Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran top world disaster risk rankings
Thursday, 27 May 2010
PARIS, May 26 (AFP): Bangladesh, Indonesia and Iran are the countries that are the most vulnerable to natural disasters, according to a study released by Maplecroft, a British risk advisory firm that compiles the Natural Disaster Risk Index (NDRI).
Asia's twin giants, China and India, join them in the 15 countries that, out of 229, are rated as "extreme" risk.
The NDRI is compiled on the basis of disasters that occurred from 1980 to 2010.
It draws on a basket of indicators, including the number and frequency of these events, the total deaths that were caused and the death toll as a proportion of the country's population.
Disasters include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, storms, flooding, drought, landslides, heatwaves and epidemics.
"Poverty is an important factor in countries where both the frequency and impacts of natural disasters are severe," said Maplecroft's environmental analyst, Anna Moss.
"Poor infrastructure, plus dense overcrowding in high-risk areas like flood plains, river banks, steep slopes and reclaimed land, continually result in high casualty figures."
According to the NDRI's figures, Bangladesh has suffered more than 191,000 fatalities as a result of natural disasters in the past 30 years, and Indonesia a nearly equal number, the vast majority of which were inflicted by the December 2004 tsunami.
Asia's twin giants, China and India, join them in the 15 countries that, out of 229, are rated as "extreme" risk.
The NDRI is compiled on the basis of disasters that occurred from 1980 to 2010.
It draws on a basket of indicators, including the number and frequency of these events, the total deaths that were caused and the death toll as a proportion of the country's population.
Disasters include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, storms, flooding, drought, landslides, heatwaves and epidemics.
"Poverty is an important factor in countries where both the frequency and impacts of natural disasters are severe," said Maplecroft's environmental analyst, Anna Moss.
"Poor infrastructure, plus dense overcrowding in high-risk areas like flood plains, river banks, steep slopes and reclaimed land, continually result in high casualty figures."
According to the NDRI's figures, Bangladesh has suffered more than 191,000 fatalities as a result of natural disasters in the past 30 years, and Indonesia a nearly equal number, the vast majority of which were inflicted by the December 2004 tsunami.