DAW 17th December 2025, Mains Answer Writting 2026

DAW 17th December 2025, Mains Answer Writting 2026

Question

With suitable examples, describe how cyclones can trigger multi-hazard disasters

Model Answer

Approach:

Introduction:

  • Briefly define cyclones as compound and cascading hazards, not isolated events.

  • Establish India’s high vulnerability using geographic and demographic factors (NIO Basin, long coastline, coastal population concentration).

Body:

  • Explain the multi-hazard disaster cascade in a structured manner.

  • Primary hazards: Direct impacts such as strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge (use 1–2 recent Indian examples).

  • Secondary hazards: Induced effects like flooding, landslides, coastal erosion, fires, and tornadoes.

  • Tertiary hazards: Long-term impacts including health crises, livelihood loss, displacement, inflation, and environmental degradation.

  • Substantiate each hazard level with relevant Indian cyclone examples to show interlinkages.

Conclusion:

  • Highlight India’s improved preparedness and reduced fatalities due to early warning systems and mitigation projects.

  • Emphasize the need for a multi-hazard, resilience-based approach in the context of climate change, focusing on ecosystems, infrastructure, and community capacity.

Introduction:

  • A cyclone is not a single hazard but a complex atmospheric system characterised by very strong winds, extremely heavy rainfall, and storm surge occurring simultaneously, especially during landfall. These interacting elements make cyclones inherently capable of triggering multi-hazard disasters, where one primary hazard sets off a chain of secondary impacts such as floods, coastal inundation, erosion, damage to infrastructure, and public health crises.

Body: How Cyclones Trigger Multi-Hazard Disasters: According to IMD, cyclone-related disasters are threefold in nature—heavy rainfall–induced floods, destructive winds, and storm surges—and their combined effect magnifies loss of life, property, livelihoods, and ecological stability, particularly in low-lying and densely populated coastal regions of India Primary Hazards (Direct Impacts): These arise directly from the cyclonic system.

  • Destructive Winds and Squalls:

  • Cause structural failures, uprooting of trees, disruption of power and communication networks.

  • Example: Cyclone Fani (2019) damaged over 5 lakh houses in Odisha; Cyclone Vardha (2016) severely affected Chennai’s power grid.

  • Torrential Rainfall:

  • Leads to water logging, crop damage, and weakening of embankments.

  • Example: Cyclone Michaung (2023) caused record rainfall and urban flooding in Chennai.

  • Storm Surge:

  • Abnormal sea-level rise inundates low-lying coastal areas, causes Salinization of soil and groundwater.

  • Example: 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone generated massive storm surges, drowning thousands and devastating coastal agriculture.

Secondary Hazards (Triggered by Primary Hazards): These hazards are induced by the initial impacts.

  • Riverine and Urban Flooding:

  • Heavy rains combined with poor drainage systems cause inland floods.

  • Example: Cyclone Amphan (2020) caused extensive flooding in West Bengal and Bangladesh; inland flooding accounted for most fatalities.

  • Landslides and Mudslides:

  • Occur in hilly and mountainous regions due to slope saturation.

  • Example: Cyclone-induced landslides in the Eastern Ghats during cyclones affecting Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

  • Coastal Erosion and Embankment Breaches:

  • Accelerated erosion damages settlements and infrastructure.

  • Example: Repeated cyclones in the Sundarbans have eroded islands, increasing climate refugees.

  • Forest Fires:

  • Strong winds and fallen power lines may trigger fires in dry forest regions.

  • Example: Cyclonic winds have exacerbated forest fire spread in parts of peninsular India.

  • Tornadoes and Waterspouts:

  • Embedded within cyclone rain bands, causing localized extreme destruction.

  • Example: Tornado-like events reported during Hurricane Katrina.

Tertiary Hazards (Long-term and Indirect Impacts): These emerge after the immediate disaster phase.

  • Public Health Crises:

  • Stagnant water leads to outbreaks of cholera, dengue, malaria.

  • Example: Post-Amphan cholera and diarrhoeal outbreaks in West Bengal.

  • Livelihood Loss and Economic Shocks:

  • Agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and MSMEs are disrupted.

  • Example: Cyclone Amphan caused losses of nearly USD 13 billion, severely affecting farmers and fishermen.

  • Inflation and Resource Scarcity:

  • Supply chain disruption increases prices of food, fuel, and essentials.

  • Example: Price spikes after Cyclone Gaja (2018) in Tamil Nadu.

  • Social Disruption and Displacement:

  • Large-scale evacuations, prolonged homelessness, educational disruption.

  • Example: 1999 Odisha cyclone displaced millions; schools used as relief shelters.

  • Environmental Degradation:

  • Salinity ingress reduces soil fertility and freshwater availability.

  • Example: Recurrent cyclones in coastal Tamil Nadu have degraded deltaic soils.

Conclusion:

  • Although India has substantially reduced fatalities through IMD early warning systems, NCRMP interventions, cyclone shelters and mass evacuations, climate-change-driven increases in cyclone intensity and frequency necessitate a multi-hazard, multi-sectoral and resilience-based approach. Strengthening coastal ecosystems, climate-resilient infrastructure and community preparedness is crucial to breaking the cyclone-induced disaster cascade and ensuring sustainable coastal development.