The devastating floods in North India that began on 24 June 2023 have claimed the lives of hundreds of people, with dozens earlier reported missing. Since the onset of the floods, large-scale evacuations and rescue operations have been conducted by the Indian Air Force, the Indian Army, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), with the help of state police and local bodies. The floods affected Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and parts of Jammu and Kashmir. Various images and videos showing the severity of the floods have been going viral online, including videos of destroyed bridges, cars being swept away and waterlogged streets. A large number of people were also displaced, with refugee camps having been set up to provide relief. Impact of the Floods According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), floods claim 1,600 lives and lead to Rs 1,805 crore worth of damage on an average year, affecting 75 lakh hectares of land. However, these figures have only increased since 1996. The floods that occurred this year have caused an estimated damage in the range of Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore, as stated on the eco-wrap published by SBI Research. "The Central team has visited the state. We have demanded the pending Rs 315 crore of the 2022-23 disaster fund from the Union Government. The loss is estimated to be about Rs 8,000 crore… We are trying to restore the roads, electricity, and water supply in the region," Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had stated in the media. The state was affected the most by these floods, causing intense infrastructural damage and claiming the most number of lives. Meanwhile, Haryana was put under a flood warning for the first time in history, and 2,800 people were evacuated in Rajasthan. Why are Himalayas Flood-Prone? These floods were caused by a combination of complex factors that worsened the impact in flood-prone areas. India experiences heavy rainfall from June to September, with 80% of the overall precipitation occurring during the monsoon season. Over the years, climate change has exacerbated the melting of glaciers, which burdens the carrying capacity of the rivers. Cloudbursts cause flash floods and further contribute to the overflowing of rivers. The Himalayas are highly flood-prone, which can cause landslides to occur more commonly in Union Territories and states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The Yamuna river flows from the Himalayas through Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Delhi. The urban floods that occurred in Delhi this year can be attributed to the overflowing of the Yamuna river, and the impact of the disaster was worsened due to the inadequate drainage system that caused waterlogging in various parts of the city. The rapid rate of urbanisation, increase in population, deforestation, water erosion, damming of rivers, and poor drainage systems have contributed to floods becoming more frequent and instense each year. Over the last few years, disasters have become more salient due to the effects of climate change. Floods are occurring in areas that were not deemed as flood-prone earlier. Since North Indian rivers originate from the glaciers in the Himalayas and form tributaries downstream, it is especially necessary to take action and curb the effects of floods in flood-prone areas. These floods act as a reminder of the importance of sustainable development to protect the lives and livelihood of people, and reduce infrastructural damage.
28 Aug 2023
Sartaj Singh Sekhon
