Floods In India: A Common Nightmare

Floods were not as common in the world as they have been in the past few years and there’s only one culprit to blame, The name is Climate Change.

Floods were not as common in the world as they have been in the past few years and there’s only one culprit to blame. The name is Climate Change. And no one but humans and their activities are the driving factors of Climate Change. Indians wait for monsoon since the largest proportion of workforce in India is engaged in the Primary Sector, which consists of agriculture. However, as the monsoon hit India this year, it disrupted parts of the country, causing more damage than welfare. While some parts of the country might be suffering because of drought, the other parts get badly affected as floods break embankments, submerge houses, damage crops and lands. Excessive rainfall and associated water logging due to floods can severely hinder plant growth leading to serious yield losses in many crop species.  India has been affected by flash floods too and this has been a major concern lately. But how are flash floods different from regular floods? Flash floods are caused by continuous rainfall leading to stagnation of water which occurs within a very short span of time. At times, flash floods are caused when rainfall creates flooding in less than 6 hours. Due to this, Himalayan states face the challenge of overflowing glacial lakes and their numbers have been increasing in the last few years as well. Flash floods usually take place more where rivers are narrow and steep, thus flowing rapidly. They can occur in urban areas which are located near small rivers because roads and concrete do not allow the water to absorb into the ground. Flash floods may wash away or ruin an entire area of agricultural land and completely ruin crops. Apart from these direct damages caused, waterlogging resulting from heavy rainfall with a long stretch of time also significantly affects crop production, mainly through restricting gaseous exchange in the soil. The state of Himachal Pradesh and the surrounding states has faced the loss of life and property due to torrential rains and flash floods this year (2022) in India. The death toll has reached 1,354 across India, as reported by the National Emergency Response Centre (NDMI). Himachal Pradesh (with 232 fatalities), Assam (199), Madhya Pradesh (162), Gujarat (119) and Maharashtra (112) are the worst affected States . According to reports, more than 980,000 people have been evacuated  in over 5,800 relief centres, and the number of damaged houses across affected States are more than 361,000 . The monsoon season, occurring from June to September, brings about heavy rains which yield crops but also often create disasters, because of landslides and floods. However, scientists believe global warming has aggravated the severity of rainfalls. Furthermore, around 0.34 million hectares crop area has been damaged due floods and landslides in just the first four months of 2022 and over 59,000 livestock have also died during this time. The highest damage of 0.24 million hectares was seen in Assam, which has been ravaged by floods since May this year.  There are possible solutions adopted by the National Water Resources Council in April 2002 to prevent these damages caused by floods:  The National Water Policy. According to this Policy there should be a master plan for flood control and management for each flood prone basin. It should consist of an adequate flood cushion in water-storage projects, wherever feasible, to facilitate better flood management. Along with this, looking after daily human activities which promote climate change, like deforestation, should also be kept in check.