REDUCING RISK India Floods 2017 loods have been a recurrent human casualties in hundreds, Surendranagar, Ahmedabad, Morbi, F phenomenon in India that lead extensive damage to infrastructure Gandhinagar, Kutch, Mehsana and to huge losses to lives, properties, and also severely affected the Valsad are hit by the large-scale livelihood systems, infrastructure animals. The Inter-Ministerial flooding. Banaskantha and Patan are and public utilities. As a matter of Central Team visited Assam to take among the worst-hit districts in the fact, 12% of the total landmass of the stock of situation, and Prime state due to heavy rains and flooding country (40 million hectare) is flood Minister Mr. Modi himself visited of the Banas and Sipu rivers. prone1. Gujarat flood affected areas. It shows Dhanera block Banaskatha district seriousness at the apex level. was worst affected and was Furthermore, as on August 18, 2017, inaccessible therefore the damages 25 states2 in the country are The cumulative rainfall was are estimated to be higher in the susceptible to floods, the most recorded in excess, in June and July block as reported by IAG members5. vulnerable States are Assam, Bihar, 2017, in most States of India. In India, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Central Water Commission is Nodal The floods have impacted lives and Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Agency for flood forecasting. They livelihoods, including education and Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and have at present 221 Flood public transportation by damaging Jammu & Kashmir. Similarly as Forecasting Stations4 spread across roads, highways, rail lines and many as 137 districts3 are vulnerable 24 States & UTs. They are expected airports. Besides the State Disaster to floods. to provide flood advisories to State Response Force and fire brigade Governments with help of IMD. personnel, the National Disaster In the recent years, the vulnerability Country also has National Guidelines Response Force (NDRF), the Air of the states to floods has increased for Management of Floods (2008, Force and the Army were deployed exponentially, mainly due to NDMA). However there is a long for the rescue of marooned villagers. unplanned development, high way to go for flood prevention and According to state administration population density & settlement of mitigation in India. It's high time officials 54,517 people were shifted people in flood plains, old to take concrete actions by all to safer places over the last one-week infrastructure, weak river concerned agencies on the ground to due to flooding of low-lying areas6. embankments and also increase in address this pertinent issue. extreme events, including high So far, 119 deaths have been reported rainfall in a short duration. In July Gujarat Floods from across the state since monsoon 2017, India experienced yet another Incessant torrential rain due to began7. 'Torrential rain and flooding, wave of flooding due to excessive simultaneous activation of Arabian especially in north and Saurashtra, rains in the monsoon season. The Sea and Bay of Bengal low-pressure have resulted in at least 25 per cent states of Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan, systems (a rare phenomenon) has loss in kharif sowing across crops Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura resulted into floods in many part of such as cotton, groundnut, castor, and West Bengal faced massive Gujarat this year. Districts of pulses, guar and cereals.'8 About 492 floods in many parts, which led to Banaskantha, Patan, Rajkot, villages have no power supply, out 1 NDMA Guidelines 2008 2 BMTPC Vulnerability Atlas 2007 3 Flood Management Module, NIDM, 2012 4 Central Water Commission Website 5 https://sphereindiablog.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/28-07-2017-sitrep-2-situation-reports-in-india.pdf (July 28, 2017) 6 http://ahmedabadmirror.indiatimes.com/news/india/rains-batter-ahmedabad-gandhinagar-over-54000-relocated/ articleshow/59797361.cms (July 27, 2017) 7 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/rs-6-lakh-compensation-for-kin-of-deceased/articleshow/ 59780580.cms (July 27, 2017) 8 http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/torrential-rain-flood-damage-25-kharif-sowing-in-gujarat- 117072700069_1.html (July 27, 2017) 4 southasiadisasters.net August 2017 Number of deaths reported by State Control Rooms and National Control Room as on 31st July 2017 Name of State No of reported deaths due to Source of information floods, heavy rainfall Gujarat 218 Gujarat State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) Assam 82 National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry Of Home Affairs (MHA) West Bengal 39 West Bengal Control Room Rajasthan 43 NDMA, MHA Uttarakhand 19 NDMA, MHA Uttar Pradesh 9 NDMA, MHA Odisha 4 NDMA, MHA of which 418 villages are in Information on roads closed: 5 Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Banaskantha district.9 national highways, 156 state Aravalli districts. highways and others and 550 roads After conducting an aerial inspection under Panchayats The central government has of the area with his team, Prime announced an interim package of Rs Minister Narendra Modi has Cattle loss: 881 in Banaskatha district 500 crore besides compensation of announced some ex-gratia of Rs 2 Rs two lakh to the families of those lakh for the family of deceased According to the state authorities, who have died in the floods. In a persons, Rs 50,000 for those who more than 15 teams of National heartbreaking incident, 18 members have suffered injuries, apart from a Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and of a same family killed in floods in Rs 500 crore relief package for the Air Force, Army and Navy teams are a village in Banaskantha. deluged districts.10 A day after Prime involved in rescue operations in the Minister Narendra Modi announced inundated areas. With clear weather, the state compensation of Rs 2 lakh for flood government has launched a massive victims, the state government on The Air Force has airlifted more than survey to assess damages caused by Wednesday declared that it would 1000 people from villages which floods in the affected areas. pay Rs 4 lakh ex gratia to the kin of were completely cut off as roads and the deceased.11 railway networks were damaged, So what is the way out? It is high making the villages inaccessible. The time floods are explained in today's Latest reported figures by the State Air Force has deployed over a context. What they are and what they Emergency Operation Center, dozen choppers for rescue works. mean to India's growing economy; Gandhinagar (27.07.2017): Total number of people who were in addition to increasing rescued is above 10,000 by agencies vulnerability of India's development No of deaths: 126 (of which 43 died like NDRF, Navy, Army and even to floods. The myth that floods are in the district of Banaskatha) BSF. rural problem is not true any more. Towns and his cities such as Evacuations: 54516 (of which 34043 Moreover, more than 50,000 people Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chennai are from Patan and Banaskatha were relocated by the various face repeated floods. districts) agencies and authorities from vulnerable and low lying areas in A rapid review is needed to Electricity: 753 villages lost Morbi, Jamnagar, Rajkot, institutionalise flood risk reduction electricity. Electricity in 526 villages Surendranagar, Patan, Banaskantha, in India, including review of water has been restored. policies, and flood risk reduction plans and projects; review of operational guideline of Dam and 9 http://theindianawaaz.com/relief-rescue-operations-in-full-swing-in-flood-hit- areas-of-gujarat-rajasthan/ (July 26, 2017) river basin management, and more 10 http://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/pm-modi-grants-rs-500-crore- detailed, realistic, time based relief-for-victims-of-gujarat-flood/67022 (Jul 26, 2017) sectoral and hotspot plans. 11 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/rs-6-lakh- – Mehul Pandya with compensation-for-kin-of-deceased/articleshow/59780580.cms (July 27, 2017) Amit Tuteja of AIDMI. August 2017 southasiadisasters.net 5.