Wrath of Nature

Deluge!! The blue rain!

India is going through an unprecedented natural disaster with six states experiencing heavy to very heavy rains for days now.

Maharashtra so far has nearly 2 lakh people displaced in the state. The situation remaining especially grim in Kolhapur and Sangli districts. As many as 27 people have died due to floods in five districts of Pune division.

Gujarat the plight continues. So far over 21,000 people have been shifted to safer places in south Gujarat region.

There is a flood-like situation in Goa too after heavy rains. People have been evacuated from villages of Pilgao, Usagoa and Amona as well as from Mala, in the capital city of Panaji.

In Andhra Pradesh, the heavy rains and flooding have displaced over 19,000 people in East and West Godavari districts.

Around 10 districts of the Karnataka state are flooded by Krishna river spurt. The release of water from dams is adding to the flood woes of Karnataka.

11 out of the 14 districts of Kerala are currently under the floodwaters. More than 50 people are reported to be missing as of now. North Kerala is worst hit this time, with major wrath being on Wayanad. It is sad to see Kerala suffering grievously again just a year after the last floods. The public, our heroic fishermen, uniformed personnel & the district administrations have again risen to the occasion.

But with the rains showing no signs of slowing down things could further deteriorate as all the dams in the state are filled to capacity and could be forced to open, pumping out more water to the already overflowing rivers.The public, our heroic fishermen, uniformed personnel & the district administrations have again risen to the occasion. But we need more resources to reconstruct the state & make it flood-proof.

Orissa seems to have the wrath again this year - hope it do not have to go thorough it again.

Meanwhile the situation in Bihar and Assam which were battling floods have been improving in the past few days and normalcy have returned to many places. Nepal, Hong Kong too are recovering.

Two Typhoons hit China around this time Viz. Typhoon Lekima and Typhoon Krosa spread heavy rain and caused mass destinations in Wenling, Taiwan, Shanghai, Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.

Tropical Storms are called Cyclone in South Pacific and Indian ocean, hurricane in North East - Atlantic & Pacific and Typhoon in North West pacific they are rotating ,organised system of clouds and thunderstorms formed when air rises quickly when heated by warm sea water, cools down is pushed by more warm air rising below it.

Scientists say the temperature of ocean water is going up and that can lead to hurricane increasing in intensity in the future. The past years has been a busy one for hurricanes. There is no clear upward trend though, for its formation. Though seas are getting warmer, other factors can prevent hurricane from forming viz. Strong winds. Hurricane hates them.

Rainfalls during hurricane are always devastating. Housing development are expanding into more marginal, poorly drained land. This puts more people in harm's way. Climate change is causing seas to rise. Melting glaciers and land based ice sheets contribute to higher sea level. It has been clarified that it is modelling rather than historical data that predicts stronger and wetter hurricanes.

With many states that has been facing the wrath of nature in the past few days throwing normal life out of gear all around, it makes me ponder if it would be war or water that would end the world? Probably war over water with adjacent state struggling for water with other states around it flooding?

Irrespective of heavy rain, we soon have water-shortfall. Even simultaneously in the neighborhood. As rainfall becomes more erratic, the water supply becomes less reliable. At the same time, as the days grow hotter, more water evaporates from reservoirs just as demand for water increases. Sao Paulo was ravaged by floods a year after its taps nearly ran dry. Chennai suffered fatal floods four years ago, and now its reservoirs are almost empty.

This water should have been percolating into the earth to replenish aquifers and groundwater. Strategic planting of Trees would mitigate floods to a large extent. -Sg
There should be curb on sanctioning new projects, which should be approved considering locality, drainage etc. City officials can plug leaks in the water distribution system. Wastewater can be recycled. Rain can be harvested and saved for lean times: lakes and wetlands can be cleaned up and old wells can be restored. And, farmers can switch from water-intensive crops, like rice, and instead grow less-thirsty crops like millet. Local solutions can also be arrived at.

“Rivers change course, and there is no clear way to ­predict it,” says an IIT expert. “River-linking will cause ­deforestation, and lead to increase in water conflicts.” He adds that if the Indian rivers don’t have enough water to feed themselves, how can they help others?

Post-Independence, when the Indian states were reorganised based on language, the government formulated the Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956, to resolve conflicts over use, control and distribution of interstate rivers or river valleys. However, it failed to resolve any of the interstate disputes, which have become hot-button issues for pol­itical clashes and civic unrests. At present, dozens of states fight over sharing of water from dozens of rivers and dams.

“Every state wants to be prosperous and, as water is ­crucial, everybody wants more,” says a senior state official from Tamil Nadu. Interstate water conflicts depend on ­several factors such as politics, water requirement, and weather conditions. Dragging water conflicts to courts or ­tribunals helps to justify to the populations that the governments are fighting for their shares.” Amicable solutions aren’t possible in an environment of political and ­bureaucratic egos, and the cases drag on.

Rainwater harvesting, conservation, recharging of ­groundwater, and recycling hold the key to the country’s water security. Or else, like in the other parts of the globe, India may find itself in the midst of intense water wars—­battles between states, conflicts with our neighbors and civic unrest.

K. Kasturirangan-led high-level working group (HLWG) was constituted to advise the government on the recommendations of an earlier report of ecologist Madhav Gadgil-led "Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel" (WGEEP).

The WGEEP had recommended 64% of Western Ghats to be declared as an ecologically sensitive area. It had suggested three levels of categorization where regulatory measures for protection would be imposed and had recommended the establishment of the Western Ghats Ecology Authority for management of the Ghats.

“The Western Ghats is a biological treasure trove that is endangered, and it needs to be protected and regenerated, indeed celebrated for its enormous wealth of endemic species and natural beauty”, the report says.

Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said that the recommendations would be looked into urgently so that action can be taken to address these challenges. Wondering what has happened after that? Hope and wish government just don't spend crores on another committee and do nothing.

Kasturirangan said, “The message of this report is serious, alarming and urgent. It is imperative that we protect, manage and regenerate the lands now remaining in the Western Ghats as biologically rich, diverse, natural landscapes”.

The signs are there; it’s time to wake up, and smell the bitter coffee. We have 2 immediate problem now:
1. Basic necessities of people effected, in camps and stuck across locations.
2. With flood and landslide, people have lost houses and lands as well and do not know where to go to.

Some people literally need everything to start their lives. The list is endless.

Stay Safe All. May people move out of flood/ drought prone area. Prayers. Thanks to all trying to restore peace and harmony with Decency and Persistence. Let's join hands and do all that we can. Save Life. Save planet.