to purify herself. Consequently, our biosphere is becoming more and more poisonous and days are not far away when this planet will become inhabitable.

13.1 Introduction

Hospitality industry is the second largest industry in the world. It is well diversified and can be chosen as per the interest. Hospitality management involves planning, organizing, directing and controlling human and other resources within the different segments of hospitality industry i.e. lodging, restaurant, travel and tourism, institutional management, recreational management, meeting and convention planning industries. Although, these all are separate but related segments of the hospitality industry and are interrelated to provide good and efficient services to the guests and users. Hospitality industry provides services which are need oriented and differ in various parts of the world as per regions and the traditional styles.

The first building created specifically for hotel was ‘City Hotel’ with 73 rooms at 115 Broadway, New York in 1794. Pallonjee Pestonjee established the very first western-style hotel in India, “The Bristol Hotel” in Mumbai in 1840. According to the report of the department of Tourism, Government of India, at the end of the year 2004, there were 167 Five star hotels with approx. 28,900 rooms, whereas 126 Four star hotels, with 8,831 rooms [2]. To expedite the ongoing process of classification/re-classification of functioning hotels in one to three star categories, five Regional Committees have also been set up in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Guwahati and Chennai to conduct inspection [3].

14.1 Introduction

The increasing human population and changing life styles have resulted in a huge demand for processed and packaged foods. As a result of this demand, large amounts of water, air, electricity and fuel are consumed on a daily basis for food processing, transportation and preservation. Although not one of the most heavily polluting, the food industry does contribute to the increase in volume of waste produced [1]. There is an increasing pressure from regulatory bodies through incentives, legislation and financial penalties to minimize waste generation and encourage adoption of eco-friendly options for waste management. Nanotechnology is a panacea for food waste management.

Key words : Remote Sensing, Ecosystem, Environmental Pollution, Biodiversity Conservation, Coastal Environmental Degradation, Wetland.

Introduction

National prosperity and human resources development are primarily shaped by the availability of natural resources and their use. None the less, the benefits are quite often negated by the resultant environmental degradation concomitant with their utilisation for economic values. The problems of environmental degradation have assumed critical dimensions in many parts of India due to resources exploitation; industrialisation and urbanisation, unchecked population growth and a never ending quest for energy to meet the increasing demands. Moreover, improper utilisation of resources has resulted in such environmental problems as soil erosion, waterlogging, floods, droughts and pollution of various types besides socio-economic disparity among people.

After the 1972 Stockholm conference on Human Environment and Development, there has been a phenomenal increase in the worldwide interest in the environmental issues associated with development. Consequently, the focus of development has shifted to environment friendly and sustainable developmental planning in recent years. The Rio Summit (June 3-14, 1992) further emphasised the fact that earth is an integral and interdependent system, which require sustainable developmental planning. During deliberations of the Rio Summit (Earth Summit), it was emphasised that satellite imagery will be quite helpful in monitoring earth’s environment.

India has a long tradition of environmental protection and has enacted laws during the last three decades to give further impetus to the conservation of natural resources and protection of environment. Some of the important laws are:

Introduction

Precision Farming (PF) revolves around the idea that any agricultural land contains wide spatial variations in soil types, nutrient availability, and other important factors. If these variations are not taken into account, then there may be a loss in productivity. Precision farming is one of the most scientific and modern approaches to sustainable agriculture that has gained momentum in 21^st century. Consider the situation: ‘A farmer goes to his/her field with his/her Global Positioning System (GPS) guided tractor. The GPS senses the exact location of the tractor within the field. It sends the signal to a computer on the tractor that has a Geographical Information System (GIS), storing the soil nutrient requirements map in it. GIS, in consultation with a Decision Support System, decides what is the exact requirement of the fertilizer for a given location and then commands a variable rate fertilizer applicator, attached with the tractor, to apply the exact dose at that precise location. All this is done within a second, before the tractor moves further.’ This may sound like an excerpt from a scientific fiction, but this is what precision farming means to the large growers of the United States or European countries and day is not far off when it will be feasible for large Indian farmers as well.

PF refers to a developing agricultural management system that promotes variable management practices within a field according to site or soil conditions. Within a short span of time, this concept has been described with various names viz. farming by soil; farming soil, not fields; farming by the foot; spatially prescriptive farming; computer aided farming; farming by computer; farming by satellite; high-tech sustainable agriculture; soil-specific crop management; site-specific farming; and site-specific crop management.

Key words : NRSA, Natural Resource and Disaster Management, Agricultural Drought, Ecosystems, Biodiversity Information System, Water Resources, Sea Surface Temperature.

Introduction

A few decades ago, paper maps were the principal means to synthesize and represent geographic information. Manipulating this information was limited to a manual, non-interactive process. Since then the rapid development of new technologies to collect and digitize geographic data, together with an increasing demand for both interactive manipulation and analysis of this data, has generated a need for dedicated software’s namely geographic information systems (GISs).

A GIS is more than a cartographic tool to produce maps. It stores geographic data, retrieves and combines this data to create new representations of geographic space, provides tools for spatial analysis, and performs simulations to help expert users to organize their work in many areas like public administration, transportation networks, military applications and environmental information systems. These above mentioned are few among many others where we are concerned with geographical locations, their present status, its potential for developmental activities, patterns of change over the years and the processes on the surface of the earth.

Geographic information technology is used to manipulate objects in geographic space, and to acquire knowledge from spatial facts. Spatial information theory provides a basis for GIS by bringing together fields that deal with spatial reasoning, the representation of space, and human understanding of space.

Key words : Horticultural Resource Information System. INARIS.

Introduction

Wide ranging Indian climatic conditions are well suited for boosting production of a variety of horticultural crops (fruits, vegetables, flower/ornamental/medicinal and aromatic crops) which presently hold an important position in the global scenario. Development was at a very low ebb till the Third Five-Year Plan and increased significantly since the Seventh Five Year Plan (Rs.10,000 millions plan outlay). Government of India established National Horticultural Board (NHB) in 1984 and Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in 1986 to facilitate its larger development. The outlay is expected to increase even more in the Tenth Plan. Significant progress has been made in area expansion of different horticultural crops resulting in higher production. Besides, use of modern technologies has also brought about improvement in productivity. More than 50 per cent increase in production is seen in many of the horticulture crops during last one decade.

The efficient planning and implementation of different developmental programs on horticultural crops depends on production parameters like soil suitability, varietals dominance, marketable surplus, marketing channels, post harvest handling practices, cost of cultivation and market availability for sustained production. In addition, information on latest technologies developed by various research organizations on horticultural improvement, production, protection and post-harvest technologies are needed to be collected and made available to the scientists, planners and managers working in the related fields. But the available information on this aspect is scattered and the database is too weak to provide adequate support for developmental strategies. The digitization of comprehensive database on horticultural crops will definitely enhance the pace of increasing the area, production, productivity and promoting industry of horticultural crops that have taken lead in the new millennium with reference to nutritional quality of food and export potential. A strong, well-knit database to support need-based, market-driven and cost-effective horticultural development is imperative. Therefore, under National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) a Mission Mode Sub-project on “Integrated National Agricultural Resources Information System (INARIS)” has been taken up to evolve a comprehensive computerized data management system on various agricultural resources like crops, animals, fishes and natural resources by harnessing RDBMS and GIS. The Co-operating Center at Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore has developed the “Horticultural Resources Information System” with the objectives of (i) integrating existing databases in horticulture, (ii) designing and developing a comprehensive database in horticulture and (iii) developing resource maps of major horticultural crops in the country by integrating attribute and spatial data through GIS. In addition to simple storage and retrieval it will include other functions such as manipulation and dissemination of information to various users. This database will be integrated with 13 other Co-operating Centers dealing with different agricultural resources through a virtual private network (VPN). The Lead Center at Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi provide warehouse facility with a capability to analyze the data variously and provide report as cubes, tables and graphs to form a national database to cater to the needs of the users through a website. The facility of retrieving information as value-added maps using GIS will also be built in.

Key words : Wasteland Reclamation, Poverty Indicators, Food Insecurity, Alternate Livelihood Systems, Rural Infrastructure Index.

Introduction

The countries of Asia and the Pacific region accounts for nearly two-thirds of the chronically poor and undernourished in the world. FAO estimates indicate that, by 2010, Asia will still account for about one-half of the world’s malnourished population (FAO 2000). In Asia, poverty has mainly been rural phenomenon and nearly three-fourth of the poor live in rural areas, with large majority of them dependent on natural resources for employment and income. South Asia, which had a poverty incidence of 43 percent (or about 520 million people), contributed about 40 percent of the world’s poor. Development of natural resources thus offers a potentially enormous means of poverty reduction.

In developing countries poverty and environmental deterioration are often viable in proximity to each other, and have led many to infer that a two-way causality exists between human and environmental degradation. Environmental degradation usually occurs when production and consumption activities of growing population irreversibly weaken nature’s recycling capabilities. These economic activities are also attributed to the development of markets, the advent of modern technology, and the spatial integration of inaccessible areas to market systems. In many developing countries, however, environmental degradation such as soil erosion, deforestation and pollution are most visible around poor settlements, leading some policy makers to highlight the direct links between poverty and the environment.

One has to recognize that both poverty and the environment are descriptions of states of human and natural resource attributes and cannot be reduced to simple one-dimensional cause-effect relationships. Apart from conceptual difficulties in modeling linkages, another handicap has been the absence of adequate or reliable data sets on poverty and environment characteristics. The challenge for operational research is exploring how circumstantial evidence and inductive logic can be used to explain the nature of interactions between the two states. Based on nationwide wasteland statistics vis-à-vis state and district wise poverty estimates available with the concerned agencies, this study is one such attempt, and evaluates the incidence of poverty with the backdrop of natural resources degradation and role of institutional interventions with illustrations from India.

Key words : Glaciers, Glacial Lakes, Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF), Himachal Pradesh, Glacial Inventory, Glacier Recession.

Introduction

Glaciers are large masses of snow, re-crystallized ice and rock debris that accumulate in great quantities and begin to flow outwards and downwards under the pressure of their own weight. Glaciers form when yearly snowfall in a region far exceeds the amount of snow and ice that melts in a given summer. In this way, massive quantities of glacial material accumulate in relatively small periods of geologic time. The glaciers exist in environments of high and low precipitation and in many temperature regimes; they are found on all the continents except Australia and they span the globe from high altitudes in equatorial regions to the polar ice caps. Presently, 10% of the Earth’s land area (5.8 million square miles) is covered with glaciers storing about 75% of the world’s freshwater. However, during the last Ice Age, glaciers covered 32% of the total land area of the planet.

Key words : GPS, GIS, DSS, SDSS, RS, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), Ground Water Exploration, Conjunctive Use of Surface and Ground Water, Digital Terrain Modeling (DTM).

Introduction

Water is one of the most precious gifts of nature to living beings and particularly to the mankind. On account of erratic distribution of rainfall both in time and space, the country is subjected to cycles of floods and droughts. With the increase in demand for water for various purposes and to mitigate the twin problems of floods and droughts faced by the country, a coordinated approach for optimum utilization and proper management of this precious resource is of prime importance. In addition, proper development and management of both irrigation and drainage systems are essential. This would require integrated management of surface water as well as gorund water. All the water related problems whether mitigating droughts or floods or better irrigation management practices, dictate for adoption of state of the art water management practices. Water management deals with the control, distribution and allocation of water flows and the treatment of rivers and catchments, consequently, solutions to many of the problems in water management require the knowledge and expertise from diverse sources.

Key words : Integrated Watershed Management (IWM), GIS, DTM, Watershed Delination, Water Quality Modeling, RS, DSS, Ground Water Information System (GWIS).

Introduction

The availability of land and water resources has a major effect on the economic and ecological aspects of life everywhere around the world. As a result, the need to develop better tools for efficient land and water resources management has become very vital. For quicker, reliable and precise results, it is necessary to use the geospatial tools and techniques such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) image interpretation and analysis techniques to manage the natural resources. The application of these tools and techniques not only facilitates timely and repetitive analysis of all the topological features, but also assists in development of Decision Support Systems (DSS) to generate alternative scenarios for optimal use of the natural resources in the long term. The optimal use of these resources through integrated management of land water and vegetation leads to enhanced production and productivity of food, fodder, fiber, fuel, fish, flower and forest resources. Moreover, the holistic management of the resources to produce these outputs is plausible and manageable within the watershed systems, which are hydro geological units from which the runoff resulting from precipitation flows past through a single outlet to downstream locations. The systematic management of land, water, vegetation and livestock resources within the watershed systems is termed as Integrated Watershed Management (IWM). Broadly, IWM can be defined as a multidisciplinary, holistic way of protecting and managing a watershed’s natural resources to enhance biomass production in an eco-friendly manner. The watershed is viewed as a hydro-geological complex and dynamic ecosystem in which natural and anthropogenic processes occur and interact resulting in generation of runoff at the watershed outlet.

Key words : Flood Plains Agro-ecosystem, GIS, RS, Spatial Cropping Pattern, Radiometric Normalization, NDVI, Agricultural Systems.

Introduction

Of late, evidence is accumulating to suggest that high productivity and growth rates achieved during the Green Revolution era in the well-endowed regions of the country (i.e North West India) are no longer being sustained to meet the needs of still increasing population in the country. Past growth sources have nearly exhausted and there is also no scope for expansion of crop land. Indeed pressure for competing land uses will likely reduce area under food grain crops. Shrinking natural resource base (per capita availability of land and water devoted to agriculture), declining quality of resources and environmental degradation issues will imply increasing threat to our ability to meet the basic needs of the growing population of the region unless we shift our effort to potential regions like flood plains of the country for improving productivity.

The flood plain riverine lands of India covering approximately 42 m.ha though most endowed with natural resources and has all the potential of becoming rich, is still economically backward. The reason behind this paradox of extent of poverty in the midst of richness of resources is that the natural resources of the region are not being productively harnessed into the process of the economic development and thus are not delivering their potential and commensurate benefits to the people. The Green Revolution technologies evolved during of 60’s and 70’s had little or no impact in this region of the country. Undesirable spatio-temporal distribution of flood in these areas keeps agriculture under uncertainty and risks. These are also the areas where the poorest are concentrated and agriculture largely continues to be more of subsistence. The nature of agricultural problems are highly variable due to great diversity in the production system as also in the socio-economic conditions of the communities requiring location specific approaches to address the problems and enhance the productivity.

Key words : Groundwater Modelling, GIS, PMWIN, ArcInfo Interface Con2grid, Interface Programme, ArcMacro Language.

Introduction

Groundwater is an important source of irrigation in India and has played a major role in increasing the food production. About 50 per cent of total irrigated area in the country is dependent on groundwater (Central Water Commission (CWC), 2000). Productivity of groundwater is normally more than the surface water due to the fact that it is available at the point of use, requires minimum conveyance infrastructure, is available on demand and maximizes the application efficiency. However, in past few years, excessive and unplanned groundwater pumping in certain parts of the country has resulted in depletion of groundwater resources. Water table in these region is going down day by day and making it beyond the reach of poor farmers. Therefore, keeping the water table in the desirable range is a major concern. This can be achieved by adopting proper pumping rate and pumping schedule. Groundwater modelling has successfully been used for deciding the pumping rate and pumping schedule. Groundwater modelling refers to simulation of groundwater behaviour under varying pumping and recharge conditions. A groundwater model is simply a set of equations, which describe the physical processes active in the aquifer subjected to certain assumptions. While the model itself obviously lacks the detailed reality of the groundwater systems, the behaviour of the validated model approximates that of the aquifer.

Key words : Participatory GIS (P-GIS), Geo-Participatory Rural Appraisal (Geo-PRA) Social Mapping, Resource Mapping, Seasonality Maps, DGPS.

Participatory GIS

Geographical information System (GIS0 and Geographics Information Technologies (GITS) are no more restricted to the elite group of the society. Planners are busy in searching ways in merging community participation with GIS in the context of urban planning, environment equity, sustainable development etc. (Aitken and Michael, 1995, Craig and Ehwood, 1998; Talen, 2000 and Sieber, 2000). In all the cases, common thing is the linking of community participation and GIS in a diversity of social and environmental contexts. Through development, demonstration and modification of methodologies by academics and practitioners the concept of Participatory GIS (P-GIS) emerges. It is an outcome of a spontaneous fusion of participatory forms of development planning with modern information technologies. Experts gave considerable thoughts on the probing questions like whether a bottom up GIS could be successfully developed, how many community participation could be incorporated into GIS and to what context such participation would serve only to legitimize conventional top-down decision making. From these reflections only the concept of people’s participation GIS arose.

In this chapter, an attempt is made to emphasize the fact that while no country in the World is safe from geohazards, a proper understanding on their causes, ways to mitigate them and surviving techniques would help reduce the life and property loss. Each geohazard has its own characteristic way of potential impact and hence classifying vulnerability of different regions and creating awareness on potential impact is essential. In addition to providing basic information on geohazards, this chapter presents a conceptual model on hazard mitigation, rescue and relief operations.

INTRODUCTION

Every year, thousands of people are killed by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides and floods. These natural causes damage human settlements and infrastructures (GOI, 2004) inflicting life and economic loss. As human population increases, habitation on hazardous and or vulnerable land becomes more common and the risks posed by these hazards increase. The need to observe their behavior, understand them better and mitigate their effects become ever more urgent (IGOS, 2003). Decades of research may have contributed towards betterment of our understanding on the processes of geohazard formation but still a long way has to be covered to develop better mitigation procedures.

This chapter reviews the published information on tsunami and attempts to characterize tsunamigenic sediments in terms of their microfossil content. Tsunamisare long-period waves generated by vertical displacements of marine watercolumn due to earthquakes, volcanic explosion and landslides. These waves can exceed heights of 25 meters (in shallow water) and lengths upto 100km with a velocity of more than 1000km/hour. Even at this magnitude, they are undetectable in deeper waters owing to very low wave height which in turn reduces significantly the response time, causing sudden havoc along coasts. They can cause flooding of coastal areas and affect areas thousands of kilometers away from their point of origin. These characteristics of tsunami imprint ensuing sediments with unique assemblage of microfossils.

INTRODUCTION

Shallow water progressive waves with very large wavelength and long duration caused by the rapid displacement of ocean water are called “tsunami”. Tsunami is a sudden non-meteorologically induced impulse in water regardless of size. Tsunamis are formed by submarine tectonic activity more often due to earthquakes and less frequently due to volcanic eruption, landslides near the coast, meteor impact and nuclear explosions.

The velocity of the tsunami varies and depends on many parameters such as bathymetry, height of the originating wave, initial pressure changes in the sea, etc. and can travel at a speed of more than 1000 km/hr. At the place of origin (directly above the epicentre of submarine earthquake or any other causative factor), the wavelength may be upto few tens to several hundred kilometres but the wave height is often less than one metre only. Since the velocity is proportional to the depth of the water column, it gets reduced to few tens of kilometres as the tsunami approaches the coast. However, the wave height increases significantly reaching 100 m in extreme cases. As a result, the tsunami strikes the coast with massive force. The effect is colossal in islands with low relief. The tsunami waves appear as flooding with water rushing inside the land more violently and with great force towards a river course. In several cases, when the tsunami arrives, the water level in the sea may drop significantly and the waters receding several hundred metres come back with great speed drubbing the coastal lands doubly from both the directions. Though an event of short duration in terms of geological history, tsunami deposits, owing to their higher rate of deposition and other salient characteristics, find place in stratigraphic records. This chapter is an attempt to review the characteristics of tsunami and tsunamigenic sediments, to find out the ability of microfossil content of such sediments for characterization and to identify tsunami deposits in stratigraphic records.

A review on historic occurrences of tsunamis in the Indian Ocean and their associated characteristics followed by detailed characterization of genetic causes of recent tsunamiarepresented in this chapter. Althoughsubmarineearthquakes occur very frequently, resultant tsunami and its strength relied on many factors including transformation of energy into the ocean water, area of rupturing of ocean floor, duration of rupturing, accompanying submarine slides, kind of material at focus of earthquakes and type of faulting. The direction of tsunami wave propagation plays the decisive role in deciding sites of impacts. Perfect blend of all these parameters is required to make a submarine earthquake to generate devastating tsunami, which is relatively rare in geological history. This is the reason why although there were as many as 77 tsunamis that occurred in the Indian Ocean region during historic past, the recent one of 26th December 2004 is deadly and rare geological occurrence. However, aftermath effects in terms of volcanic eruptions, coastal high wave activities and change in climatic cycles are recorded since then and require constant scientific vigil.

INTRODUCTION

Tsunami is defined as a sea wave of local or distant origin that results from large-scale seafloor displacement associated with major earthquake or submarine slide or submarine volcanic explosion. Many a times it is incorrectly described as tidal wave or seismic sea wave, as both of these terms mislead in regard to its mechanism of generation. In Tamil Sangam literature, tsunami is cited as “Azhipperalai”. In South America, it is termed as “Maremoto”. Other names for tsunami include “Flutwellen”, “Vloedgolven” “raz de mare” “Vagues Sismique” and Kai e’e. Prevalence of specific terms for tsunami in many such regions and languages itself stands testimony to the fact that tsunami is known to ancient human populations and that tsunami occurred frequently the historics past.

Detailed information on tectonic evolutionary history of the Bay of Bengal is presented followed by elucidation of these characteristics towards tsunamigenesis in this chapter. The Andaman-Nicobar Island Arc (ANIA) is situated on a 1000 km long plate margin and represents a key region in the developing oceanic crustal area of Bay of Bengal. Frequent earthquakes including the tsunamigenic earthquake of 26th December 2004 off the coast of Sunda take place in this region. The subduction of Indian plate under Myanmar-Thailand plate drives formation of chain of Andaman-Nicobar group of Islands. These oceanic crust formation, subduction and arc formation are all seismigenic and generate shallow focus earthquakes in the Bay of Bengal. It is also observed that the seismicity is decreasing as the bathymetry increases towards SW of the Bay of Bengal. Thus, in long term, the slow accumulation of stress as tectonic plates converge may result in many more earthquakes in this region. After a dormancy of over 100 years, the Barren Island volcano renewed its activity following recent earthquakes. The seismic activity along the Andaman-Nicobar trench is continuing with earthquakes of magnitude varying from 4.8 to 7.2 Richter scale. All these observations suggest resurgent and intense tectonic and volcanic activities due to which allied hazards such as tsunami may take place in future.

INTRODUCTION

The evolving Earth, depending on its heat flow pattern in the mantle throughout geological time, had passed through stages, which are diagnosed through characteristic geodynamic signatures. This chapter focuses on a very active region in the crust, namely, the Andaman-Nicobar Island Arc (ANIA) to recognize such signatures and decipher relative safety of surrounding regions including east coast of India. As similar active arc systems such as Sunda Arc & Japan Arc generate volcanic, seismic and tsunami hazards, understanding the ANIA would be of help assess safety of surrounding regions. Abundant geoscientific literature exists on the northern part of the Indian plate, which is undergoing compressive stress since collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates about 55-45my. However, the behavior of remaining part of the Indian plate underneath the Indian Ocean is still sparcely studied. Owing to these reasons, this chapter attempts to fill the gap in our understanding as well as to assess the implications of renewed phases of geohazard occurrences including that of catastrophic earthquake and tsunami of 26^th December 2004.

Need for systematic mapping and hazard zonation is emphasized in this chapter. Though prevention of natural disaster is not possible, its destruction could be minimized through implementation of effective hazard management system. With this motive, the coastal region between Tangapatnam and Ovari, Tamilnadu State has been classified into various categories of vulnerability based on its response to the 26th December 2004 tsunami. Based on the extent of seawater inundation and coastal geomorphic features, we have assessed the tsunami impact and estimated the behavior of the beaches in case of similar havoc in future. This study had shown that the maximum seawater inundation recorded in the study area is 750m in Colachel and the minimum is 100m in Kadiapatanam, Mandakadu and Vaniakudy areas. Chinnamuttom, Kanyakumari, Manakudy, Pallam and Colachel areas are under high risk.

INTRODUCTION

On 26^th December 2004, tectonic disturbances happened near Sumatra Island with an intensity of 9.3 in the Richter scale wrecked havoc on southwest part of India. In addition to inflicting life and infrastructure loss, the resultant tsunami event had also eroded severely the coastal region and modified topography of beach and shallow coastal regions. It did raise the concern of scientists and emergency planners about the impact of larger earthquake and consequent tsunami should there be any recurrence of such event. Despite becoming aware of tsunami hazard, there has been confusion about areas at risk and areas of safety. This chapter is an attempt to assess the vulnerability of part of Tamilnadu coast based on its geomorphological conditions and the impact of recent tsunami. The hazard maps have been generated and are intended for educational purposes, to improve awareness of tsunami hazards and to encourage responsible emergency planning efforts by illustrating the range of possible tsunami events.

This chapter is an attempt to introduce basic facts about earthquake generation and the role of earthquakes in triggering secondary geohazards. Earthquake, unlike manyother geohazards is yet to be fully understood towards occurrence and magnitude for better mitigation measures. Though unpredictibility of this hazard makes it dangerous, earthquakes seldom kill lives. Instead, poor ability of man-made structures against ground-shaking waves has been the real cause of life loss and damage to property in most of the earthquake incidences. Furthermore, earthquakes generate secondary geohazards such as landslide, failure of dams and reservoirs, etc. Thus, earthquake, as a natural hazard has its own characteristic way of potential impactand hence classifying vulnerability of different regions and creating awareness on potential impact among common public is essential.

INTRODUCTION

The term “earthquake” denotes “shaking/vibration/trembling/ quivering/shuddering/ wobbling of Earth”. Earthquake is the quickest and most unpredictable natural hazard. It is nothing but a series of suddenly generated elastic waves occurring in the Earth due to internal and/or external causes from shallow (few kilometers) to about 700 kilometers depth. It is a form of motion of wave energy transmitted through the surface layer (crust) of the Earth. One generalization that can be made out of scientific and mainstream media information about earthquakes is that, “earthquakes seldom kill; but the associated phenomena such as landslides, flooding, volcanic eruptions and collapse of natural and man-made structures cause the real damage to lives and property”. This chapter is an attempt to describe the basic elements of earthquakes and few mitigation measures.

This chapter presents a case of Jind region of Haryana State, Northern India which had experienced mild tremors of ~ 3 on Richter scale magnitudes in the recent past with a gap of 1 to 2 years. Rejuvenation of the lineament controlled volcanoseismic process is identified as the probable cause of these tremors. This chapter describes seismotectonic characters, micro and mega seismicity of the area and few mitigation measures.

INTRODUCTION

The Haryana state consists of Delhi Super Group (DSG), Indo- Gangetic alluvial plain in the form of alluvial fan, sand dune, alluvium of Ambala, Yamuna and Ghagghar rivers and Siwalik Super Group (SSG) in the southern, central and northern parts respectively (Fig.1). The study area Jind is located in the central part of Haryana and comprises 200 – 600 m thick Indo-Gangetic alluvium. The alluvium is of Quaternary Period and composes alternating layers of clay, silt, sand and kankar. The Bhiwani and Tosham areas, located south of Jind, show the occurrence of Neoproterozoic granite and rhyolite of Malani Igneous Suite (MIS). The rocks occur in the form of ring structure/ring dyke on the hillocks amidst the alluvium. The metasediments (mica schist and quartzite) of Delhi Super Group are underling MIS at Tosham (located at 70 km southwest of Jind). As Jind region experiences mild tremors and there is no previous published work pertaining to the geology, tectonics and seismicity of the area the chapter records these aspects for better understanding and mitigation of earthquake hazard.

This chapter introduces the readers about volcanoes and associated features and hazards. Volcanic disasters are like any other geohazards in causing dangerous impacts. However, volcanic explosions are preceded by many surficial expressions that can be detected through satellite imageries, thermal sensors, change in magnetic and gravity anomalies, disappearances of vegetation, sudden appearances of anomalous water vapor, thermal springs and abnormal behavior of animals. Hence, unlike other geohazards, volcanic hazards could be forecast with fairly accurate time limits that may allow evacuation and precautionary safety measures. While avoidance is the best mitigation measure, proper land use planning, provision of scientifically designed damming and diversion methods could save lives and infrastructure from lava flows. Though, atmospheric contamination by volcanic gases, ash cloud and pyroclastic materials could not be thwarted and controlled and thus they could cause havoc.

INTRODUCTION

The term “Volcano” is derived from the name of Roman mythical God of fire “Vulcan”. A volcano is an opening of different shapes, through which, molten rock and gas get ejected either violently or simply flow over earth’s surface. The molten rock and gaseous materials are drawn from deep inside of crust or mantle of the Earth. Repeated ejection of molten materials through vent, fissures or plate margins forms volcanic mountains on earth’s continental or submarine regions.

Volcanism is a threat not only to the lives and infrastructure, but it also drastically alters landscape, impacts atmospheric quality and renders forests, cities and villages and cultivation lands useless. In addition, volcanic eruptions are capable of causing changes in global atmospheric cycles. For example, the eruptions of El Chicho’n in Mexico in 1982, Laki volcano in Iceland and Asama Volcano in Japan in the year 1783 and Krakatau volcano of Japan in the year 1883 have all impacted global climate and atmorpheric dynamics.

Readers are introduced through this chapter to a geohazard (Landslide) that is most frequently publicized in mainstream media. Systematic examination of landslides and associated structural, tectonic, geological, geomorphological, meteorological, hydrogeological characteristics and land use pattern of Nilgiri hill area had indicated that steep slope, dipping of rockstowards slope, presence of clay layering in weathered rock types, events of continuous heavy rains, flooding on the slopes and improper land use practices play a major role in the genesis of landslides. Inaddition, ongoing seismotectonic activities in Southern Granulite Terrain of South India and reactivation of hidden blind shear zones were identified to be causative factors of recent increase of landslide occurrences.

INTRODUCTION

The downward movement of consolidated and unconsolidated soils and rock en masse from any geomorphic feature due to natural or manmade causes under the influence of gravity is termed as landslide (GSI, 1982). Nevertheless, presence of water, clay material, weak joints, favorable slope and many other characteristics also act as catalysis for this event. Landslides are one of the common geological hazards that affect countless population in India, especially in hilly terrains. Different reasons have been ascribed to different landslides of various terrains. Among them, reactivation of Bhavani shear zone (Prasannakumar and Llyod, 2007), high anthropo-geomorphic intervention (Basu, 2005), local geology, precipitation and slope (Bhattacharjee, 2005), presence of local vertical faults, triangular facets, abrupt deflection of streams and neotectonism

This chapter provides an introduction to cyclogenesis, nature of cyclone disaster and historic events. The mechanism that is in practice in cyclone mitigation, information dissemination and relief and rescue operations are detailed. As the state of Orissa is being battered more frequently by cyclones than any other state of India, special emphasis on cyclone disaster management system of Orissa is also discussed.

INTRODUCTION

Orissa state with immense natural resources is located between 17⁰27’N and 22⁰34’N latitudes and meridians of 81⁰27’E and 87⁰29’E longitudes. Orissa lies on the eastern coast of India with the waters of the Bay of Bengal swirling along its eastern and southeastern boundaries. It shares its boundaries with West Bengal and Jharkhand on the north, Chattisgarh on the west and Andhra Pradesh on the south. Out of the Indian mainland coastline of 7500 km, it constitutes a coastline of about 480 km. It extends for about 155,707 sq.km accounting about 4.74% of the total area of India. According to the 2001 census, it has 3.57 percent of the total population of India. Administratively, it has 30 districts, 3 Revenue Divisions, 58 Sub- Divisions, 51,061 villages and 127 Urban Centers.

Based on physiography, Orissa can be divided into three broad regions - the coastal plains, the middle mountainous region and the plateaus, and rolling up lands. The coastal plains extend from the River Subarnarekha in the north to the River Rushikulya in the south. The coastal zone covers nine districts namely Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Khurda, Cuttack, Bhadrak and Balasore. It is narrow in the north, widest in the middle, narrowest in the Chilika coast and broad in the south. The coastal belt of Orissa lacks hills excepting few hillocks and mounds in the northern and southern parts. It has extensive low lands adjacent to the sea, sloping gently towards the shoreline of the Bay of Bengal. The coastline consists of the lakes, lagoons, marshes, bays and islands and natural harbors. The lakes in Orissa are natural and artificial. One of the blazing example of the natural lake is the Chilika lake.There is only one bay in Orissa which is the Hukitola bay. Eventually there are only two islands in Orissa - the Short’s Islands and the Wheeler Islands. Among the natural harbor, there is only one of its type in Orissa i.e. Paradeep which holds its recognition as the deepest natural port in the whole of India. The main drainage system of this area is represented by several rivers at their old stages flowing sluggishly towards the sea, which form topographic features like peneplains, natural levees, deltas, etc. (Fig.1). The major rivers flowing in the coastal belts are the Subarnarekha, the Budhabalanga, the Baitarani, the Brahmani, the Mahanadi and the Rushikulya. This region is the combination of several deltas of varied sizes and shapes formed by these rivers. The coastal belt has an area of 40,166 sq. km with a population of 68,79,379, which is 45 percent of the population of 9 coastal districts of Orissa.

Despite widespread occurrence and its potency to inflict heavy causalities and damage to economy, generalizations could not be made to define “drought” – leave alone characterization, development of predictive model and common mitigation measures. Regional variation, be it definition or symptoms or causative factors or consequences and mitigation measures is the hallmark of drought. This chapter is an attempt to present a review on characteristics of drought for the benefit of devising mitigation and reclamation measures.

INTRODUCTION

“Drought” denotes the meteorological, agricultural, environmental, climatic, social, economic and political consequences of a gap between the water availability and demands for the needs of domestic, irrigational, industrial, commercial and recreational consumption in an area over extended period of time. As these demands vary from region to region and depend on too many parameters such as quantum of rainfall, geological and soil characteristics, land use, population, economic activity, climatic conditions, population and culture, drought conditions of an area may not have characteristics of some other region.

This chapter explains how natural disasters are major catastrophic events, which are often aggravated by human intervention, resulting in adverse conditions affecting both natural resources and human habitats. Though drought is as disastrous as any other geohazard, it differs from other geohazards such that it is a ‘creeping phenomenon’, making its onset and end difficult to determine. Only a continuous monitoring of critical parameters ranging from crop failure to joblessness and shifting population, etc, could indicate drought in an area. In this chapter, we demonstrate a GIS based drought forecasting and monitoring model taking Gubbi Taluk of Karnataka as a case study. The approach includes creation of a spatial database of 17 critical parameters and their integration in GIS environment by developing a suitable rating and ranking scheme for the generation of drought severity map. The results have shown that drought could be monitored with the studied parameters and if suitable remedial measures are implemented, their effectiveness could also be monitored with this GIS model.

INTRODUCTION

India is a large country in terms of geographical area, exhibiting greater agro-climatic variation. The country is susceptible to several natural disasters, which are a major constraint to developmental activities. 

This chapter portrays flooding as a geohazard that can be managed with ease through simple and effective measures. Flooding is a recurrent geohazard that affects vast lands in India and elsewhere. Unlike many other geohazards, flooding event and probable area to be affected could be predicted with fairly accurate levels and hence, proper safety measures could be taken easily. However, as flash floods could not be predicted and the nature of flooding hazard that it brings in added danger of health hazard, crop damage and cutting off of supply and communication networks, flooding is as serious threat as any other geohazard. Scientifically designed urbanization and flood control measures are suggested for minimizing the potential impacts of flooding.

INTRODUCTION

Flooding is defined as a temporary submergence of a large area (that normally remains dry) under water by overflowing rivers and reservoirs as a result of heavy rains, high winds, cyclones, storm surges, tsunami, melting of snow or dam burst (Arya et al. 2005). The term “temporary submergence” denotes a time period ranging from few hours to about few months depending on type and location of flooding. Although flooding is a natural phenomenon that plays a major role in replenishing wetlands, recharging groundwater and supports agriculture, extreme demands on natural resources due to population growth, people and their property move closer to water bodies

Many types of geological hazards namely, tsunami, earthquakes, tsunami, floods and drought affect coastal areas like any other place on the Earth. As coastal regions are thickly populated and have abundant urban, industrial and recreational establishments, impacts of geohazards are always severe along coastal regions. Compliance to coastal zone regulations, with protection of sanddunesandmangroveswillbe the best mechanism to minimizethe damages from such hazards. In future, climate change may result in more hazards such as erratic rainfall and increase the frequency of droughts, floods and storm surges, etc. In this context, proposed coastal management zone for the coastal protection, disaster mitigation and management tools in coastal areas are examined in this chapter. It is suggested that extensive use of GIS and development of Geodatabase for the risk prone areas will serve as efficient tool for planners and policy makers to deal with geological hazards. In addition, it is felt that more efforts are needed in legal and institutional framework for integrated disaster management planning on local as well as national level.

INTRODUCTION

Geologic hazards are natural geological processes that inflict severe damage in areas of their operation if the area is utilized by anthropogenic activity in terms of habitation, industrial, recreational or commercial establishments. Many a times, natural geological processes that operated uninhibited for millions of years turn into geological hazards due to human intervention. These losses – lives and economic are not evenly distributed and are more prevalent in the developing countries due to higher population concentration and low level of economic growth. United Nations had realized the need of reducing these losses due to natural disasters and declared the last decade (1991-2000) as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. Objective of this proclamation was to reduce, through concerted efforts, the loss of life, property damage and socio-economic disruption caused by the natural disasters particularly in the developing countries (Tewar, 2000).

This chapter documents shoreline changes of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka State for the period between 1967 and 2005 studied by comparing the SOI topographic maps with IRS-1C/1D LISS-III satellite imageries through GIS techniques. Examination of coastal geomorphology, sediment flux and effectiveness of seawalls had indicated that the 130km long coastline of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts is essentially stable, but for seasonal variations. It has been estimated that, out of 130km, about 55km long coast is vulnerable to sea erosion, of which, 25km is covered byseawalls and covering another 10km length underway. It is revealed through field examination that protection of coastline through these measures is satisfactory only along few patches while other stretches of seawalls simply shift the zone of erosion to adjacent coastline owing to many reasons including quality of construction, unscientific positioning of seawalls, etc. It is also inferred that same is the case of many other coastlines elsewhere including Kerala coast. These experiences warrant scientific design and implementation of coastline protection measures.

INTRODUCTION

The 130km long coastal zone of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts is one of the densely populated coastal zones of India. The coastline is almost straight, regular and oriented towards N22°W, N12°W and N6°W directions at south of Mangalore, north of Mangalore and north of Malpe respectively. Barrier beaches and spits, ancient beach ridges, marshes, swamps and tidal flats characterize this zone. Natural features and man-made structures interrupt the shoreline. The natural features include estuarine mouths of Netravati-Gurpur rivers near Mangalore, Mulki-Pavanje rivers near Mulki, Udyavara river near Malpe, Sita-Swarna rivers near Barkur, Kollur-Chakra-Haladi rivers near Kundapur and rock exposures near Someshwar, Surathkal, Mulur, Kapu and north of Malpe (Fig. 1). The man-made structures include one major and four minor ports; breakwaters at the Netravati-Gurpur estuary, New Mangalore Port and Malpe harbor and a number of seawalls placed at various places along the coastline (Fig. 2). All these structures/features bring about local irregularity and contribute to erosion and accretion along the shoreline to some extent. Apart from these, source of beach material, coastal processes like wave refraction, longshore current, littoral drift etc.

This chapter sheds light on a geohazard namely quicksand. Unlike other geohazards, it waits for its victims to cause hazard. Though discounted as a myth and also as a monster problem in Hollywood film stories, phenomenon of quicksand is real and could inflict life threatening dangers. Analyses of genetic causes, associated properties and locales of its occurrences indicate that more deaths might have resulted due to panic and drowning in waters than by quicksand itself. Based on these inferences, potential mitigation measures are presented in this chapter.

INTRODUCTION

Quicksand, referred as “pudhai manal” in Tamil, is one of the lesser known dangerous natural phenomena that cause death of human and other unsuspecting animals. It is a geohazard of different sort. It is different in a sense that it never “goes” anywhere like tsunami or causes hazard like flood or landslide or any other geohazard; but it waits for hapless victims; that is., it is harmless until human beings or other fauna step into the region of quicksand. It is commonly prevalent in many river beds and other locales near water bodies located amidst dense forests. Many a deaths occur due to quicksand but go unnoticed owing to its “non catastrophic” nature. It is also a geohazard less understood pertaining to causes of formation, potential to cause damage and occurrence (www.mythbuster.com). This chapter is an attempt to review the existing literature on this geohazard for better understanding.

impacts other speheres and that too on a distal place! This chapter explains how global warming affects remote places like highlands of Bhutan. Severe hot summers during the year 1994 led to excessive melting of glaciers in the higher Himalayas. The exceptional melting contributed enormous amount of melt water to the lake basins, which caused breach of the morainic dam and consequent enlargement of the outlet of the Luggye Tsho and the Tshopda Tsho, Bhutan. Floods followed the breach on October 7, 1994. These floods destabilized the slopes on either bank of the Pho Chhu near Tshopda Tsho outlet making them prone to landslides. The flash floods also eroded the left lateral moraine of the Raphstreng Tsho, which had disturbed the original angle of repose. The Raphstrcng area is also prone to ice avalanches, rock glaciers, surge of which can damage the rim and also cause spillover of water. Examination of geological, geomorphological, geotechnical, microclimatic and hydrographic information in and around the glacial lakes led to improved understanding of breach characteristics based on which mitigation measures were suggested and implemented in the years 1996-97. Since then the lakes have remained intact. From this case study and satisfactory performanceof mitigationmeasures suggest that similar integrated studies have to be conducted for thorough understanding of hazard prone areas based on which mitigation measures have to be implemented for successful reduction of impacts.

INTRODUCTION

The Lunana area, situated in the northern district of Gasa, is one of the most extensively glaciated terrains of Bhutan (Fig. 1). In response to the general global warming, these glaciers like those of other parts of the Himalaya are in a state of steady retreat, often leaving behind a chain of lakes. Though the glacial lakes endow scenic beauty, they also pose environmental hazards, due to frequent bursting of their morainic dams and consequent flash floods. The last lake-burst occurred on 7^th October 1994, leading to floods in the Pho Chhu River. Following floods, the Geological Survey of India in collaboration with the Royal Government of Bhutan, investigated the Lunana area to identify the causes and effects of the floods and suggest remedial measures. More than a decade had passed since the implementation of mitigation measures and there has been no such breach and flood despite continued Glacial Vetreat during to Global Warming. This chapter describes the characteristics of these glacial lakes, nature and results of the study and mitigation efforts.

reach out their fingers it is gone” - Chinese Philosopher Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching. True to his verses, geohazards are phenomena regulated by the law of natureand it is beyond the human intellect to understand thoroughly and capability to conquer. This is the lesson learnt by us from so many incidences that geohazards cause greatest havoc wherein natural processes are going on and are inhabited by humans. Greed for natural resources and population pressures on the earth’s resources are the causes of many a catastrophic event. Examples in this regard are galore including, damning river courses and location of urban centers along rivers and coasts – flooding, cyclonic storms, tsunami hazards; alteration and deforestation hill slopes for agricultural and construction activities – landslides; unscrupulous utilization of ground water resources – drought, etc. This chapter is an attempt to draw the attention of human communityasa whole toturn towards learning to live with the nature without alterning the natural processes to get rid of impacts of geohazards as a best ever mitigation measure. In other words, this chapter attempts to emphasize the need to change our attitude to escape from natural hazards instead of attempting to tinker around natural processes only to get battered at the end.

INTRODUCTION

Oxford English dictionary states that the word ‘disaster’ is derived from the 16^th century French word ‘disastre’, which is a combination of two terms namely, ‘Des’ meaning bad or evil and ‘astre’ means star. Thus “desastre” signifies a ‘bad star’ or ‘evil star’. Disaster, therefore, implies loss or damage occurring due to some unfavorable star. However, in terms of modern knowledge, the word ‘disaster’ denotes any odd event, whether natural or man made, which can bring about sudden and great miseries to humanity in the form of loss of life or/ and property.

1.1 Geomorphology

Geomorphology is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical or chemical processes operating at or near the earth's surface.

The surface of the earth is unstable and affected by a combination of surface and geologic processes that cause tectonic uplift and subsidence. Surface processes are mainly physical and chemical action of water, wind, ice, igneous activity and activities of living organisms on the surface of the earth. Upliftment of mountain ranges, the growth of volcanoes, isostatic changes in surface elevation and formation of deep sedimentary basins are categorized under Geological processes.

Main geomorphological processes occurring in nature are as follows:

1.1.1 Aeolian processes

Aeolian processes include activities of the winds, its ability to shape the surface of the earth. Wind acts as an effective agent of erosion, transportation and deposition materials, and large supply of fine, unconsolidated sediments. Aeolian processes are important in desert (arid) environments.

1.1.2 Fluvial processes

Moving water in a river channel, is able to mobilize sediment and transport it downstream. The rate of sediment transport depends on the availability of sediment itself and the discharge by river.

River originates from mountain with V shaped valley, which later increases in size, merging with other rivers. The network of rivers thus formed is known as drainage system. These systems show four general patterns viz. dendritic, radial, rectangular, and trellis etc. In the mature stage, the river form alluvial flood plains, meanders and ox-bow lakes. Finally when it merges to ocean, forms delta.

2.1 Introduction

Topographic expression is the replica of geological structures present within the earths surface. When various types of rocks of an area are displayed on a map (sheet of paper), it is known as Geological Map. Normally geological maps prepared on topographic maps. Surface topography is best presented by contour lines on a plain paper.

The importance of geological maps is to understand the nature of structure and distribution of surface outcrops with their relation to contour lines. Horizontal and dipping beds are easily identified on map because, horizontal beds runs parallel to contour lines while inclined beds cut through different contours. The angle and direction of dip can be calculated from geological maps. Geological maps are of great importance to civil engineers, after studying geological maps and consultation with geologists, civil engineers can advice for construction of engineering structures like excavation of road cuttings and construction of canal, bridges, dams and tunnels etc. Geologists get vital clues about the geological history of an area, and can draw a cross section of an area and know the structure present underground.

3.1 Introduction

Crystallography is the science of crystals. The term crystal is derived from the Greek word “Crystallos” which means “ice”. The term was used for colorless quartz which was believed to be “fossilized” ice. Crystals are bodies bounded by flat surface, arranged on a definite plan which is an expression of the internal arrangement of the atoms. They are formed by consolidation of magma which is also considered as crystallization.

3.2 Terms in Use to Describe a "Crystal"

3.2.1 Faces

Faces are the plane surface in a crystal. The common faces are usually parallel to net planes containing the greatest number of lattice points or ions. Wide spacing between the net planes leads to development of faces in these planes. Faces are two types like and unlike faces.

The earth's crust is made up of minerals and rocks. Minerals are inorganic substances with a definite chemical composition, whereas rocks are mixture or aggregates of minerals. Each mineral is composed of certain elements present in fixed proportion. For example, mineral quartz, SiO₂ is a compound of the elements silicon (Si) and oxygen (O) combined in the proportion of 1:2, so its chemical formula is SiO₂, whereas rock granite is a mixture of several minerals like quartz, feldspar etc. Nature has provided unique physical properties to different minerals that can be used to identify them.

4.1 Physical Properties of Minerals

Majority of minerals contain following properties that can be used to identify them in field and in laboratory: crystal habit, cleavage, hardness, density, luster, streak, color, tenacity, magnetism, and taste.

4.1.1 Crystal habit

The faces that develop on a crystal depend on the space available for the crystals to grow. If crystals grow into one another or in a restricted environment, it is possible that no well-formed crystal faces will be developed. However, crystals sometimes develop certain forms more commonly than others, although the symmetry may not be readily apparent from these common forms. The term used to describe general shape of a crystal is habit.

Some common crystal habits are as follows:

The remains of animals and plants of past ages preserved in the rocks are known as fossils, the study of which forms the subject of Palaeontology. The conditions for an animal or plant to become a fossil are firstly it must possess skeleton of some kind or some hard parts, since the soft parts are decomposed rapidly, secondly the organism must be covered up by sedimentary layer, otherwise it will soon crumble to pieces.

5.1 Modes of Preservation of Fossils

The conditions in which fossils occur depends, on their original composition and on the material in which they are embedded. The chief types are as follow:

5.1.1 The entire organism preserved

Occasionally the soft parts of the organism are preserved as well as the skeleton, the whole having suffered very little change. Instances of this are the woolly rhinoceros and mammoth found frozen in the mud and ice in Northern Siberia. Insects encased in fossil resin, known as amber, are found in the Oligocene beds in the Baltic shores of Persia, but the soft part of organisms are rarely preserved.

5.1.2 The skeleton preserved almost unchanged

Sometimes where the skeleton alone is preserved, it remains almost in its original condition, except that it has lost its organic matter. Thus the shells in the Pliocene beds of England differ from living ones only in being lighter, more porous and generally colourless. In some instances a certain amount of mineral matter, such as carbonate of lime, has been added to the skeleton, making it heavier and more compact.

6.1 Introduction

Stratigraphy is the branch of geology which deals with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification) in their chronological order. It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks in order to interpret geological history and age. The term historical geology is also used as a synonym of stratigraphy but in a wider sense, it deals with the whole sequence of events that make up the history of the earth from its origin and age relations of rock strata, evolution through its life form, and structures. The scope of stratigraphy is very wide; it involves description and classification of layered sedimentary rocks and also of igneous & metamorphic rocks. The study involves correlation between different areas like lithological characters, fossil content, geophysical and geochemical properties including absolute radiometric dating.

6.2 Principles of Stratigraphy

Stratigraphy is based on the following few principles:

6.2.1 Law of superposition

In a sequence of horizontal sedimentary rock layers, the younger layers are on the top and the older layers are at the bottom. To put it another way, in a normal sequence, each bed is younger than the bed beneath it. Geologists today use it as the basis for a bed-by-bed analysis of geological history in a given area. This is important to stratigraphic dating, which assumes that an object cannot be older than the materials of which it is composed. This law known as "Law of Superposition" was first proposed by the scientist Nicolas Steno in the 17th century.

7.1 Introduction

The earth's crust is made up of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Each variety of rocks exhibit some columnar joints in Igneous rock, characteristic structures like bedding in sedimentary rocks and fabrics like schistosity and gneissosity in metamorphic rocks.

As a result of tectonic activities in nature, rocks may suffer deformation, rupture, dislocation of beds (Fault) or other planar structures.. The whole study of such deformation is known as structural Geology. It has been observed that sedimentary rocks are most suitable for studying structures, because these rocks are deposited in quiet environment, and initially the beds arranged in horizontal position. As a result of stress due to kinematic movements/tectonism, the horizontal beds tend to deviate from their horizontal disposition to dipping position or get folded or faulted. Thus the rock develops various kinds of structures. There are following structures present in sedimentary rocks: