Is the government failing to meet the basic needs of the citizens and replacing them with new forms of developments in the country? Or, are natural disasters seen as revenge and threat to man's constant attempt at degrading mother Earth to make it dysfunctional for the future?
The long rains of southwest monsoon cause flooding in the plains and landslides in the hills. But what has the government done to prevent these natural disasters from affecting the lives of the millions? Can just temporarily stabilising the affected areas by distributing relief materials and building relief camps resolve this major issue? Will the government be able to restore the displaced families and households, the drowning domestic and wild animals fighting against death, devastated plantations in rural areas and dismantled houses to their proper state?
Urban flooding is a growing concern for cities in India, driven by a confluence of climate change, urbanisation, and inadequate infrastructure. With the increase in numbers of casualties, it is even spreading across states all over India.
In its most recent meteorological forecast of 2024, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that the monsoon will continue to be active in the Peninsular and neighbouring central India for the next dew days. Recent days have seen extremely heavy rains in a few places across the country, which has caused floods, claimed numerous lives, and damaged property. If so-called advanced cosmopolitan cities like Delhi and Mumbai can face floods, then villages and towns in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur etc.can expect nothing less than ‘hope’ from the authorities.
Despite the continuous failure of the disaster management departments of several states in preventing extreme damage in the highest rainfall receiving states, we face situations like flash floods frequently.
Bihar witnessed the collapse of more than 10 bridges in Kishanganj, Araria, East Champaran, Madhubani, Siwan and Saran districts since June 18. Muzaffarpur of Bihar faced overwhelming flood waters affecting hundreds of homes across 18 panchayats, inflicting immense hardship on countless numbers of people. Numerous schools within those regions have been inundated by floodwater, causing significant disruptions to hundreds of children's education.
Just two weeks back, Haridwar had heavy rain, which caused the Sukhi river to overflow and sweep away several parked automobiles.
Mumbai streets have been witnessing heavy downpours leading to drastic situations in every monsoon since the past few years. The Hindu has written as, “Mumbaikars woke up to heavy downpours on July 8, disrupting normal life due to severe waterlogging on important routes and low-lying areas leading to traffic jams across the city. Many railway tracks are submerged, and train services are disrupted.”
Assam's flood situation has been grim, affecting over 5 lakh people in 17 districts presently. 104 camps are currently active in assisting basic supplies. Numerous districts have reported damage to their infrastructure. Deaths of animals counted nearly up to 200.
As per latest report released by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the total number of persons, who have died in the storm, lightning, landslide, and flood this year, stands at 96.
The worst-hit areas include Cachar, where approximately 1.16 lakh people are affected, Dhubri, which has about 81,500 lakh people, and Nagaon, which has more than 76,000 people stranded beneath floodwaters, the report continued.
The mighty Brahmaputra is currently rushing across the danger zones of Tezpur, Dhubri, and Nimatighat.
Recently, the open drains in Guwahati have proven fatal, taking the life of an innocent eight-year-old child. On the evening of July 4, little Avinash Sarkar slipped from a scooter into an open drain in Jyotinagar while travelling home with his father and was carried away by flood waters, resulting in the tragic incident. Desperate attempts were made to save the child however he was rescued only after 3 days. His unfortunate death has shaken the entire city but how many such incidents are we going to witness?
Unlike rural flooding, urban flooding can be more destructive due to the density of population and infrastructure. Every year we get to hear of fatal accidents due to flood water breaching embankments, damaging roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. Developing countries like India have outdated or insufficient infrastructure to manage heavy rainfall. The structures of drainage systems are old and are not equipped to handle the current volume of water. Increasing frequency of extreme weather change in the cities is another aspect of urban flooding and demands an urgent need for climate resilience. It is imperative for urban planners, policymakers, and citizens to work together to build sustainable and flood-resilient cities for the future.
