Which of the following statements are true? 1) Natural disasters cause maximum damage in developing countries. 2) Bhopal gas tragedy was man-made. 3) India is a disaster free country. 4) Mangroves reduce the impact of cyclones. Select the correct Answer from the codes given below:

Statement 1 is true. Developing countries bear a much larger share of deaths and economic loss from disasters because housing is weak, drainage and early warning systems are thin, and livelihoods depend on agriculture and informal work. Statement 2 is true. The 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy at the Union Carbide plant was an industrial accident caused by safety and maintenance lapses, so it is man-made, not natural. Statement 4 is true. Mangrove forests slow storm surge and wave energy, which is why their loss in coastal Odisha and Bengal raises cyclone damage.

Statement 3 is false. More than half of India's land is earthquake-prone, and floods, droughts and cyclones are recurrent. The Disaster Management Act, 2005 created the NDMA to deal with this risk.

• Option A includes statement 3, so it is wrong.
• Option B includes statement 3, so it is wrong.
• Option D includes statement 3, so it is wrong.

Core concept: disaster risk is hazard multiplied by exposure and vulnerability, divided by coping capacity. This links directly to the Mains theme of disaster risk reduction under the Sendai Framework 2015-30.

Trap: candidates treat Bhopal as a natural hazard because it involved a gas leak, or they accept statement 3 by confusing a low frequency of some hazards with overall safety.