ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Our Environment and Disasters are linked with each other. Different kinds of anthropogenic activities like urbanization, industrialization, deforestration, over population etc. degrades our Environment which affects natural processes, alters our resource base and increases disaster vulnerability. Disaster is a basic phenomenon to the human culture and civilization, experienced since time immemorial. In recent times, the branch of Environment and disaster management is fast emerging as a mega disciplinary subject with huge capacity and applications to the society. In spite of the deteriorating status of the environment and its vulnerability to disasters its study has not been given due importance in the academic curriculum of educational institutions in India. Taking into consideration of the above fact Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has made inclusion of Environmental Education mandatory in the syllabi for the undergraduate classes. Taking note to the above judgment the Union Government directed the UGC to constitute a committee to look into the environmental issues. Keeping these issues in view, the UGC has framed a core module syllabus on the basis of Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) for
Environmental Studies and Disaster Management to be taught in Undergraduate classes as a compulsory Course. The present Volume of the Textbook of “Environmental Studies and Disaster Management” is the outcome of a lot of labor pain and long gestation. The book content strictly follows the core module syllabus for undergraduate classes. The book covers the four Units prescribed in the syllabus for all the Universities and Autonomous Colleges of the state of Odisha. Keeping in mind the multiplicity of background of students ( Arts, Science, Commerce and others) each topic has been written with clarity and explained to serve the academic needs of the students. More than 500 important questions and its answers are published at the end of the book which will help the students for preparing for the Examinations.