Almost 90 dead in fresh India monsoon rains

Sep 29, 2007

KOLKATA, India (AFP) — At least 88 people have died in rain-related accidents in eastern India since the start of September with tens of thousands stranded in state-run relief camps, officials said.

Rain-related accidents in the state of West Bengal have claimed 48 lives there in recent days, a minister told AFP.

"The death toll rose to 48 today with 19 more people dying of snake bites, electrocutions and wall collapses," said relief minister Mortaza Hossain on Saturday.

"More than three million people have been displaced by the flooding in eight districts."

Some 200,000 homes have also been destroyed, state officials said, but added that the situation was under control with boats rescuing people from roof-tops and houses.

The situation in eastern Orissa state was also grim with 40 dead this month, many in recent days, Manmohan Samal, minister for revenue and disaster management in the state, told AFP Friday.

The floods had cost the Orissa exchequer some 275 million dollars, the state government said, but no new deaths were reported from the state Saturday and rains appeared to be diminishing.

More than 3,100 people have been killed by rain and floods in India since the start of the June to September monsoons, the latest figures available from India's home ministry showed.

Valvonti floods, a distress signal

by Nandkumar Kamat

The flash floods at night, which created a nightmarish situation for the people of Sattari and Bicholim, is natures’ warning that all is not well with the management of the catchments of the inter-state Valvonti river - an important tributary of the Mandovi river. Goa shares this river basin with Maharashtra. Valvonti, a 22-kilometre long river with tidal influence till Sanquelim town, originates near Virdi in Sawantwadi taluka and enters Goa at Shiroli. The Costi river joins it at Ghonteli, the Cudnem river at Karkhazan and the Bicholim river, which originates from Maharashra and enters Goa at Kudchirem, joins it at Karapur. By these floods the Valvonti river has sent out a distress signal.

Flood control requires an integrated understanding of hydrology and ecology of the Valvonti river basin. Controlling such floods in future needs joint monitoring and management of Valvonti’s inter-state catchments. There are natural and man-made reasons for the recent flash floods. Natural reasons may include higher rainfall intensity, bottlenecks in the silted streams feeding the tributaries and truncation of the normal flow channels. Man-made reasons could be several but the systematic destruction of the steep slopes of the Virdi hills by plantation owners in the catchment area of Valvonti is a major cause. The floods might have lasted for a few hours but the intensity and consequent damages were far greater this time than in the past. In Keri, Sattari such flash floods were experienced for the first time in 60 years, so the people were caught by surprise, especially as they took place in the night. The government thinks that longer, taller and stronger RCC embankments will control the floods. But these are of limited use if the flood water carries a heavy sediment load and acquires a higher momentum downstream. Embankments which fragment the natural flood plain could actually cause more havoc in the downstream areas.

France, England and Belgium have faced the consequences of permitting constructions on their river banks. The urban populations in these countries paid a heavy price when they reclaimed the river flood plains. People initially wanted to have a closer look of the scenic rivers. In the process large areas of the flood plains were systematically reclaimed. Hard constructions came up. Under normal precipitation conditions nothing happened. But when it poured heavily the rivers, in spate, tried to recapture their lost flood plains. Massive floods in Europe in recent times have started a debate there about the technological limits of flood control. Now the focus is to conserve and protect the natural flood plains.

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Rain plays relief rogue

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 26: The flood situation continued to be grim in the six northern districts of the state as relief and rescue operations were hampered in many areas today due to fresh downpour. S.C. Sahoo, the director of the Met office here, said a cyclonic circulation over northern Orissa triggered the downpour today. There is a possibility of rain or thundershower at many places in coastal Orissa and few places in interior Orissa in the next 24 hours. According to information from the state disaster management control room, heavy rain lashed coastal Orissa, triggering fresh flood fear on the banks of Subernarekha, Budhabalanga, Salandi and Baitarani. More than 15 lakh people were affected by the flood and heavy rain, said state disaster management minister Manmohan Samal, who visited the flood-hit Mayurbhanj district today. Samal had reviewed the situation in Bhadrak and Balasore district yesterday and had asked officials to ensure that relief material reached all those marooned. Bhadrak collector N.K. Burma told The Telegraph over phone that more than 1,000 marooned people were evacuated and assured that there was no threat to the life of residents of the town. Several parts of Bhadrak town were under the flooding waters of Salandi river, flowing above the danger-mark following release of water from Hadagarh reservoir. Some other parts of the district have also been inundated by water of Baitarani and its tributaries, said Burma, adding that over 4 lakh people had been affected by the flood. As relief material failed to reach many areas in Balasore, Bhadrak and Kendrapara districts due to inadequate deployment of boats, steps have been taken to airdrop food, medicines and clothes, sources said. In Jajpur district alone, crops on 19,284 hectares of land were damaged. Special relief commissioner N.K. Sundaray said the flood situation continued to be grim in Balasore and Bhadrak districts. A high-level official team, headed by the deputy relief commissioner, has been deputed to Balasore to oversee the relief operations. More than 27 power boats have been pressed into service for relief and rescue operations and Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force personnel had been mobilised for the purpose, said Sundaray. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had undertaken an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts yesterday.

Journal Article

Multi-Criteria Decision Support Systems for Flood Hazard Mitigation and Emergency Response in Urban Watersheds.

Levy JK, Hartmann J, Li KW, An Y, Asgary A. J Am Water Resour Assoc 2007; 43(2): 346-358.

Correspondence: unavailable

DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2007.00027.x What is this?

(Copyright © 2007, Blackwell Publishing)

Abstract: Flood management problems are inherently complex, time-bound and multi-faceted, involving many decision makers (with conflicting priorities and dynamic preferences), high decision stakes, limited technical information (both in terms of quality and quantity), and difficult tradeoffs. Multi-Criteria Decision Support Systems (MCDSS) can help to manage this complexity and decision load by combining value judgments and technical information in a structured decision framework. A brief overview of MCDSS is presented, an original MCDSS architecture is put forth, and future research directions are discussed, including extensions to Multi-Criteria Spatial Decision Support Systems and group MCDSS (as flood management involves shared resources and broad constituencies). With application to the September 11-12, 2000 Tokai floods in Japan, the proposed multi-criteria decision support instruments enhance communication among stakeholders and improve emergency management resource allocation. In summary, by making the links among flood knowledge, assumptions and choices more explicit, MCDSS increases stakeholder satisfaction, saves lives, and reduces flood management costs, thereby increasing decision-making effectiveness, efficiency and transparency.

‘We must learn flood lessons’ says minister

Sep 29 2007

by Peter Collins, South Wales Echo

A MAJOR study into how to prevent the kind of flooding that devastated parts of South Wales this summer is to be carried out. The pilot study, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, will include evidence from Barry residents who were forced out of their homes by the floods on July 20. The study was announced by Jane Davidson, minister for environment, sustainability and housing, during an Assembly debate on the summer floods. She said: “The Assembly Government is directly funding pilot studies in Prestatyn and Barry from our Flood and Coastal Risk Management grant scheme. “The result of these pilot studies will assist in the development of future policy guidance and will support the spread of best practice for urban flood risk management to sites across Wales. Full Story

Valley flood risk being debated

A debate is taking place over how to manage flood risk in the future

The future of the Cuckmere Valley in East Sussex is under discussion with a first drop-in session being held for interested people to have their say.

An Environment Agency draft strategy suggests the area is allowed to go back to being a tidal estuary.

But some local councils argue that, rather than no further maintenance of existing defences, more should be built in order to keep the valley as it is.

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Flood control projects cleared, says CM Special Correspondent

TIRUCHI: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has cleared a Rs.207-crore scheme for strengthening the bunds of the Cauvery and Coleroon rivers in Tiruchi, Karur and Perambalur districts, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi announced here on Saturday.

The proposal was drawn up in the wake of frequent floods in the region during monsoon and the Public Works Department had sought financial assistance from the NABARD.

This apart, the State Government had sanctioned Rs.87 crore for implementing a flood prevention scheme in the Uyyakondan and Kudamuritti rivers in Tiruchi city, Mr. Karunanidhi said speaking at a function to mark the foundation laying and inauguration of several development schemes, including the Rs.144-crore drinking water supply augmentation scheme for the city.

He recalled that he had announced a flood prevention project for the city at a cost of Rs.50 crore after visiting the flood-affected areas during his previous regime. But the project failed to take off as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was voted out of power. “We have now revived the project and the government order was issued on September 27,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that the Government was keen on providing urban amenities to rural areas also. Several projects including improvement to tanks and water sources were being implemented under the Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam and Perooratchi Anna Marumalarchi Thittam.