Bal bichi gaar marao

1. Presented by Soumya Pan, SOI, WBCD
NDRFA CDI Batch No- 173

2.  Flood Scenario in India
 Understanding Flash Flood
 Case Study
 Cause & Effect
 Current Flood Protection Measures
 Future Action Plan for Flood Control

3.  India is highly vulnerable to floods. Out of the total geographical area of 329 million
hectares (mha), more than 40 mha is flood prone. Floods are a recurrent phenomenon,
which cause huge loss of lives and damage to livelihood systems, property,
infrastructure and public utilities. It is a cause for concern that flood related damages
show an increasing trend. The average annual flood damage in the last 10 years
period from 1996 to 2005 was Rs. 4745 crore as compared to Rs. 1805 crore, the
corresponding average for the previous 53 years. This can be attributed to many
reasons including a steep increase in population, rapid urbanization growing
developmental and economic activities in flood plains coupled with global warming.
 An average every year, 75 lakh hectares of land is affected, 1600 lives are lost and the
damage caused to crops, houses and public utilities is Rs.1805 crores due to floods. The
maximum number of lives (11,316) was lost in the year 1977. The frequency of major
floods is more than once in five years.

4. World Meteorological Organization:
- A flood of short duration with a relatively high peak discharge.
American Meteorological Society:
- “…flood that rises and falls quite rapidly with little or no advance warning, usually
as the result of intense rainfall over a relatively small area.”
 U.S. National Weather Service:
- A rapid and extreme flow of high water into a normally dry area, or a rapid
water level rise in a stream or creek above a predetermined flood level, beginning
within six hours of the causative event (e.g., intense rainfall, dam failure, ice jam).
However, the actual time threshold may vary in different parts of the country. Ongoing
flooding can intensify to flash flooding in cases where intense rainfall results in a
rapid surge of rising flood waters

5.  a heavy rain in an area with high runoff (no absorption)
 a prolonged heavy rain feeding into area watercourses
 a sudden snow melt
 a rain on frozen soil which melts the snow in addition to the rain volume
which cannot be absorbed into frozen ground
 a breakage in a dam or containment system
 high tides
 storm surges
 tsunamis
 downstream blockage of the river channel

6. destruction of roads and bridges
faster erosion of river banks
disruption of water supplies and waste
treatment
danger to the life and property

7.  Make an emergency kit.
 Make an emergency plan.
 Tell an adult if you hear a flood
warning on the TV or radio.

8.  Listen to the authorities and safety officials.
 If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move
immediately to higher ground.
 Help your family to move more important items
to an upper floor.
 Do not walk through moving water. Just six
inches of rapidly moving water can make you fall.
 Turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if
instructed to do so. Disconnect electrical
appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if
you are wet or standing in water.
 Ask an adult not to drive into flooded areas. If
floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car
and move to higher ground if you can do so safely.
You and the vehicle can be quickly swept away.

9.  Stay away from flood water. It could be contaminated, meaning contain dangerous
substances.
 Stay away from moving water. It can knock you off your feet.
 Stay out of the way of emergency workers so they can do their job easily.

10.  Between June 13 and 17, the state of
Uttarakhand had received an unusual
amount of rainfall. This led to the melting of
the Chorabari glacier and the eruption of the
Mandakini river. The floods affected large
parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh
and Western Nepal. The heavy rainfall
caused massive flash floods and landslides
resulting in the death of residents and
tourists as well as extensive damage to
property. Reportedly the worst hit was the
Kedarnath valley popular for the 8th
century temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The
flood left behind a death toll of more than
5000. Ecologist Chandra Prakash Kala notes
in a report that “the approximate cost of
damaged bridges and roads was $285
million, dam projects worth $ 30 million and
loss to state tourism worth $195 million.”
 What exactly had happened?

11.  Despite the fact that heavy rainfall and cloudbursts are
natural causes for the floods and landslides,
environmentalists believe that the disaster of 2013 was a
manmade one. “Unplanned and haphazard construction,
mismanaged tourism and related activities including
intensive mining in this fragile ecosystem are some of the
reasons that made to name this natural disaster partly as
man-made that increased the intensity and magnitude of
damages,” writes Kala. Over the years the number of
pilgrims visiting the area had also exponentially increased.
In order to meet with the rising demands of religious
tourism, the state government built an intricate network of
roads, hotels, lodges and carried out other construction
activities into the remote mountainous regions of the
Himalayas. However, it is also true that the unexpected
timing of the rainfall and the unusual amount of it also did
not leave enough time for the pilgrims to evacuate, thereby
increasing the magnitude of the impact.

12.  The relief work was carried out by a combined team
of army, airforce, navy, Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP), Border Security Force, National Disaster
Response Force (NDRF), Public Works Department
as well as by local administration. Within five days,
the army had deployed about 10,000 soldiers and
the airforce had brought in more than 45 pieces of
aircraft to carry out the rescue operation. The ITBP
which guards the Indo-China border swung into
action even before the army or the air force could
reach the spot. They apparently managed to rescue
more than 33,000 people from remote, inaccessible
mountain zones. It is worth noting that after the
disaster, the rescue operation in the region in itself
has become a risky affair due to the unpredictable
weather conditions, mountainous topography and
lack of accessibility in majority of the routes.

15.  A mere 2 feet of water can float a large vehicle or even a bus. This is why you
should never drive through flooded roads.
 Flash floods can bring walls of water from 10 to 20 feet high.
 Floods are the most widespread natural disaster aside from wildfires.