Debris (noun) : 1. the remains of anything broken
down or destroyed; ruins; rubble:the debris of buildings after an air raid; scattered
remains of something destroyed. 2. Geology. an accumulation of loose fragments
of rock, left by a melting glacier etc..
First
something on not so regular context to us – i.e., in Marine
– at sea. Marine debris applies to
floating garbage such as bottles, cans, styrofoam, cruise ship waste, offshore
oil and gas exploration and production facilities pollution, and fishing
paraphernalia from professional and recreational boaters. Marine debris is also
called litter or flotsam and jetsam. Objects that can constitute marine debris
include used automobile tyres, detergent bottles, medical wastes, discarded
fishing line and nets, soda cans, and bilge waste solids.In addition to being
unsightly, it can pose a serious threat to marine life, boats, swimmers,
divers, and others. For example, each year millions of seabirds, sea turtles,
fish, and marine mammals become entangled in marine debris, or ingest plastics
which they have mistaken for food. As many as 30,000 northern fur seals per
year get caught in abandoned fishing nets and either drown or suffocate. Whales
mistake plastic bags for squid, and birds may mistake plastic pellets for fish
eggs. At other times, animals accidentally eat the plastic while feeding on
natural food.The largest concentration of marine debris is the Great Pacific
Garbage Patch.
In Apr 2917 in
Colombia, a lethal mix of gravity, water and dirt combined to create an
“avalanche” that tore through a small Colombian city, killing more than
200.What happened in Mocoa is known as a “debris flow,” which came during an
unusually wet season, topped off with a shorter period of intense rain, federal
landslide scientist Jonathan Godt said. He said he reviewed images and video of
the Mocoa disaster, noting the mountains surrounding the city.“That very heavy
rainfall makes the soil like goo, makes it easy to flow. It just starts sliding
down the hillside,” said Godt, coordinator of the U.S. Geological Survey’s
landslide hazards program. “My guess is that it was moving very fast and would
have been full of rock and boulders and pieces of buildings. For someone
experiencing it, an avalanche would be a very accurate description.”
Witnesses reporting
hearing buildings shuddering and vibrating as the flow crashed through Mocoa.
Scores remained missing since the deluge struck when many people were sleeping,
washing away trees, vehicles, houses and everything in its path. Pictures
posted to social media showed bridges wiped away, piles of debris in the town
center and overturned vehicles tumbled amid tree limbs, rocks and fencing.
Godt,
who has created small-scale landslides in Oregon for research, said debris
flows like this one can be more devastating than a flood because the water
gives the flow speed and the debris gives it extra punch. He said the flow
would have been loud: Think water rushing, boulders crashing and trees being
torn apart.“Gravity is always working to drag the mountains
down, and water changes the strength of the material,” he said. “A layperson's
description of this as an avalanche of mud and rock would be absolutely
accurate.”
Back home, there is the Standard
Fire and Special Perils Policy, which is a named perils policy…. ‘fire’ is an
insured peril …. Besides the named perils and some extentions by way of add-on
covers ………….. the policy also provides for reimbursement of expenses up to 1%
of the claim amount towards ‘debris removal’, the limit too can be increased by
payment of additional premium.
'Debris Removal’ clause provides reimbursement for clean-up costs
associated with damage to a property. Policies with a debris removal provision
typically only cover debris resulting from an insured peril, such as charred
wood from a building fire; or construction material and the like following
collapse of building arising out fire or allied perils. The material used for
construction in intense heat could turn into hazardous waste !! - Read that this has evolved historically. The older policies of course made no specificmention of
debris removal costs as either covered or excluded. ~ and most insurers routinely excluded any
expenses so claimed, while a few perhaps paid some portion. Those rejecting argued that this was a
consequential, rather than a direct, result of the loss, and as such, was not
covered. In Overseas at some point, a debris removal clause was added to the
forms attached to the Standard Fire Policy. It simply stated that the coverage
extended to include the cost of removal of the debris resulting from the
property loss. The debris removal coverage was within, and did not increase,
the limit of liability. The coverage was thus limited by the amount of
insurance carried, so that in a substantial loss, the property loss plus the
cost of debris removal might well exceed the amount of insurance but still the liability would not extend
beyond the sum insured.
While a small
portion (1% of the claim amount) is indemnifiable, additional coverage can be
purchased as per the terms of All India Fire Tariff. The tariff provides for
allowance of additional specific value, however restricted to 10% of the sum
insured.
When such additional premium is
paid, the coverage is on terms :-
It is
permissible to cover cost necessarily incurred by an insured in the removal of
debris from the premises of the insured, dismantling, demolishing, shoring up
or propping of Insured property following destruction or damage by Insured
Peril by incorporating the following clause :“On costs and expenses necessarily
incurred by the insured
(a) In
the removal of debris from the premises of the Insured;
(b)
dismantling or demolishing;
(c) shoring up or propping;
of the
portion or portions of the property insured by (Items.......... of) this policy
destroyed or damaged by perils hereby insured against but not exceeding in the
aggregate Rs. ..................”
Before concluding,
the earthquake and subsequent tsunami
that struck Japan in washed nearly five million tonnes of debris, including
boats, cars and part of houses and factories into the Pacific. An year or so later, a satellite image from NASA's Earth observatory
showed the marauding mass sprawled across the ocean's surface. Around
4.8million tonnes - including parts of houses, factories, cars and ships - were
pulled into the ocean when the earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck
Japan. It was stated that while heavy
items sank, at least 1.5million tonnes of lighter material such as buoys, oil
drums and furniture were carried off by tides and the wind on a 4,500-mile
journey to North America.
With
regards – S. Sampathkumar
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