International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Research (IJSER) www.ijser.in ISSN (Online): 2347-3878 Volume 1 Issue 3, November 2013 Flood as a Disaster in the Middle East Region Md. Riyazuddin Khan Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, University of Delhi Abstract: This paper deals with flood as a disaster in the Middle East Region. General flood and Cloudburst have their own source of origin. Here specific areas of origin and estimated loss have been identified and ranked amongst the region. Rivers flowing in the region is also being identified. Flood and cloudburst as a disaster has been well explained, distinguished and supported by examples to understand the severity to the society. Mitigation measures and prominent disaster monitoring bodies in the Middle East region is being identified. Keywords: Flood disaster, Integrated Flood Management, Hazard, Cloudburst, Wadi 1. Introduction Natural: (Major: Floods, Cyclone, Drought, Earthquake, Landslides and Avalanches. Minor: Cold Natural Hazard and Disaster take place when severe and wave, Thunderstorms, Heat waves, Mud slides etc). extreme weather and climate events occur naturally in all parts of the world, although some regions are more Manmade: (Major: Nuclear, Chemical, Biological, vulnerable to certain hazards than others. It is imperative Epidemic, Deforestation, Wars. Minor: Building to understand the difference between natural hazards and collapse, Water contamination or anticipated food natural disasters. The former become natural disasters shortages., Road / train accidents, riots, Food when people’s lives and livelihoods are destroyed. These poisoning, Industrial disaster/ crisis, Environmental cause severe human and material losses eventually which pollution etc). become a major obstacle to sustainable development. Accurate forecasts and warning in a form that is readily understood by common masses is required so that they are prepared against such hazard before they become disasters. By doing so lives and property can be protected. Each hazard is in some way unique from the other. They occur at different time at different places. Their scale of occurrence also varies from place to place. They can be short lived like Tornadoes and Cloud Burst. These are violent events, affecting a relatively small area. They can be gradual also like droughts which develop slowly, but can affect most of a continent and entire populations for months or even years. Sometimes multiple hazards are 3. Implications of Disasters involved in extreme weather events for example high winds accompanied by heavy rain in a tropical storm can Infrastructure damage, Telecommunication loss, Flooding, result in flooding and mudslides. Severe summer weather Landslides, Power disruption, Water problems, (thunder and lightning storms or tornadoes) can be Agricultural damage, Loss/damage to housing, Damage to accompanied by heavy hail and flash floods in temperate inland and coastal environments, Disruption of standard of latitudes. Winter’s storms with high winds and heavy snow living, lifestyle, etc are few prominent implications usually or freezing rain can also contribute to avalanches on some happened by disaster within a region. mountains slopes and to high runoff or flooding later on in the melt season. Across the world a lot of National and 3.1 Floods International Meteorological and Hydrological Services and specialized centers have responsibility for A flood is a situation when there is an overflow of an investigating geophysical hazards. expanse of water that submerges land. Floods can occur anywhere after heavy rain events. All floodplains are vulnerable and causative event like rains, ice jam, dam 2. Structure breaks heavy storms can cause flooding in any part of the world. Generally, disasters are of two types – Natural and Manmade. Based on the devastation, these are further Flash floods can also occur after a period of drought when classified into major/minor disasters. heavy rain falls onto very dry, hard ground that the water cannot penetrate. Floods come in all sorts of forms, from small flash floods to sheets of water covering huge areas Paper ID: J201357 121 of 127 International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Research (IJSER) www.ijser.in ISSN (Online): 2347-3878 Volume 1 Issue 3, November 2013 of land. They can be triggered by severe thunderstorms, east and 3,200 (km) from north to south. The region falls tornadoes, tropical and extra-tropical cyclones (many of almost entirely between 25 degree east to 60 degree east which can be exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon), longitude and 13 degree north to 42 degree north latitude monsoons, ice jams or melting snow. .The countries which form the part of Middle East are- Morocco , Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, In coastal areas, storm surge caused by tropical cyclones, Turkey, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Palestine, Yemen, tsunamis, or rivers swollen by exceptionally high tides can Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Cyprus, Tunisia, U.A.E, Oman cause flooding Dikes can flood when the rivers feeding ,Bahrain and Qatar. Many situations like the movement of them carry large amounts of snowmelt. Dam breaks or people and livestock to other host areas with limited sudden regulatory operations can also cause catastrophic resources, the development of unsafe informal settlements flooding. Floods threaten human life and property in urban centres, limited availability and access to worldwide. transport, health, education and other basic public services in hazard prone areas. Become reasons of hazard turning in to a disaster. On-going environmental degradation, rapid unplanned urbanization, acute water scarcity, a changing demography and migration trends on achieving sustainable development goals for the region these are some of the problems faced by the Arab nations and the ultimate impact of these is that the region has become a much vulnerable region. Although this region has very few large rivers system but the unpredictable rainfall and in absence of excess water controlling measures in the rivers has resulted it into a disaster causing loss to life and property in the region. In most of the countries there are few regions which are prone to regular floods; an attempt has been done to analyze the major flood prone region in the Middle Eastern countries. Turkey, Algeria, Iraq, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco, Yemen, Egypt and Syria are countries in the Middle East region where we can find severe loss of life and property by Flood as a disaster (Table 1 &2). Table 1: Region in the Middle East majorly effected by Flood as a Disaster Countries Important Areas Erzurum, Batman, Bitlis, Cinar, Bismil (Sanliurfa Province), Rize, Icel, Konya, Tokat provinces, Turkey Antalya, Thracian and Aegean Region, Filyos basin, Bartın basin etc Erbil, Salaheddine, Kirku, Choman, Pashdar Iraq district etc Lebanon Akkar, Bekaa region Saudi Macque, Jizane, Jeddah region etc Arabia Syria Hassake Governorate Ramya, Dhamar, Hodeida, Manakhah, Hijja, Taaz, While the size of a lake or other body of water will vary Yemen Ibb Provinces, Sanaa, raima, Salafiyah regions etc. with seasonal changes in precipitation and snow melt, it is Tindouf region, Adrar, Laghouat, Oran, Djanet, not a significant flood unless such escapes of water Algeria Bologhine, Ghardaia, Tsabit, Biskara, El-bayadh, endanger land areas used by man like a village, city or Tebessa, Tizi, Alisi, Adrar etc other inhabited area. Floods can also occur in rivers, when Ksiba, Taza, Quarzazate, Settat, Essaouira, flow exceeds the capacity of the river channel, particularly Morocco Marrakesh, kalaat, Tetouan, Er-Rachidia and Safi at bends or meanders. Floods often cause damage to Provinces, Northern and Central regions etc Jendouba, Beja, Manouba, Hfor El Tine, Tunis, homes and businesses if they are placed in natural flood Tunisia plains of rivers. Bizerte, etc Egypt Sinai, Haute, Ain, Ayatt and Hourgada region etc 3.2 Flood as Disaster in the Middle East Region Middle East refers to a region around the Persian and the Arabian gulfs. The region forms a single roughly quadrilateral land mass of about 3,542(km) from west to Paper ID: J201357 122 of 127 International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Research (IJSER) www.ijser.in ISSN (Online): 2347-3878 Volume 1 Issue 3, November 2013 Table 2: Rank wise Severity by Flood in the Middle East No River (Kuwait does not have any permanent Region (2000-2010) rivers, but does have many wadis, the most notable Rank (on basis Kuwait of which is Wadi al Batin which forms the border Total Tot. Country of Total between Kuwait and Iraq. Also listed are the river- Killed Affected effected) like marine channels around Bubiyan Island) Abraham River, Awali (river), Beirut River, Turkey 159 122832 1 Lebanon Algeria 197 96386 2 Hasbani River No Major river but many wadis like • Cinyps, Iraq 4 42490 3 Libya Tunisia 12 28500 4 Libya, Wadi Kham etc Saudi 197 23480 5 Baht River, Dadès River, Draa River, Imini River, Inaouen River, Loukkos River, Massa River, Lebanon 17000 6 Morocco Moulouya River,Noun River, Ouergha River, Oum Morocco 81 7056 7 Er-Rbia River Yemen 182 4737 8 No Major river but many wadis like Wadi Al Hijar, Egypt 45 4370 9 Oman Syria 6 NA 10 Wadi Bani Khalid, Wadi Dhaiqah etc Source: Em-dat database Saudi Arabia does not have any permanent rivers, but does have numerous wadis, which is an either permanently or intermittently dry riverbed like Nile is the longest river in the region with a length of 6650 Saudi Wadi as Surr, Wadi al-Hamd, Wadi al-Jizl, Wadi Arabia km. It flows to many countries of Africa Ethiopia, Eritrea, al-Aqiq, Wadi Rabigh, Wadi Fāţimah, Wadi Saba, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Wadi Fajr, Wadi Al-Rummah, Wadi Hanifa, Wadi Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan. It Bishah, Wadi Tathlith etc has many tributaries in Africa, a source of prosperity and Afrin River, Balikh River, Banias River, Dhahab livelihood in the region. It has such significance in Egypt River, Euphrates, Jaghjagh River, Queiq River, Syria as people commonly accept that “Egypt is the gift of river Orontes River, Sajur River, Khabur River, Jordan Nile”.