KERALA

GUJARAT

UTTARAKHAND

MAHARASHTRA

KARNATAKA

Note: Death tolls as of August 12

IT'S NOT NEWS THAT INDIA IS PRONE TO FLOODING EVERY YEAR

BUT GOVERNMENT STILL FAILS TO TAKE ACTION

Flood-hit Malappuram district in Kerala pictured from an IAF helicopter

Source: Media reports; Graphic: Anand Singh

NEW DELHI: Rains continue to lash several states around the country claiming lives, displacing families and damaging property. Just a month after severe flooding in Bihar and Assam , southern and western states are facing torrential rains and widespread floods. A look at the regions affected and why floods create havoc every year.Death toll: 88Heavy monsoon rains led to severe flooding in 14 districts across north and central Kerala. The rains also caused at least 83 landslides in the state. More than 2.5 lakh people have been evacuated to 1,332 relief camps across the state. The Cochin airport and rail services in affected areas were temporarily closed.Death toll: 31Central Gujarat and Saurashtra regions hit by torrential rains. Vadodara alone recorded a staggering 50cm of rain in the span of just 24 hours. Road, rail and air travel were halted in Vadodara. Rescue attempts were underway using boats and hundreds were airlifted by Indian Air Force personnel.Death toll: 6Heavy rains, particularly in Chamoli (below), led to landslides that claimed several lives.Death toll: 43At least 10 districts, including Pune, were hit by rains. Kohlapur and Sangli districts were the worst affected. About 4.5 lakh people were evacuated to 372 relief camps. Flooding closed Mumbai-Bengaluru National Highway No. 4, leaving thousands of heavy vehicles stranded on either side.Death toll: 48At least 17 coastal and northern districts were hit. As many as 5 lakh people were evacuated to 1,168 relief camps in the region. Early estimates show about 4.2 lakh hectares of crop land were damaged.Floods are an annual occurrence in India, with little changing in terms of disaster management from year to year. Almost 15% of India is prone to flooding. And annually, 2,000 lives are lost and 80 lakh hectares of crop land are damaged at a cost of about Rs 1,800 crore. Just a month ago, 175 people were killed and more than a crore affected by floods in Bihar and Assam.While record-breaking rain might be to blame for severe floods, poor planning and management are culprits too. The government spends more on compensation after floods than it does on prevention.Government agencies need to adapt forecasting techniques to factor extreme weather patterns. Rampant mining and quarrying, especially in hilly regions, brings landslides (like in Wayanad in Kerala) while riverbed sand-mining extends the flood affected areas.A 2017 CAG report found that of the 219 planned telemetry stations, used to forecast floods, only 56 were set up and 60% of existing stations didn’t work.