Mahesh Waghmare
Editor in USA
Flood Forecasting and Warning System
Introduction: - The flood can occur anywhere after heavy rain. Flood forecasting sufficiently in advance enables a warning to be given to the people likely to be affected and further enable authorities to take appropriate precautionary measures. It thus forms a very important and relatively inexpensive non-structural flood management measure, however, it must be realized that a flood warning is meaningful only if it is given in advance. Further erroneous warnings will cause the populace to lose confidence and faith in the system. Thus the dual requirement of reliability and advance notice is the essential ingredient of a flood forecasting system.
Current Flooding Scenario in Maharashtra
MAHARASHTRA FLOOD 2019
Multiple parts of Maharashtra were battered by heavy rains that began during the second week of August 2019. The downpour particularly affected the districts of Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Palghar, Ratnagiri, Raigad and Sindhudurg.
According to a report from August 12, rain and flood-related incidents had killed 35 people across the state. As many as 761 villages were affected, and more than 4 lakh people were displaced. To conduct rescue operations, multiple teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Navy, Coast Guard, and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed in the affected areas.
The Warna river at Samdoli in Sangli, the Krishna at Arjunwad in Sangli, and the Krishna at Kurunwad in Kolhapur were all flowing at record levels. In fact, floodwaters in Kolhapur and Sangli only began to recede after the flood gates of the Almatti dam were opened, which subsequently led to damage in Karnataka.
(Credits: Sachin Haralkar/BCCL Mumbai)
Causes of Flooding
There are several causes of floods and they differ from region to region. The causes may vary from a rural area to an urban area. Some of the major causes of floods in India are given below.
Heavy rainfall: It is the primary cause for floods in India. Especially, rainfall in a short span of time is of much concern as they are leading to flash floods. For instance, in July 2017, Mount Abu received the heaviest rainfall in over 300 years in a span of 24 hours. The hill station received an unprecedented 700 mm of rain in 24 hours. As per a study instituted by the United Nations, climate change phenomenon is believed to be behind flash floods across the globe.