Ecological dimension of the risks from natural and technological catastrophes

Abstract

In the process of planning and development of certain areas and towns, some objective omissions are frequently made in treating the existing natural conditions and the overburdening of the environment with technological systems the normal functioning of which requires large quantities of various chemically aggressive materials. The risks related to certain natural (earthquakes, land sliding, floods, etc.) and technological (explosions, fires, large scale damages, radiation, etc.) catastrophes are increased with every day, proportionally to the technological development and urbanization of the environment. The consequences of these catastrophes might be unforeseeable. In some cases, apart from the loss in human lives, temporary or permanent damage to buildings and other material goods, the ecological implications of these consequences (chemical pollution of soil, water and air, radioactive radiations, etc.) may be even much greater since they may affect future generations. The very character of the problems involved requires that they be conceived and defined in due time for the purpose of taking adequate preventive measures.