International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction: It’s time to think different to save the earth from natural disasters.

The constant excellence and rapid globalization of science are a blessing for human civilization. This rapid development of human civilization has never been easier. From the beginning of creation till today, man has been constantly struggling with various natural adversities. We are understanding natural disasters to mean all these natural adversities.

Natural disasters are when a natural event occurs without giving any warning in advance and it causes a catastrophic event that destroys public life, the environment, social and economic infrastructure. Notable among these are earthquakes, floods, landslides, tsunamis, cyclones, tornadoes, hurricanes, flash floods, volcanic eruptions, fires, heavy rains, droughts, etc. According to the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, on average 6800 natural disasters are occurring throughout the year all over the world. As a result of these natural disasters, about 217 million people were directly affected and about 68000 lives were lost. These numbers prove just how terrible natural disasters can be.

Throughout the ages, people have come to realize how terrible natural disasters can be. After the extreme damage in West Bengal Ampan, various provinces of India were affected by the floods. In April, the entire South Pacific Island Category 5 tropical cyclone suffered extensive damage. The coronal period saw unprecedented droughts in Zimbabwe, floods in Somalia, and severe droughts and wildfires in Australia. Similarly, the heat in Florida, USA is crossing extreme levels, again hurricanes are hitting the Gulf Coast. From the recent floods in Germany to the devastating wildfires in Turkey, it is possible to get an idea of the severity of natural disasters in the world today.

How To Reduce Natural Disasters?

To reduce natural disasters, they must be analyzed separately and the right steps have to be taken. To deal with such floods, cyclones, droughts, and heatwaves, the necessary steps need to be taken, mainly divided into two parts. Namely: structural and non-structural. Inside the structural approach, there are soft and hard solutions. Soft solutions are nature-based, green infrastructure, or nature-based. And the hard solution is gray infrastructure, such as dams, drainage, and canals (engineering structures). A more distinct approach is hybrid solutions, which are a combination of soft and hard solutions, such as levy with eco-restoration with dyke and mangrove conservation

Scientists are now pushing for nature-based solutions to reduce natural disasters. Although this type of method is relatively new, it is likely to be effective. Nature-based solutions usually refer to the process of dealing with disasters using nature or the ecosystem. For example, it is said that rivers, canals, and bilsals are used for flood control, and cyclone town forests (e.g., the Sundarbans) look for natural solutions that adapt to the geographical location of different countries.

Man is only a small part of the vastness of nature. But the rate at which people have tried in vain to subdue nature is truly impossible to imagine. Mankind has always been indifferent to climate change. As a result of this, a terrible natural disaster has come down in the present world! So, we must think about the climate to protect the earth and all its living things from all these natural disasters. Just as we have no hands-on nature, there is no way to stop natural disasters. However, with the right decision and timely action, natural disasters and the damage caused by them can be greatly reduced. So, we should all be kind to nature, then nature will be kind to us.

About the Author: Elias Ahmed Nirob, an undergraduate student of the Department of Civil Engineering, Dhaka International University, Green Blogger, Climate activist and an Eco Club Bangladesh Member (The Earth Needs Love)