Tag: India floods

Incessant Rain Claims 23 More Lives in Uttarakhand, Nainital Still Cut Off

The overall death toll now stands at 28 with the Kumaon region being the worst hit.

Dehradun/Nainital: Twenty-three more people were reported killed in Uttarakhand on Tuesday as houses collapsed due to incessant rain in various parts of the state, leaving many trapped under the debris.

The death toll now stands at 28 with the Kumaon region being the worst hit. Five deaths were reported on Monday, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

Eighteen deaths were reported from Nainital, three from Almora and one each from Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar districts on Tuesday, the SEOC said.

In Nainital, five people went missing after three houses, including a hut, collapsed following landslides in Kainchi Dham, Chaukhuta and Ramgarh villages. One person went missing in Almora and two in Champawat district, it said.

Director general of police Ashok Kumar, who accompanied chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on a visit to the rain-hit areas of the Kumaon region, said roads, bridges and railway tracks have been damaged in Kathgodam and Lalkuan in Nainital and Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar.

It will take at least four-five days to repair the damaged tracks, Kumar told PTI.

Nainital remained cut off from the rest of the state for the second day as landslides blocked three roads leading to the district.

The district’s Mall Road and the Naina Devi temple located along the banks of the Naini lake were flooded, while a hostel building was damaged due to landslides.

Around 100 people were stranded at the Lemon Tree resort on the Ramnagar-Ranikhet route after water from a swollen Kosi river entered the resort. Electricity, telecom and internet connectivity in Nainital have also been hit badly.

Three Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters have arrived in the state and are assisting in relief and rescue operations. Two of them have been deployed in the Nainital district, which has suffered extensive damage due to cloudbursts and landslides, Dhami said.

The third helicopter is assisting in rescue operations in the Garhwal region, he said.

Accompanied by disaster management minister Dhan Singh Rawat and the DGP, Dhami conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas and said there has been extensive damage.

He said the focus is on evacuating stranded people to safety.

The chief minister appealed to people not to panic as every step was being taken to save the lives of those in danger.

He said the meteorological department has predicted an improvement in weather conditions from Tuesday evening onwards.

Dhami also reiterated his appeal to Chardham Yatra pilgrims to stay where they are and not to resume their journeys before the weather improved. He also asked the district magistrates of Chamoli and Rudraprayag to take special care of pilgrims stranded on the Chardham Yatra route.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to Dhami on the phone to take stock of the situation and assured him of all help.

The SEOC said that most rivers in the state are in spate. The water level in the Ganga in Haridwar has reached 293.90 metres, just a notch below the danger mark of 294 metres.

Kali and Saryu rivers in Pithoragarh have reached the danger marks of 890 metres and 453 metres respectively. The Gori river is flowing close to the danger mark at 606.75 metres, it said.

Nainital received 90 mm of rainfall, Haldwani 128 mm, Koshyakutoli 86.6 mm, Almora 216. 6 mm, Dwarahot 184 mm and Jageshwar 176 mm, the SEOC said.

Himachal Pradesh: Flash Floods Triggered by Heavy Rains kill 1 and 10 Go Missing

According to the officials, people living near low-lying areas have been safely evacuated by the police.

Shimla: At least one person was killed while 10 have gone missing as flash floods triggered by incessant rains lashed Himachal Pradesh, a senior disaster management official said on Wednesday.

State disaster management director Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said that one person was killed and nine went missing in flash floods triggered by a cloudburst in the tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti while another man was reported missing from the Chamba district.

In Lahaul-Spiti, the incident took place at Udaipur in Lahaul at around 8 PM on Tuesday, he said.

Two tents of labourers and a private JCB have been washed away, he said, adding that a 19-year-old labourer, Mohammad Altaaf of Jammu and Kashmir, was injured and rushed to a nearby hospital.

The state police and the ITBP teams were dispatched for searching the missing people but a heavy flow of water hampered the search operation on Tuesday night, the official said.

He said that the search operation resumed on Wednesday morning.

In Chamba, a JCB helper has been washed away in the flash floods triggered by heavy rains in Chaned tehsil on the Chamba-Pathankot road, he said.

A search operation is being carried out by the police and fire brigade teams.

Several roads have been blocked and around 60 vehicles stuck as multiple landslides and flash floods occurred in various parts of Lahaul-Spiti, Mokhta said.

A landslide near Kirting village on state highway number 26 (SKTT) in Lahaul has led to a road blockade. A JCB has been sent for its restoration, he said.

Meanwhile, heavy rains continue to lash various parts of the state with the Shimla meteorological centre issuing a red weather warning.

Earlier on Tuesday, several people were evacuated from Lahaul-Spiti’s Darcha village after the water level rose in the Bhaga river following a heavy spell of rain, Mokhta said.

According to the Darcha police check-post, the water level in the river increased considerably due to the heavy rainfall, damaging three shops near the river bank.

People living near low-lying areas have been safely evacuated by the police, the official added.

(PTI)

BJP-Led States, Others Opposed Modi Govt’s National Waterways Bill

The Centre has declared national waterways in several states without proper deliberation with the respective governments.

This is the second article in a two-part series on the national waterways. Read the first part here.

New Delhi: The former Bharatiya Janata Party government of Madhya Pradesh, led by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, had strongly opposed the ambitious National Waterways Bill proposed by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre in 2015.

In fact, according to a file note dated July 24, 2015, only 18 of 25 states gave positive feedback to the Bill, while some states, like Uttar Pradesh, did not respond at all.

The Wire has accessed official documents in response to a Right to Information request which reveal that the Centre has declared national waterways in states without proper deliberation with the respective governments.

It is noteworthy that the Centre’s legislative department had advised the Ministry of Shipping that the Bill should be prepared after discussion with the states as well as different ministries.

According to the file notes and official correspondence obtained by The Wire, a total of seven states agreed with the Centre’s proposal. Several states like Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Telangana agreed with a condition.

After a letter sent by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) dated November 12, 2014, and a meeting with IWAI member R.P. Khare on June 30, 2015, the water resource ministry of Madhya Pradesh in a letter dated July 16, 2015 objected to the proposal and expressed concern over its cost.

IWAI falls under the Union Ministry of Shipping, which is working towards the development of national waterways. The state government had informed IWAI that declaring Madhya Pradesh’s waterways as national waterways would be an infringement on the constitutional rights of the state.

In its letter, the state government wrote, “The rivers flowing through Madhya Pradesh originate within its boundaries and are rain-fed. Therefore, these rivers do not carry sufficient non-monsoon flows to cater for navigational needs.”

The letter sent by the Madhya Pradesh government.

Of the 101 national waterways identified by the Centre, six waterways fall on the Betwa, Chambal, Mahi, Narmada, Tons and Wainganga rivers of Madhya Pradesh. Of these, three – Narmada, Chambal and Tons – have “inter-state aspects with Madhya Pradesh”, the letter said.

The state government cautioned the Centre that the environmental protection of the crocodile park mandated by law on the Chambal river restricts any intervention. Madhya Pradesh also said that release of water for maintaining levels in the Chambal river for navigation would adversely affect irrigation supply and result in strong public resistance.

Also read: Cabinet Named 106 National Waterways In Spite of Objections By Finance Ministry, Niti Aayog

With these comments, the Madhya Pradesh government suggested that if the Centre wants to build waterways, it should help in funding feasibility studies and cooperate in the development of state waterways.

However, despite strong opposition from the Madhya Pradesh government, the Centre passed the Bill to declare national waterways on these rivers. The Bill does not include the Madhya Pradesh region of these rivers, except the Tons.

The J&K government’s letter

According to official documents accessed by The Wire, the Jammu and Kashmir government had called for a survey and feasibility study by experts before declaring national waterways.

In its letter dated June 29, 2015, the state wrote, “The state waterways are mainly used for tourist purposes and not as a formal mode of transportation. The State of Jammu and Kashmir would as such request you to depute some officer/officers well versed with the subject so as to conduct a survey and feasibility study of the available in-land waterways in the State of J&K for declaration as National Waterways accordingly.”

Despite the J&K government’s demands, the Centre declared national waterways would be developed on its rivers Chenab, Ravi, Indus and Jhelum.

The Jharkhand government also wrote to the Centre regarding its proposal to declare national waterways on Subarnarekha and Kharkai rivers, saying that so far no detailed survey or investigation has been done by the project authorities. The state government enclosed a brief report regarding the project and possibilities of navigation on the two rivers with its letter dated July 2, 2015, and demanded a detailed study be conducted before declaring any national waterways.

In its report, the state highlighted that navigation is not possible on a large portion of the Subarnarekha river.

Jharkhand Govt on National … by The Wire on Scribd

On the other hand, Punjab gave a nod to the Bill on the condition that as far as control of river water and its usage is concerned, the riparian principle must not be violated. Under the riparian principle, all landowners whose properties adjoin a body of water have rights over it.

In its letter dated July 17, 2015, the state government said that ever since the construction of the Bhakra Nangal Dam, Ropar Head Works (dam), Harike Head Works (dam) on the Sutlej river and Pong Dam on the Beas, the water level in these rivers is almost negligible from September to June.

West Bengal’s Mahananda, Ajoy, Jalangi, Dwarka, Bakreswar, Damodar, Dwarakeswar, Silabati, Kumari and Ichchamati are also among the 101 national waterways declared by the Centre, even though the state had written a letter on January 30, 2015 informing the shipping ministry that these rivers do not carry sufficient discharge during lean seasons between December-January up to March-April for sustainable commercial navigation.

Most of these rivers also do not have adequate perennial flow at the off-take to make commercial navigation viable, the letter said.

Letter by the West Bengal government.

The state also advised the Centre to undertake a fresh study by an expert body to ascertain the ground situation before making a formal declaration.

The Tamil Nadu government had also raised objections to the Bill and agreed to declare only two out of nine waterways of the state as national waterways as proposed by the Centre.

Tamil Nadu Govt on National… by The Wire on Scribd

However, despite the state’s objection, the Centre declared all nine as national waterways.

In its letter dated November 2, 2015, the state government wrote: “Techno-economic feasibility study should be carried out first and then only Waterways with depth of flow required for navigation should be included in the list of National Waterways before passing the bill.”

“The draft bill incorporating the comments of the states may be sent to state governments and stakeholders for consensus before passing the Bill,” it added.

Also read: Why Is Narendra Modi Allowing Nitin Gadkari to Destroy the Ganga?

The Bihar government also did not entirely agree with the Centre’s proposal, but consented to the Bill with strict conditions.

Previously, The Wire had reported how the Centre’s decision to declare 106 waterways of the country as “national waterways” was met with strong opposition from two major Central departments: NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Finance.

The Ministry of Shipping had been expressly warned that it would not be right to declare any waterway a national waterway without extensive deliberation. It was also told that if such a huge number of waterways are declared national waterways, it will become a huge financial liability for the Centre and can cause irreversible damage to the aquatic ecosystem.

Advice of parliamentary committee and legislative department

A scrutiny of official documents reveals that the Centre passed this Bill without extensive deliberation. Many members of the parliamentary committee had expressed concern over it.

Apart from this, the legislative department of the Centre had also advised the shipping ministry that the Bill should be prepared only after discussion within ministries as well as the states.

In its letter written in January 2015, the legislative department told the shipping ministry:

“As the inter-Ministerial consultation process including the State Governments on the proposal is yet to be completed, the administrative Ministry is requested to finalise its policy after pre-legislative consultations are over and thereafter, incorporate necessary changes, if any, in the draft Note for the Cabinet.”

However, the IWAI said that as far as the consultation process is concerned, opinion can be sought at the ministerial level and incorporated in the cabinet note as per convenience.

Note that the cabinet gave its approval to declare 101 waterways as national waterways on March 25, 2015. The Bill was presented in the Lok Sabha on May 5, 2015, after which it was sent for examination to the parliamentary standing committee on travel, tourism and culture.

Photo: Inland Waterways Authority of India

On August 12, 2015 the committee submitted its suggestions regarding the Bill following which the shipping ministry amended the Bill, incorporating some of the suggestions, and proposed to declare 106, instead of 101, waterways as national waterways. 

The parliamentary committee had also raised many questions regarding consultation with states. According to a record of discussion of the parliamentary committee meeting held on June 19, 2015, Samajwadi Party leader Kiranmoy Nanda, a member of the committee, expressed concern that several rivers in eastern Uttar Pradesh which were included in the list of national waterways were dry and that the decision was taken without the UP government’s consent.

Parliamentary Standing Comm… by The Wire on Scribd

On Nanda’s question regarding UP’s consent, the chairman of IWAI, Amitabh Verma, said that a couple of interactions with the principal secretary, irrigation of the state have been held but they have not given written consent on those rivers.

Another committee member, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Ritabrata Banerjee said, “There are 14 rivers from West Bengal in the list of rivers. Out of these 14, there are rivers which are, basically, rainfed. You will find very little water.”

She further added, “As far as the experience of the Standing Committee is concerned, when we were in Madurai and crossing Vaigai River, it was basically a playground; there is not even a stretch of water.”

To this Verma responded, “We don’t need water in the whole width of river all the time. What we generally do is, we have a small channel of 30-50 metres depending on the class of vessel to move and we try to maintain that channel.”

Another committee member, Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, said, “We have a federal structure. Before taking these 101 waterways into national waterways, at least you should have taken consent from the state government concerned.”

Venugopal also pointed out that this could be one of the ways to give rivers to private parties.

On this, Verma said that so far 10 states have responded while the remaining are expected to respond. He said that work would not be taken up before they have the consent of the state governments.

Meanwhile, Jan Adhikar Party leader Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav said, “Gandhiji had described transportation as a means to perpetuate exploitation and was greatly worried that these resources may become a systematic way to plunder villages. He once said that it is the market penetrating the village in search of customers, and not the village creating its own system.”

However, committee members BJP leader Manoj Tiwari and Shatrughan Sinha supported the move.

Tiwari said, “Our country is so huge with some regions flooded and others suffering a drought that if a river does not have water, arrangements can be made to supply water. When we plan to interlink rivers, we should think positively about the Bill as being very crucial for the future of India.”

Sinha said that he has been a great advocate of inland waterways transportation and had given some suggestions in this regard. The committee was chaired by Trinamool Congress MP Kanwar Deep Singh.

The parliamentary committee had submitted its suggestions on the Bill on August 12, 2015. Incorporating some of the suggestions, the Union cabinet approved the fresh proposal on December 9, 2015 and the Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 21, 2015 and in the Rajya Sabha on March 10, 2016.

Translated from Hindi by Naushin Rehman. You can read the Hindi original here.

#RightSideUp: One Kashmir, Two Narratives; Modi’s ‘Vann Ki Baat’

A weekly round-up of voices from the right.

New Delhi: A dark cloud hung over Eid celebrations in the country this week with parts of Jammu and Kashmir still under lockdown under the watchful eye of the armed forces deployed by the Central government.

Yet stories upon stories of human suffering emerging from the state – of medical emergencies, protests and pellet victims and of families being unable to contact one another – did not pierce the harsh ecosystem of the right wing on social media where revelry over the move continued.

Also read: Fired at For Assembling After Prayers: How Srinagar Spent Its Eid

On such stories published by The Wire, comments have varied from how Union home minister Amit Shah has delivered the correct dose for the ailment that is Kashmir; how the Kashmiris deserve this turn of events for what happened with Kashmiri Pandits nearly three decades ago; and how this move, much like demonetisation, will help in rooting out terror from the country.

Other parts of India have been equally stricken by floods with hundreds dead and lakhs displaced. Large parts of Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and even Goa lie inundated even as rescue efforts are on to prevent more deaths, and to evacuate and airlift supplies to those who have been stranded.

But through all this chaos across India, what truly caught social media’s fancy this week was the episode of Discovery Channel’s Man Vs Wild show featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the host and noted adventurer Bear Grylls which was aired on Monday night.

The episode has, as expected become fodder for meme makers. From Modi’s monologues in Hindi, to host Grylls nodding at every word, to questions about whether this was just an episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ in disguise, nothing was deemed sacred online.

‘The untying of the Kashmir’s Gordian Knot’

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh mouthpiece Organiser continued to on its roll of writing reams upon reams on Amit Shah’s “masterstroke” in parliament on August 5.

In an article aimed at explaining just how the government’s move to abolish Article 370 and 35A is legal and constitutional, Ishkaran Singh Bhandari, an advocate in the Supreme Court of India, writes:

“A Himalayan wrong has been righted by a brilliant stroke of the fearless Modi government that dared to think the unthinkable: cut Kashmir’s Gordian Knot at one fell swoop that bound the poor minority under unbearable misery

Article 370 and special rights of Jammu and Kashmir were tied up in a Gordian knot by those who have always furthered the separatist agenda but PM Modi by using the law has cut the Knot and once it is cut it cannot be undone and will not be undone.”

In another article, Jammu-based political commentator Brig Anil Gupta chooses to celebrate Amit Shah’s “political surgical strike” in Kashmir by warning those who stand against the move:

“To all those who are crying foul and trying to incite communal passions in order to ensure the continuation of their hegemony, it would be suffice to say that the days of their feudal attitude and open loot are over.

The master surgeons have done the surgery. It was done with precision and perfection expected of master surgeons. Recovery and recuperation take time after major surgery… ‘Acche Din’ (good days) have arrived for the vast majority and those destined to sulk will also one day realise their folly and join the march towards modernisation, development and peace.”

‘Vann Ki Baat’; Pakistan media leads the way

News Bharati, a portal which describes itself as “Nationalist News, Unbiased Views, Journalism With Righteousness, News Portal With Most Authentic News”, fawned over PM Modi’s ‘Vann Ki Baat’, claiming it has undeniably “created awareness about environmental changes and wildlife conservation”.

The portal also tried to paint an image of a peaceful Kashmir while tearing into “erroneous propaganda of anti-nationals”.

“Seven days after revoking the special status on Jammu and Kashmir, the streets in Valley are calm and normal. Celebrating Eid, people have shown how happy and satisfying the decision is and how they are accepting the decision with ‘open arms.’

Promising development, the streets in the Valley signify normalcy and happy faces. People are once again getting accustomed to their routine and the children are back to school and colleges.”

According to the article, “following Pakistan’s lead, some international media have also propagated that Kashmir is not what it looks like”.

Rajasthan’s anti-lynching law

Amid the storm that has been swirling over Kashmir, Rajasthan passed an anti-lynching law on August 5, making Rajasthan the second state after Manipur to pass an anti-lynching law.

The passage of the bill was fiercely contested by the BJP-led opposition in the state, despite the fact that even the Supreme Court has felt the need for a separate law against lynching.

Right-wing media organisations such as Swarajya magazine published arguments vehemently opposing the law. Arihant Pawariya, a senior editor, noted several reasons why the right believes the passage of such a bill is “draconian in nature” and why it “must be amended or repealed immediately”.

He begins by quoting Thomas Sewell’s infamous line: “Liberalism is totalitarianism with a human face.”

“Whenever and wherever Congress governments come to power, they push laws which are totalitarian in nature but are deftly presented as harbinger of justice for the powerless and cunningly wrapped up in the sophisticated language of liberalism.”

According to Pawariya, the new law is a “clever way of curtailing liberties of citizens by the government in the name of opposing lynchings”.

A look at his author page shows that he had no such compunction to write about liberties being curtailed when it came to the amendment of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the NIA Act which give the central government a wide arm to declare citizens terrorists while holding the reigns of India’s premiere investigation agency.

Pawariya takes great umbrage at the definition of lynching under the new law, with an argument that aims to protect perpetrators of such crimes.

“It defines lynching as ‘any act or series of acts of violence or aiding, abetting or attempting an act of violence, whether spontaneous or planned, by a mob on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth, language, dietary practices, sexual orientation, political affiliation, ethnicity”.

But lynching in original use of the word means extrajudicial killing of a perpetrator of a crime (alleged or convicted) by a group.

Lynching is essentially killing. It is not merely an act of violence and certainly not attempting an act of violence as the law has stated it to mean.”

The harsh punishments prescribed under the law “won’t lead to reduction in crime as long as there is no swiftness in delivering justice,” he says.

After making several more complaints against the bill known, including the clause where hospitals have been directed to provide “first aid or medical treatment free of cost to victim”, he concludes:

“This so-called anti-lynching act is totalitarian in nature, subjective and ambiguous, gives arbitrary powers to police and politicians to target citizens and communities, is unnecessary and defies common sense.”

Another piece, also by Pawariya, attacked the festival of Eid over the slaughter of animals. He dutifully parrots WhatsApp forwards by asking why a “festival is celebrated only by killing”, adding that there is “a grave issue of children being exposed to blood-curdling sights of mass animal slaughter, which can be traumatising”.

“The Indian State is finally waking up to the challenges posed by Bakrid celebrations,” he writes, before launching into how India must “get its act together and learn to not just make laws that prohibit slaughter in open and have stringent punishments in place for offenders, but also make sure that it has enough resolve as well as state capacity to ensure that those regulations are implemented in letter and spirit”.

A question for Kashmiri Hindus

After a group of Kashmiri Pandits, Dogras and Sikhs signed a petition opposing the reading down of Article 370 and 35A in parliament, the team at PGurus published a story a story questioning “such loonies”.

The article then jumps to how black people who worked inside the homes of their white slave owners felt superior to those who worked in the fields.

“It is for the sociologists and historians to study whether Hindus and Blacks developed these gradations to clutch at something psychological in a position of total and abject helplessness, or they had these gradations that is why they became slaves,” it reads, before going into a convoluted explanation of why any “psychic illusion” of these Hindus feeling superior to other Hindus is “beyond stupidity”.

“This is something de-evolution. A regression of species. And the phenomenon is not restricted to Hindus of Kashmir but is common across all linguistic groups of Hindus.

It is sad, and it is tragic, that such loonies exist. But it is outright dangerous for all of us Hindus that such loonies more often than not hold power, as politicians, bureaucrats, and businessmen. And decide, destroy, lives of all of us.”

As Rains Lash Mumbai, NDRF and Navy Rescue Over 1,000 Stranded Rail Passengers

The intensity of the rainfall is likely to increase over the North Konkan region of Maharashtra during the next 48 hours.

Mumbai: After more than 12-hours of being stranded in the long distance Mahalakshmi Express train, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Navy rescued around 1,050 passengers on Saturday afternoon. The train had left Mumbai on Friday night for Kolhapur, but could not travel beyond the Chamtoli area in Badlapur (around 60 kilometres from Mumbai) as torrential rains continued to flood the railway tracks in Mumbai suburbs. The train had been stranded since 3 am and the final rescue work was completed only 12 hours later.

The stranded Mahalakshmi express. Photo: PTI

A coordinated joint rescue operation was conducted by the NDRF and the navy, but the incessant downpour delayed the work. Several children and around nine pregnant women were among those stranded. People took to social media to share their woes and seek help. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis instructed the state chief secretary to personally monitor the rescue operations. Periodic updates were issed by the CM on his social media profile since morning.


Along with the NDRF rescue team, several ambulances and around 40 doctors, including a gynaecologist, were deployed in case of emergency situations. The Western Naval Command (WNC) has deployed eight rescue teams in the flooded areas, including three diving teams. Both the Navy and the Air Force had sent its teams in helicopters for the rescue work. However, according to the defence public relations, “The helicopters of Navy and Air Force had to return to base after doing an aerial survey due to the bad weather.” One inflatable boat, however, was disembarked by Navy choppers to assist in rescue operations, the official told the media.

Heavy rains since Thursday

Heavy rains have continued to lash Mumbai since Thursday night (July 25) and the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted intermittent rain with heavy to very heavy downpour to continue in parts of Mumbai, Thane and Palghar district until July 29. The IMD issued “an extremely heavy rain warning” (over 205 mm rain) for four districts along the Konkan coast for Sunday – Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad.

Also Read: India Likely to Get Above-Average Rainfall in Next Two Weeks: IMD

The IMD has also announced that due to the strengthening of monsoon currents and the formation of low-pressure area over North West Bay of Bengal, the rainfall’s intensity is very likely to increase over the North Konkan region of the state during the next 48 hours.

Over the last 24 hours, Mumbai’s adjoining districts have recorded very heavy rainfall. According to the IMD, Thane received 160 mm rainfall, Kalyan received 231 mm, Murbad and Karjat recorded 332 and 300 mm respectively. Further ahead, in Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, Bhiwandi and Shahpur, rainfall received was 296 mm, 280 mm, 185 mm and 195 mm respectively.

An NDRF chopper. Photo: By arrangment

While the Mumbai suburban railway network was the first to be hit – train services were cancelled beyond Kalyan on the Kalyan- Karjat route, traffic snarls on the highways worsened due to low visibility.

“Very heavy rains in Kurla-Thane belt and very-very heavy rains beyond Kalyan. As a precautionary measure, we have suspended services from Kalyan to Karjat/Khopoli. Services on all other corridors of Central railway are running,” chief public relation officer of the Central Railway said.

Sections of highway closed

The highway traffic control has appealed people to avoid travelling, especially on the Mumbai-Pune expressway as the visibility was badly affected on Saturday morning and several motorists were already stranded on the expressway.

The Mumbai-Goa national highway was also momentarily shut for traffic due to flood in the Jagbudi river in coastal Ratnagiri district following heavy rains. Similarly, traffic on Nagothane and on Khopoli- Pali road have also been suspended due to rise in the water levels in Savitri and Amba rivers in Mahad and Pali in Raigad district.

Also Read: Mumbai’s Infamous Monsoon: Why It Grinds the City to a Halt

Fourteen years ago, on July 26, 2005, the city had received a heavy downpour that literally submerged the city for over three days. The city had virtually come to a standstill due to a cloudburst that resulted in 994 mm rainfall in 24 hours, leading to over 3,000 deaths in the city.

Similar situation arose in the suburban areas of Badlapur, Ambernath, where several houses and cars were submerged in rainwater. “I did not realise that it had rained heavily the entire night. I, like always, left home and was stuck in waist-deep water. There have been power cuts across Badlapur since Friday evening and water has entered into most houses on the ground floor,” said Sujit Kelhare, a resident of Rameshwadi area, one of the worst affected areas in Badlapur.

Similarly, on the western Mumbai suburbs, water logging and heavy traffic was seen in Andheri and Malad area. Abandoned and submerged cars were seen on the road in Malad.

Air services were also affected due to rains, with as many as 11 flight cancellations at the Mumbai airport since Saturday morning. Airport authorities, however, have claimed that operations were soon restored and the operation of flights has been resumed.

Flood Relief: India Gathers Satellite Imagery from Several Space Agencies

China was among the eight countries that India received data from on the floods after ISRO made a request for international disaster relief support.

New Delhi: India has acquired satellite imagery from eight international space agencies, including China, to monitor the extent of floods which have devastated three states, killed over 190 people and affected over 7 million people.

On Friday morning, the new Chinese ambassador-designate to India, Sun Weidong tweeted that following ISRO’s request to international agencies, China had provided India with data for flood-hit regions to assist in flood relief efforts. “Hope all gets well soon,” he wrote.

MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar subsequently noted that India had “activated” the International Charter: Space and Major Disaster on July 17 to acquire satellite imagery from different space agencies of the floods.

This request was made through the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) on behalf of ISRO, which is a member of International Charter Space and Major Disasters. Set up under the UN’s Space based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-Spider), state space agencies are part of a collaborative network to share data and products based on the requests made by members.

“Whenever there is a natural disaster, NRSC and member space agencies of other 32 countries which are a part of Charter can activate the Charter and then the Charter seeks the information pertaining to disaster- hit area available with all the 33 member space agencies. This is the standard practice,” explained Kumar.

Also read: Death Toll From Assam, Bihar Floods Approaches 150, Over 1.15 Crore Affected

Since India joined the Charter in 2001, it has made requests – or ‘activated’ the network 24 times.

Therefore, the 25th ‘activation’ by India and 612th of the Charter in last 18 years took place as a routine exercise this month.

“Due to the heavy floods in India, the Charter was activated on July 17 by NRSC. Under the Charter, so far data has been received from 8 countries, including USGS, CNES, ESA, ROSCOSMOS, Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA) and 3 others. ISRO has also provided information to other Space Agencies in response to similar requests,” he added.

The above-average rainfall has led to floods in Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The north-eastern state has been the hardest hit, with the death toll reaching 75. There is apprehension about further floods, after Bhutan released excess water from Kuricchu Hydropower reservoirs which could lead to rise in water level in seven districts in Assam.

Chinese satellite imagery shows marooned settlements in part of Dhubri district in Assam. Photo: NRSC

Overall, 3.4 million people in 2,753 villages located in 18 districts across Assam have been impacted by the floods.

Following India’s July 17 request (Call ID-704), 30 ‘products’ have been received from various agencies. The Chinese space agency’s imagery related to districts of Dhubri located near Bangladesh, Marigaon in central Assam and Dhemaji in eastern part of the state.

The last ‘activation’ that India had done was for Cyclone Fani which hit Orissa this May.

Satellite imagery of Cyclone Fani

A year earlier, India had also activated the Charter on August 16, 2018 after Kerala was inundated by floods.

For the Kerala floods, nine space agencies distributed 130 datasets for about two weeks. Out of 130, 63 datasets were received from South Korean space agency, Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), while China gave 7 datasets.

According to a newsletter of the Charter, several of the value-added products for the Kerala floods were based on real-time requirements and were put to use for organising relief activities.

Satellite imagery of the Kerala floods

Flood Toll in Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya Crosses 100; Lakhs of People Affected

Red alert warning has been issued in Kerala for heavy rains, while temperatures dropped in north India.

New Delhi: The flood situation in Bihar, Assam and Meghalaya remained grim on Thursday with the death toll crossing the 100-figure mark while three districts in Kerala braced for extremely heavy rains with the IMD issuing a red alert for the next three days.

Parts of north and eastern India were lashed by rains and the Army was called out in Punjab’s Sangrur district following a 50-foot breach in the Ghaggar river that inundated over 2,000 acres of agricultural field and inhabitants of a few nearby villages fled fearing flood threat.

The national capital witnessed a fresh bout of rains on Thursday that resulted in a drop in temperatures and pollution levels.

Also Read: Fighting Floods Is Hard but There Are Two Ways to Make It More Democratic

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides official figures for Delhi, reported 12.1 mm rains overnight. Between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm, it measured 3.6 mm precipitation.

A total 78 people have died so far in the flash floods that have hit Bihar in the wake of torrential rainfall in adjoining Nepal, the state disaster management department said.

Sitamarhi district accounted for the maximum number of 18 deaths. Other districts reporting casualties are Madhubani (14), Araria (12), Sheohar and Darbhanga (nine each), Purnea (seven), Kishanganj (four), Supaul (three) and East Champaran (two).

Muzaffarpur has been badly effected by floods. Photo: PTI

Assam still in grip of floods

Of Assam’s 33 districts, 28 remained under the grip of floods that has displaced nearly 54 lakh people and killed 36 people.

The mighty Brahmaputra and its tributaries are flowing above the danger mark in Guwahati and other parts of the state, and according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 53,52,107 people are reeling under the impact of the deluge.

Nine fresh deaths – three from Morigaon, two from Biswanath, and one each from Sonitpur, Udalguri, Bongaigaon and Barpeta districts – were reported on Thursday, the ASDMA said.

Also Read: Floods and NRC: A Toss up Between Life and Citizenship

Barpeta is the worst-hit district with 13.48 lakh people suffering due to the deluge that has damaged over 4,000 houses across the state, swept away 130 animals and affected over 25 lakh big and small animals.

Large parts of Manas National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary are also submerged, forcing wild animals, including rhinos, elephants, deer and wild boars, to take refuge in artificial highlands constructed within the parks or migrate to the southern highlands of Karbi Anglong hills.

Several famed one-horned rhinoceros and other animals have reportedly died in the floods.

Images of a fully grown tiger “relaxing” on a bed inside a shop in Assam’s flooded Kaziranga National Park has created a buzz on social media and thrown spotlight on the plight of animals as the state battles the deluge.

Over 2.26 lakh displaced people have taken shelter in 1,080 relief camps and 689 relief distribution centres set up by the district administrations, the ASDMA bulletin said.

The NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) teams were working round-the-clock in the flood-affected areas to evacuate those stranded, it said.

With two more deaths in Meghalaya, the toll in floods in the state rose to eight while over 1.55 lakh were affected by the deluge.

Like torrential rains in Nepal causing a deluge in Nepal, the flood in Assam has ravaged Bangladesh. One of Bangladesh’s main rivers breached an embankment, flooding a northern district and forcing thousands from their homes, officials told Reuters on Thursday.

Kaziranga: One-horned rhinoceros seen at an elevated area following floods due to incessant monsoon rainfall in Kaziranga National Park, Thursday, July 18, 2019. Photo: PTI

Red alert in Kerala

Meanwhile, in Kerala, the IMD has sounded a red alert in Idukki, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts which are likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall upwards of 20 cm in the next two to three days.

A red alert is a call to immediately take preventive steps and move people from vulnerable areas to shelter camps and provide them with emergency kits.

Also Read: Cyclone Fani Is a Sign That Tropical Storms Are Becoming More Intense

Other districts are predicted to get isolated heavy to very heavy rains on these days, though a red alert has not been issued for them.

Fishermen living on the coast of Kerala and Lakshadweep area have been cautioned not to venture out to sea due to strong winds from the northwesterly direction reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph.

Rains in north India too

In northern India’s Haryana and Punjab the maximum temperatures were below normal limits, with the weatherman forecasting light to moderate rains at a few places in the two states for Friday.

Both Chandigarh and Haryana’s Ambala recorded maximum temperature of 32.8 degrees Celsius, one notch below normal limits, while Karnal registered a high of 30 degrees Celsius, four notches below the average. Narnaul, which received 71 mm rainfall during the day, recorded a maximum temperature of 29 degrees Celsius.

In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a high of 33.5 degrees Celsius, one notch below the normal while Ludhiana and Patiala recorded below normal maximums of 32.7 degrees Celsius and 32.4 degrees Celsius.

Rajasthan received rainfall ranging from 2 cm to 12 cm since Wednesday with Khetri town in Jhunjhunu district recording 12 cm of rains.

Rupbas town in Bharatpur district and Sujangarh city in Churu district each received 6 cm of rains followed by Bhuhana in Jhunjhunu and Tibi in Hanumangarh districts each of which gauged 5 cm rainfall.

Bikaner, with 40.8 degrees Celsius, was the hottest place in the state, followed by 38.9 degrees Celsius in Jaisalmer, 38.8 degrees Celsius each in Jodhpur and Barmer, 38.6 degrees Celsius in Sriganganagar and 35.8 degrees Celsius in Jaipur.

Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and parts of Odisha, Jharkhand, Sikkim and also Bihar received rains.

(With PTI inputs)

In Relief Camps, Survivors Recount Their Escape From Floods in Karnataka’s Kodagu

Roads have been cut off in many places due to landslides, and the incessant rains and mist are making rescue operations by air difficult.

As the mist clears on Friday morning in Madikeri, the people of the town are coming to grips with the devastation caused by incessant rains in Karnataka’s Kodagu district for the past one week.

Three relief camps have been set up in Madikeri – near the Omkareshwara Temple, General Thimmaiah Public School and Maitreyi Hall – where over 200 people have camped after leaving behind their homes. “We decided to leave Makkandur yesterday afternoon after there was a landslide. There is no road connectivity to our village for a week, so we packed our bags and trekked in the forest for over an hour before reaching the Makkandur school where a camp was set up,” recounts Kaveri (35), a survivor from Makkanduru village which was washed away on Thursday.

“We were there for a few hours and we were asked to move again by the police, this time to Madikeri,” she says.

Kaveri reached the relief camp at General Thimmaiah Public School in Madikeri on Thursday night along with her husband Subramani and three daughters – Premkala (13), Manasvi (11) and Chandana (15). “Our village is washed away. We packed our bags and left our house not knowing if we will survive,” she says.

When TNM visited relief camps in Madikeri, people from several areas including Makkandur, Udayagiri, Yemmethalu, Kotagiri and Thanthipala were housed there, with each family revealing a gut-wrenching story of leaving their belongings and homes behind.

Scores of people are still trapped in Makkandur, Haleri, Doddanekundi Betta and Katakeri, where fresh rescue operations are underway to bring people stranded to safety. Roads have been cut off in many places due to landslides, and the incessant rains and mist are making rescue operations by air difficult.

“We still don’t know where many of our friends in the village are. Some have come with us but some are still trapped there and we can’t reach them over the phone. There are hills on all sides of Makkandur and the landslides and the rains have completely flooded fields in the village,” Kaveri adds.

Like Kaveri, Pushpalatha (42) and her daughter Sahana (21) decided to leave Chamundeshwari Nagar after the rains escalated on Thursday. “We have not seen rains like this for decades. Both Chamundeshwari Nagar and Indira Nagar residents decided to leave their homes for safer places,” she says.

Officials at the Kodagu District Collector’s office admitted that scores of people are still trapped in the district. A relief camp at the Hiriya Prathamika Shale (Higher Primary School) in Makkandur was cut off from Madikeri on Thursday evening and efforts are underway to shift hundreds of people stranded to relief camps in Madikeri. People from several villages around Makkandur are making their way to the school in the village in the hope of being rescued to safety.

The relief operations restarted on Friday morning after heavy mist led to the operations ending much before sunset on Thursday. “The visibility was affected yesterday so we are figuring out ways to conduct the relief operations early in the day today. Civil defence, NDRF officials, air force officials, police and emergency services like ambulance and fire control have been pressed into service,” said Praveen Kumar, an official at the DC office.

However, officials are wary of further landslides, especially on the state highway connecting villages in the district. “If we pass an area and there is a landslide there, then we are trapped. It is almost like we are landlocked from all sides. We were headed to Makkandur but en route we changed plans to go to Mukkodlu for rescue operations,” says Nagendra, a civil defence official. This, after 50-60 people were seen waving from the hilly area of Mukkodlu awaiting rescue.

The rains, meanwhile, showed no signs of slowing down. According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) 146.4 mm rain was recorded in Madikeri taluk, which is 253% more than the normal rainfall of 41.5 mm. Somwarpet taluk recorded 87.6 mm rainfall and Virajpet taluk recorded 115 mm rainfall bringing life to a halt in several places in the district.

“Everyone  has seen the  scary visuals aired on television yesterday. People of Madikeri are not new to rains but if you see the landslides in different parts of the town, we have seen nothing like this in decades”, says Sudheesh, a volunteer helping out those in need of relief.

The residents of the district are coming together to help people stranded by the rains. In addition to relief camps set up in government schools in the district, several residents and home-stay owners  have opened their doors and are taking in strangers. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has also set up a camp near the Omkareshwara Temple in Madikeri, where food is being served.

This article originally appeared on The News Minute and is republished here with permission. 

A ‘Normal’ Monsoon With Droughts and Floods?

In spite of the seemingly ‘normal’ monsoon scenario in the country, some states are braving floods, whereas others are preparing for drought.

Two months of the annual southwest monsoon are over, with another two to go. As against a normal rainfall of 452.8 millimetres (mm), the country has received 426.1 mm rainfall, thereby registering a rainfall departure of minus 6% till July 31.

As per India Meteorological Department (IMD), if the “percentage departure of realised rainfall is within 10% of the long period average,” it is considered ‘normal’ rainfall. The long period average is calculated on the basis of mean rainfall in the four months of southwest monsoon from 1951 to 2000 and works out to an average of 89 cm for the country as a whole.

In spite of the seemingly ‘normal’ monsoon scenario in the country, some states are braving floods, whereas others are preparing for drought. Interestingly, states such as Gujarat are dealing with both the disasters because of wide spatial variation in rainfall within the state. For instance, Gir Somnath district in Saurashtra has received 128% of its normal rainfall till July 31, whereas Gandhinagar district has recorded ‘large deficient’ rainfall of minus 64%. Kutch region in the state has minus 75% large deficient rainfall, too. Ahmedabad, Surendranagar, Patan and Mehsana districts have deficient rainfall of minus 56%, minus 58%, minus 52% and minus 48%, respectively.

Just two weeks ago – in mid-July – several districts in Saurashtra and south Gujarat were braving terrible floods. Villages were cut off and a number of roads, including two national highways and 12 state highways, were closed. Because of continuous heavy rainfall and floods, 52 people lost their lives in Gujarat.

“The recent floods in Gujarat show that deficient rainfall and floods is a matter of scale and depend on time and space; when it rains and where it rains is important,” said Vimal Mishra, associate professor of civil engineering at Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar. “These events of extreme rainfall reflect the changing characteristics of our summer monsoon rainfall,” he added.

When it rains and where it rains

Picture this: Till July 9, Gir Somnath district in Saurashtra had ‘large deficient’ rainfall (ranging between minus 99% and minus 60%). By July 16, with 83% of its normal rainfall, Gir Somnath had jumped to ‘large excess’ rainfall category (rainfall above 60%). And, within another day, by July 17, it had received 158% of its normal rainfall leading to extreme floods.

Similarly, within a day, between July 17 and July 18, Devbhoomi Dwarka district jumped from ‘large deficient’ rainfall of minus 82% to ‘normal’ rainfall category. Porbandar and Jamnagar, which were reporting deficient rainfall of minus 57% and minus 38%, respectively, also moved to normal rainfall category within a day. Meanwhile, as of July 31, Devbhoomi Dwarka district is back to ‘deficient’ rainfall category with minus 29% rainfall departure.

Assam and Manipur in the northeast faced similar situation in the month of June, when both the states were under deficient rainfall category, but were also facing floods. Uttar Pradesh, with minus 20% deficient rainfall till July 29, is now braving floods and over 49 people have been killed in the state due to heavy rainfall.

Rains or the lack of it have wrecked havoc in various parts of the country in 2018. Photo by Nidhi Jamwal.

Over 537 people have lost their lives this southwest monsoon season (2018) due to heavy rainfall and floods in six states of the country.

Looking beyond the regular statistics

According to M. Rajeevan, secretary, Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, the monsoon season consists of two large modes of variability. “One is spatial mode in which on a given year all the sub-divisions may not get equal amount of rainfall. When central plains get rains well, normally the northeast region receives less rainfall,” he explained. As of July 31, all sub-divisions in the northeast are in deficient rainfall category.

The second variability is on time scale. “We do not receive rainfall on all the days and there are active and break spells … Gujarat is well known for short spells of heavy rainfall, which has implications for water management,” added Rajeevan.

To understand spatial variation in monsoon rainfall and the co-existence of deficient rainfall and floods, it is important to look beyond the regular statistics, said R.R. Kelkar, former director general of IMD. More than the total quantum of rainfall, it is the timing of rainfall that matters. “Disasters such as floods and droughts are not related to the total rainfall, but the timing of the rainfall,” he said.

Recently, a May 2018 study reported that the intensity of monsoon precipitation is changing, which has implications for droughts, floods and groundwater recharge in India. Authors of the study, Mishra and two more researchers, have estimated long-term (1951-2016) changes in total monsoon precipitation, low-intensity precipitation and high-intensity precipitation in the country.

Map showing the changes in precipitation characteristics over India. Image from Asoka et al 2018 (Asoka, A., Wada, Y., Fishman, R., & Mishra, V. 2018, Strong linkage between precipitation intensity and monsoon season groundwater recharge in India, Geophysical Research Letters)

The results show “substantial decline in total precipitation (PPTTotal ) and low-intensity precipitation (PPTLow) across India”. But, within the same time period, the study found high spatial variability in the trends of PPTHigh [high-intensity precipitation] over India. For instance, high-intensity precipitation has increased in western and peninsular India, and declined in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, finds the study.

“Our analysis shows that low-intensity rainfall is declining in Gujarat and high-intensity rainfall is on the rise in the state. Meanwhile, overall rainfall has declined in the Indo-Gangetic Plain,” said Mishra.

As of July 31, Bihar and Jharkhand have a rainfall departure of minus 23% and minus 24%, respectively. The Bihar government is already preparing for drought and has announced measures for kharif sowing and diesel subsidy to the farmers. Threat of drought looms large over northeastern states, which are facing deficient rainfall. Manipur has recorded minus 64% rainfall departure.

Dry spell ahead?

While parts of Gujarat are braving floods and Bihar is preparing for drought, the multi-modal and multi-ensemble (MME) extended range forecast of IMD is suggesting reduced rainfall and a break in monsoon starting July 27, which may extend till August 23 in some states of the country, such as Maharashtra.

“Yes, from July 27 we expect weakening of monsoon, but for a short period. We should ultimately receive normal rainfall, as we predicted,” said Rajeevan of MoES.

However, Kelkar claims that the terminology of ‘normal’ rainfall is misleading, as it averages out downpour in high-rainfall and low-rainfall areas. “Thus, the country and its various states end up getting ‘normal’ rainfall, which is far removed from the ground realities,” he said.

According to Kelkar, dry spells are a part of the monsoon. “Wet spell cannot sustain for 120 days of the southwest monsoon. After a wet spell, dry spell will come and is normal. What is of concern is the duration of dry spell, which isn’t easy to forecast,” said Kelkar. “An extended dry spell can have bad impacts on the kharif crops,” he added.

In the month of June, a prolonged dry spell delayed kharif (monsoon crop) sowing in several states of the country. Although the sowing has now picked up, it is still 7% lower than last year. And, the break in monsoon could make things worse.

On August 1, Skymet Weather, a private forecasting agency, updated its monsoon forecast for this year to 92% of long period average, which is below normal rainfall. Earlier this year, the private agency had predicted normal southwest monsoon with 100% rainfall of the LPA with no chance of drought in the country.

“If dry spell extends in Marathwada [Maharashtra] till third week of August, then it will badly impact the kharif crops,” said Mohan Gojamgunde, an agricultural officer at Latur in the Marathwada region. “We have 80% kharif area under soybean in Latur and Osmanabad districts. A prolonged dry spell, of more than 10 days, will affect soybean growth and flowering, and lead to yield losses,” he added.

El Niño: Is it a concern for India’s southwest monsoon?

Meanwhile, meteorologists across the world are keeping a close watch on El Niño, a complex weather pattern resulting from variations in ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. As per the El Niño Watch, issued on July 12 by the US-based National Weather Service Climate Prediction Centre and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, there is “the chance for El Niño increasing to about 65% during fall, and to about 70% during winter 2018-19”.

A large number of scientific studies associate El Niño with a weak southwest monsoon (rainfall below normal) and La Niña with a strong southwest monsoon (rainfall more than normal).

El Niño waves crashing against a pier. Credit: Jon Sullivan/Wikimedia Commons

However, experts’ opinion on the impact of El Niño on this year’s southwest monsoon is divided. Whereas a section of meteorologists believe El Niño may impact the latter part of the monsoon [rainfall in September], others claim it is too early to comment on its fallouts.

“Scientists are quick to link El Niño and Madden-Julian Oscillation [MJO] with the southwest monsoon. But forget that our monsoon is a global annual feature and has its own system and its own strengths,” said Kelkar. According to him, there are a number of local factors, such as the Tibetan Plateau, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal that have more influence on the monsoon than El Niño or MJO. “No one talks about impact of the almost five kilometre tall Tibetan plateau on the southwest monsoon, as it is near impossible to get last 100 years data about the plateau,” he complained.

According to Sridhar Balasubramanian, associate professor of mechanical engineering and an adjunct faculty in IDP Climate Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, the Bay of Bengal plays an important role in the southwest monsoon, which is still not fully understood. “As per our research paper, published in April this year, the inter-annual variability of the Bay of Bengal is very high for a normal monsoon year in comparison to an El Niño year,” he said.

Inter-annual variability of Bay of Bengal refers to its dynamical state each monsoon year, which is extremely crucial for genesis and sustenance of low pressure systems and tropical depressions. Due to the high inter-annual variability during normal monsoon years, the dynamical state of Bay of Bengal every year is very different, thereby causing erratic rainfall pattern across India. However, during El Niño and La Niña years, the variability is low, and hence the dynamical state of the Bay is more or less the same leading to a more consistent rainfall pattern, explained Balasubramanian.

“The fundamental physics behind high inter-annual variability of normal monsoon years is not very well understood and is an ongoing topic of research,” he added.

Scientists have started taking a keen interest in the connections between the Bay of Bengal and summer monsoon intra-seasonal oscillations (MISO). The MISO is a process that occurs several times each year from May to October in the atmosphere over the tropical Indian Ocean, the western tropical Pacific Ocean, and the surrounding land areas. MISO events alternate between periods of wetter-than-average and drier-than-average conditions, a cycle that lasts longer than typical weather systems do (1-2 weeks), but shorter than a season (90 days). MISO, it is believed, come from some kind of powerful atmosphere-ocean interaction.

As part of a five-year study on the relationship between MISO and the Bay of Bengal, known as MISO-BOB (partially funded by the ministry of earth sciences), a group of researchers is already studying the atmosphere-ocean interaction in the Bay of Bengal to unravel mysteries around our monsoon.

This article was originally published by Mongobay. Read the original article here.

Are Summers in Indian Cities Becoming Hotter and Monsoons Wetter?

Weather patterns across the country are changing. Urban areas are especially feeling the impact of a severe flux in conditions.

Weather patterns across the country are changing. Urban areas are especially feeling the impact of a severe flux in conditions.

Man washes head with cold water for respite from heat wave. Credit: PTI

A man washes his head with cold water for respite from the heat. Credit: PTI

The residents of Pune faced a wide range of temperatures on February 28 (Wednesday), according to the Times of India, as the maximum and minimum temperatures differed by 20º C. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that such differences can be expected to continue in Pune for another week at least.

The Maharashtrian city is not alone experiencing such flux. Around the country as well as the world, cities have been increasingly reporting seesawing weather.

The IMD has also forecast an earlier onset of the Indian summer this year. According Hindustan Times, all states are predicted to experience temperatures above normal between March and May. Kerala is also likely to record its hottest year in 2018 since the IMD commenced record-keeping in 1900.

Similar trends have been reported in cities like Mumbai, where the maximum temperature on February 27 was 5.5º C above normal. One report also suggested that there are higher chances of heat wave occurrences this year. Heat-wave warnings have already been issued in some places in Maharashtra.

Together with water scarcity, these conditions can have an adverse impact on human health, livestock and agricultural produce. Talking about the effects of heatwaves, Dilip Mavalankar, director of the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, said, “When people are exposed to very high temperatures, they start developing a [fever] and the body’s heat-regulation mechanism and circulation fails. People can die if they are not cooled down immediately.”

The number of people who succumbed to heatstroke in India has decreased from 2,081 in 2015 to 557 in 2016. The Ministry of Earth Sciences has attributed this to higher preparedness.

These deviations from normal are not restricted to summers. In 2017, the monsoon rains, though measuring up to 95% of the long-term average for the country, were well below average in many states, thus affecting agricultural output. State-specific data revealed that in 2016 there were major differences in the rainfall received among some states. The same report said that 40% of all districts in India were struck by drought in 2016 due to insufficient rainfall, while almost 25% of districts received surplus rainfall (in the order of over 100 mm in under 24 hours).

Researchers led by Vimal Mishra, an assistant professor in the civil engineering department at IIT Gandhinagar, have observed an increase in the intensity of rainfall received in less than 24 hours as well as a two-fold increase in the intensity of such rainfall in India’s urban centres in the country, The Hindu reported. They warned that cities with larger impervious areas would also be more prone to flooding as a result.

Falling green cover makes things worse for cities because trees influence local temperature and help absorb rainfall. A study conducted by a team from Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, showed using a satellite drone that the number of trees in major cities like Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Hyderabad have all fallen significantly over a period of 20 years. According to the Times of India, dense forest cover in Delhi has decreased in the last three years. Similarly, Bengaluru lost 65% of its tree cover between 1999 and 2014, according to a different study.

The temperature difference between urban and rural areas are also stark. Another of Mishra’s studies showed that urban areas are often 3-5º C warmer than the surrounding non-urban areas. This is attributed to the urban heat island effect, where urban areas are warmer thanks land modifications, heat retained by buildings and waste heat generated by energy use (not to mention lower green cover).

People living in slums in cities may also be affected disproportionately by the heat island effect because their houses “feel the urban heat island effect the most”, causing “discomfort to dwellers in the day as well as in the night,” Rajshree Kotharkar, an associate professor at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, told The Hindu.

The urban poor and homeless are affected the worst because they lack access to protection. Ahmedabad recently implemented measures like keeping public parks open, distributing white paint for roofs and setting up free drinking water facilities to help the urban poor survive heat waves, which helped keep death tolls at under 20 during the historic heat wave of 2015, which took 2,081 lives across the country. But in Delhi, over 100 people died in the 2014 winter due to a lack of shelters.