Natural hazards are caused by the interaction of physical and human processes, discuss.

Some natural hazards can be effected by the actions of humans, the deforestation of forests in Indonesia is suspected to have contributed to the mudslides their, the resulting loss of life could be blamed on illegal logging which had occurred. The flood risk of countries is also increased by the urbanisation of land, the concrete and other impermeable surfaces used mean that water reaches rivers faster which can cause the river to burst it’s banks, this occurred in Berkshire and other urban areas by the M4 which closely follows the route of the river Thames and its tributaries, this had flooded many time in recent years and the problem in acerbated by the increased urbanisation of the land. The Mississippi was straitened to be better for human usage the problem being that the river returns to its original route when it is flooded or moving excess water, causing widespread damage and erosion. Also those building on unstable or perilous land can have future problems, many homes are built on hill sides, the increased weight of these structures can mean that mud/landslides are more likely to occur, also the increased weight on buildings on cliff tops can mean that they crack and erode at a faster rate than normal, this loss of cliffside could mean sea defence is weakened. To prevent these hazards from occurring mitigation is needed, methods include building earthquake resistant buildings, hazard warning systems or in the case of flood plains, simply not using the land a plan which is being trialled in Essex where reclaimed farmland is being returned to floodplain. Volcanologists have recommended for many years that buildings are not located on volcano sides, yet many feel the benefits far outweigh the risk, especially in areas which have not seen an eruption in many years. These combined with earthquakes can cause mass movement of the land; this can result in further human related complications as fires are started by broken gas mains. Also when land is built on reclaimed land such as sand reclamation on the west coast of America, an earthquake could cause liquefaction to occur turning the once stable base of people’s homes into a river of mud and sand.

Very few of these events would become a hazard unless humans were either living their or has contributed to the actual problem, land which has no population frequently shows no ill effects of these natural processes and in some it has positive effects, when Egypt was only populated by very few the yearly flooding of the Nile ensured that the farm land was irrigated and also had fresh nutrient, now the dam means this no longer occurs and if the dam breaks a huge flood killing millions could result.