Floods and Indian rivers
Floods in India: Excessive water accumulation on land leads to flooding. Severe rainfall or other natural disasters can occasionally result in an increased water flow in rivers. As a consequence, the water overflows from the riverbed and spreads onto the adjacent dry land, deviating from its usual course.
The heavy rainfall that occurred over the weekend brought north India to its knees, as rivers overflowed their banks, landslides occurred in the mountains, and waterlogging occurred in the plains.
Urban flooding transpires when the amount of rainfall surpasses the capacity of drainage systems, including sanitary sewers, resulting in the inundation of land or property in developed areas. This phenomenon particularly affects densely populated regions, irrespective of whether the affected communities are situated in designated floodplains or in proximity to bodies of water.
The area that is at risk of flooding can be roughly segmented into the following four regions:
It comprises the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, and Sikkim, in addition to the northern portions of West Bengal.
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, south and central parts of West Bengal, Punjab, parts of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.
This region includes parts of the states of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan in addition to Jammu & Kashmir and the state of Punjab.
The states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Orissa, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, as well as portions of Madhya Pradesh, are included in this region.
Flooding occurs when a river’s catchment region experiences a lot of rainfall, which causes water to overflow.
In the short time from June to September, the extremely active monsoon system causes significant floods in the northern lowlands and northeastern regions.
Due to the melting of snow, Himalayan rivers like the Ganga also experience flooding in the summer.
The Brahmaputra River floods are caused by both snowmelt and rainfall.
The Brahmaputra’s low gradient combined with the soft tertiary rocks speeds up sedimentation, which clogs river channels.
Floods in surrounding low-lying areas are brought on by the high rainfall in the hilly terrain.
As a result of ongoing sedimentation, river beds become shallow. The Himalayan rivers bring in a significant amount of silt, which lowers the water-carrying capacity and causes a significant volume of water to overflow.
These are the most important factors to consider in the Himalayan region. Cloudbursts and Landslides were the primary causes of the flooding that occurred in Uttarakhand in 2013.
The flow of water is slowed down by vegetation, which aids in the process of percolation. The cutting down of trees clears the land of any barriers. Additionally, deforestation quickens the process of soil erosion and silting of river beds, both of which speed up the rate at which a river’s carrying capacity decreases.
Floods are caused by the haphazard building of trains, roads, bridges, and canals, all of which are built without taking into account the natural fluvial regime.
The unplanned, short-term flood protection methods that involve a vast network of embankments have a negative impact on the natural environment.
The weight of the population, particularly in metropolitan areas, leads to inefficient patterns of land use and surface sealing, both of which contribute to an increase in runoff.
The flooding in Kerala in 2018 was responsible for the deaths of 445 people.
The Uttarakhand floods of 2013 are believed to have been the cause of death for more than 5000 people.
Repeated flooding causes agricultural fields to get inundated, which results in a diminished harvest.
It is possible that the flood may make the land unproductive by altering its components.
Floods are responsible for causing extensive damage to the infrastructure, which includes roads, bridges, and trains.
The infrastructure for the generation and distribution of electricity has been affected.
Numerous health problems are caused as a result of a lack of sanitation, the death of livestock, and dirty water.
An outbreak of a disease like malaria, diarrhea, and other watery diseases can be expected as a result of the floods.
The damage to infrastructure and the expense of reconstruction both have the potential to have a negative impact on the economy.
The funds, which may have been intended for use in development activity, need to be made available for efforts of rescue, relief, and rehabilitation.
The natural environment is harmed whenever there are floods in forest areas. There has been a reduction in the amount of flora and fauna.
The flooding in Kaziranga national park resulted in the deaths of a variety of animals, including the endangered one-horned rhino.
Nearly every year, various sections of the country are hit by floods, from the very minor to the catastrophic. The Union and State governments have both placed a significant emphasis on the management of this issue. Therefore, the control of floods has always been a priority area for the government.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) offers rainfall or cyclonic event forecasts that are used by all agencies to plan for floods.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA): The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) works with state equivalents to carry out relief and rescue operations. The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) reports to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and NDMA to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The Central Water Commission’s (CWC) primary responsibility is to gather hydrology data at the national level, including measurements of river discharge and water levels in dams, to warn the states of any impending or probable flooding.
Since its introduction in 1954, several flood protection strategies, both structural and non-structural, have been employed in various states based on the nature of the issue and local circumstances.
It aims at ensuring that preparations are in place to mobilize the resources and ability for relief, rehabilitation, rebuilding, and recovery from tragedies besides creating consciousness among susceptible communities.
Structural Measures
Practice Question
Question: In India, floods are the most common form of natural calamity. Why does India suffer from so frequent flooding? Make some suggestions for how floods should be managed.
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India experiences frequent flooding due to heavy rainfall during the monsoon season, the presence of Himalayan rivers carrying significant water, geographical factors such as low gradients and sedimentation, deforestation leading to increased runoff, interference with drainage systems, and population pressure resulting in inefficient land use and increased urban flooding risk.
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