Heavy rains followed by flash floods ravage Uttarakhand, Kerala

Suffering the effects of climate change and consistent, huge construction projects in the area, flooded roads, submerged homes and fallen bridges, have majorly hit the tourist locations in the region

PRAVASISANWAD.COM

As many as 46 people were killed in floods in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, triggered by heavy rains, 122.4mm as opposed to 30.5mm normally recorded.

Suffering the effects of climate change and consistent, huge construction projects in the area, flooded roads, submerged homes and fallen bridges, have majorly hit the tourist locations in the region.

Meanwhile in the southern state of Kerala, 39 people are reported killed due to floods that have followed excessive rainfall, 453.5mm as opposed to the 192.7mm normally recorded, which is 135 per cent excess rain. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked those living in river basins and hilly regions to be vigilant while the state braces for more rain that has resulted in landslips and devastation all around.

The region’s fragile ecology is hit by rampant construction on the steep slopes and hydro-power projects in the higher reaches of the Himalayas

In Uttarakhand, 16 teams of the Disaster Response Force (NDRF) got to work to rescue some 300 people. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced a compensation of Rs 400,000 rupees (£3,800;$5,300) for the families of those who have died in the floods and 190,000 rupees for those whose homes were destroyed, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on Twitter.

Several cloudbursts and intense spells have gone unrecorded as there are no weather stations in several of the interior and remote areas hit by the natural calamity.

Ecological changes in Uttarakhand have resulted in the climate crisis, which has caused landslides and also led to flash floods. The region’s fragile ecology is hit by rampant construction on the steep slopes and hydro-power projects in the higher reaches of the Himalayas. Also, large volumes of water have been pushed downstream, triggering flash floods due to higher temperatures.

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