Disaster Management in Fisheries

4.1.1 Characteristic of disasters

China, which had one of the most disaster-affected populations in the world in 2006, was seriously affected by drought. None of the other countries of Asia, except for Afghanistan, suffered droughts. In 2005, droughts occurred in Cambodia, China, Thailand, and Viet Nam, but in 2004, they only occurred in China. In 2003, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Russia experienced droughts. Earthquakes had a strong impact on countries like Afghanistan, China, Indonesia, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Taiwan (China) and Tajikistan in terms of both the number of people affected and the economic ramifications. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Indonesia constitute one of the world’s worst disasters in 2006 in terms of loss of life and economic damage. China and Iran also sustained considerable loss of life and economic damage due to earthquakes. The earthquakes that hit Indonesia produced some of the highest levels of economic damage in the world and accounted for nearly 20% of the total economic damage sustained by the ADRC-member and other Asian countries in 2006. About 36% of the human losses sustained in Asia and the ADRC-member countries were attributed to the quakes. Epidemics occurred in Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Turkey and Viet Nam and had a significant impact in terms of total numbers of people affected. Also, a large number of those affected by epidemics were concentrated in India. Extreme temperatures caused human losses in India, Russia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Economic damages were particularly serious in Russia and Europe. As in previous years, the most frequent disasters in member countries in 2006 were wind storms and floods. While the ADRC member countries accounted for more than 80% of the total human losses in 2003, they accounted for only 2% of human losses in 2004. In 2005, however, this figure increased to about 7%, the majority of which were due to wind storms and floods. But in 2006 the death toll skyrocketed, with the Asian and ADRC member countries accounting for nearly 46% of all human losses . Furthermore, floods and wind storms accounted for about 80% of the disaster-affected population in the Asian and

ADRC member countries in 2006, much as they did in 2005 (90%). This stands in contrast to 2004 when that figure was only 21%. The data also shows that nearly 67% of the total economic losses in member countries were due to floods and wind storms in 2006, similar to the 71% figure in 2005. The most severe damage in terms of human casualties and economic losses occurred in China, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Bangladesh, though most member countries were impacted to some degree by floods and wind storms.

Landslides caused considerable human casualties in Afghanistan, Nepal and the Philippines. In fact, the landslides in the Philippines caused more fatalities than any other disaster in 2006.

Volcanic eruptions in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea affected large numbers of people, but the CRED-EMDAT data show that they did not result in any human or economic losses.

Wild fires also resulted in human casualties in Indonesia. In Afghanistan, droughts, floods, and landslides caused considerable human casualties, while an earthquake also had a moderate impact.

In Bangladesh, floods and wind storms caused considerable human causalities and loss of life. Bangladesh lies along the path of cyclones generated in the Bay of Bengal, making the country particularly prone to hydro-meteorological disasters.

Cambodia recorded heavy human casualties, including some fatalities, due to floods. China experienced almost every type of disaster, as the country covers a vast area and has a large population. The most severe disasters in China in 2006 were wind storms and drought, followed by floods.

Earthquakes also had a considerable impact on the population. Wind storms, drought, and floods proved to be the largest natural disasters in China in 2006 in terms of both the affected population and economic damage. These disasters were also among the 25 worst disasters in the world in 2006 in terms of human casualties and economic losses.

Wind storms reported in East Timor in 2006 affected many people. Georgia reported floods that caused only minor human causalities. India experienced many severe disasters in 2006. The massive Indian Ocean Tsunami struck in 2004, but 2005 brought even more trouble, with heavy floods and wind storms affecting many parts of the country. The most devastating disaster in 2005, the South Asian Earthquake, had a tremendous impact on India. It caused almost US$6 billion in damage in India and severely disrupted everyday life. India also experienced some of the world's worst disasters in 2006, mostly floods and wind storms, followed by epidemics. Flooding that resulted in particularly heavy human casualties made this one of world's 25 worst disasters in 2006. Located in a natural disaster-prone area, India is vulnerable to wind storms spawned in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, earthquakes caused by active crustal movement in the Himalayan

Mountains, floods brought about by monsoons, and droughts in the country's arid and semi-arid areas. India has also become much more vulnerable to tsunamis in the Indian Ocean since the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami struck the coastal areas of Andaman and the Nicobar Islands. One of the worst hit countries in 2006 was Indonesia. In 2004, Indonesia was significantly affected by tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, wind storms, volcanic eruptions, and epidemics. The year 2005 brought more disasters, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and floods. In 2006, the country experienced one of the world's 25 worst disasters, an earthquake and subsequent tsunami that inflicted heavy causalities and economic damage. This caused the world's highest death toll due to a natural disaster in 2006, and also resulted in the greatest economic damage that year. With seismic belts running throughout the country, Indonesia is prone to earthquakes. It has 129 active volcanoes and regularly experiences volcanic eruptions. As the world's largest archipelago, Indonesia is also prone to seismic upheaval because of its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. The year 2006 was no exception in terms of disasters related to volcanic activity. Floods and wind storms also tend to occur during the country's rainy season.

The year 2006, like 2004 and 2005, was devastating for Iran, which experienced earthquakes and floods. In 2003, the historic Bam Earthquake destroyed almost the entire historical town of Bam and accounted for the highest number of human lives claimed in a single disaster that year. In spite of earthquakes and floods, 2006 was a better year than 2003 or 2004. However, greater damage was sustained in 2006 than in 2005.

Floods affected Iraq and inflicted considerable human casualties and economic losses in 2006. In Japan, 2006 was not as bad a year as 2004 in terms of natural disaster damage and human casualties. The 2004 Niigata earthquake caused about US$28 billion in damage and affected more than 62,000 people. Some major wind storms and floods also had a considerable impact on the population in 2005. The damage caused by disasters was comparatively low in 2006 versus previous years, and was attributed to wind storms and floods. Since Japan's geographical position makes it highly prone to earthquakes, wind storms, floods, landslides, and tsunamis, it has some of the best disaster management systems and countermeasures in the world. These have proven to be highly effective in reducing human casualties and losses.

Most of the natural disasters that occur in Korea (North and South) consist of floods in the rainy season, as well as wind storms. In 2006 there were also floods but the related human casualties and economic losses were not as high as in 2005 or 2004.

Almost 90% of Kyrgyzstan is covered with mountains that are more than 1,000 meters above sea level, and about 40% of those are situated in alpine areas higher than 3,000 meters in elevation. The distinctive natural disasters of Kyrgyzstan are earthquakes accompanied by active crustal deformations, and floods caused by snowmelt and landslides. In 2006, unlike previous years, Kyrgyzstan reported an earthquake and wind storm that caused moderate human casualties.

Malaysia often experiences floods and landslides caused by rainfall during the monsoon season and rainstorms triggered by tropical low pressure systems. In 2006, the country experienced floods that resulted in little loss of life and economic damage, in spite of high numbers of affected population. Though a wind storm and flood occurred in Myanmar in 2006, they produced very little human and economic losses.

Nepal is located in the Himalayan region where the Indian plate is subsiding under the Eurasian plate. This crustal formation causes frequent earthquakes. Floods, landslides, and extreme temperatures also often pose a threat to Nepal. Table 17 shows that in 2006, Nepal experienced landslides that caused considerable human losses and a high total affected population (which includes the numbers of homeless, injured, and affected persons).

Pakistan is often hit by drought, extreme temperatures, floods, landslides, earthquakes, and wind storms. In 2005, the South Asian earthquake caused significant human casualties, with more than 73,000 dead and about three million people affected. This disaster produced the highest death toll in the world in 2005. The year 2006 was not as bad a year as 2005, but floods and extreme temperatures still had a significant impact on the population.

Papua New Guinea is highly vulnerable to all kinds of natural disasters, both hydro-meteorological and geo-physical, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, floods, and wind storms. Floods and volcanic eruptions were the main natural disasters that occurred in 2006. These affected considerable numbers of people, but caused relatively little loss of life. The affected population figures from these disasters were some of the highest in Oceania in 2006.

The Philippines is located along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," making it vulnerable to both hydro-meteorological and geo-physical natural disasters. As in previous years, the damage caused by hydro-meteorological disasters grew in 2006, with very large populations were affected by floods and wind storms. Wind storms and floods once again caused extensive economic damage in 2006. Landslides also significantly affected the population and inflicted heavy human losses, ranking them among the world's 25 worst disasters in terms of human losses in 2006. Russia is a vast land where the disaster-affected population and economic losses are relatively large. Floods, landslides, extreme temperatures, and wind storms affected large numbers of people in 2005.

In 2006, however, an unusual cold wave occurred in Russia, and it was ranked among the worst disasters in Europe. Floods and earthquakes also caused considerable economic losses and affected many people in Russia in 2006. The year 2006 was not nearly as disastrous as 2004 for Sri Lanka, which is located in the Indian Ocean just south of India, but it was worse than 2005. Sri Lanka frequently experiences droughts during its dry seasons, and wind storms, floods and subsequent landslides during its rainy seasons due to cyclones from the Bay of Bengal. These natural disasters have been the country's prime concerns thus far. In 2004, Sri Lanka was devastated by the record-breaking Indian Ocean Tsunami, which caused tremendous human losses and affected untold numbers of people. The economic damage caused by this tsunami was so huge as to have severely affected the country’s economic progress. The scale of the human and economic losses sustained triggered a massive outpouring of international assistance to that country in 2004. This continued in 2005, as tsunami recovery efforts progressed at a slow pace. Compounding this catastrophe, Sri Lanka also experienced a flood in 2006 that affected more than 330,000 people.

Syria experienced a flood in 2006, but its economic and social impacts were minimal. Wind storms, a flood, and an earthquake also occurred in Taiwan (China) in 2006, yielding relatively high numbers of affected people and economic damage. The most significant economic damage was caused by heavy flooding. Tajikistan’s prime concerns are earthquakes and floods, as much of its terrain is mountainous. Landslides and floods in 2005 resulted in human casualties and economic damage. In 2006, an earthquake caused considerable economic losses, but fewer fatalities than the landslides. Like 2004 and 2005, the year 2006 was a bad year for flooding in Thailand. Floods killed more than 330 people, affected more than three million people, and caused damage of more than US$132 million.

The economic damage to this country was due to flooding. Thailand is highly prone to natural disasters because of its location and terrain. The north-eastern area is prone to floods and drought, while the south is vulnerable to storms, floods, and landslides. Of these, floods had the greatest impact on Thailand in 2006. It is important to note that the population affected by hydro-meteorological disasters is quite large every year. Turkey experienced heavy human casualties due to floods and epidemics. Viet Nam is located in the southeast monsoon climate area, where the majority of annual rainfall occurs during the rainy season and regularly causes heavy human and economic losses. Wind storms and floods caused severe human casualties and economic losses in Viet Nam in 2006. These disasters affected more than three million people and caused more than US$1billion in damage. Figures for 2006 were much higher than in previous years, necessitating the development of countermeasures to prevent a recurrence. Human casualties in Yemen in 2006 were caused primarily by floods. The tables above show that the majority of ADRC-member and other Asian countries experienced either hydro-meteorological disasters and/or geo-physical disasters that inflicted heavy human and economic losses on society and created additional hurdles for economic development efforts. Furthermore, the severe impact of these disasters deprived people of opportunities for socio-economic advancement, thereby slowing down the pace of national and regional development. The most severe disasters in 2006 occurred in Asia (China, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Viet Nam and Bangladesh) and affected large numbers of people. The earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, floods in India, China, and Bangladesh, and wind storms and landslides in the Philippines were particularly damaging, causing destruction at home and hindering economic and development progress region wide.

Southeast Asia sustained heavy human and economic damage due to both hydro-meteorological and geo-physical disasters in 2006, once again exposing it as the most disaster-prone region in the world. It is imperative that efforts be made to design and implement proper disaster mitigation and preparedness plans to reduce loss of life, human casualties, and economic losses, and to contribute to sustainable development on a global scale