Question

the large damage caused to life and property was primarily a result of lack of dash​

Answer 1

I don't know whether I am right. But I think the answer is plantation, forest, trees. Because you just think  the large damage caused to life and property is mainly by natural disasters like flood, drought etc...and that itself is caused by lack of plantations or forest and of course that also lead to lack of oxygen. So according to me the primary reason is deforestation(in a single word).