Why in news?

Flash floods triggered by a cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan have damaged crops.

About

• Flash floods are floods which occur within 6 hours of the beginning of heavy rainfall.

• Cloud bursts, storms, and cyclones are typically associated with flash floods.
• Cloudburst is a sudden, very heavy rainfall, usually local in nature and of brief duration.

Cause

• A flash flood is often the result of a heavy or excessive rainfall.

• Flooding can also occur after a drought, when the soil is too dry and hardened to absorb the precipitation.

• Cloudbursts or thunderstorms also cause flash floods.

• Sudden release of waters from upstream reservoirs also causes flash flood.

• Flash floods may also begin to take place after wildfires.

Flash Floods in India

• In India, flash floods are often associated with cloudbursts.

• About 40 million hectares of land in India are liable to floods.

• Himalayan mountain range is highly prone to flash floods due to overflowing glacial lakes.
• Depression and cyclonic storms in Orissa, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh cause flash flood.
• Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Kerala vulnerable to flash floods caused by cloud bursts.

Impact

• Floods destroy valuable crops every year. Damage physical infrastructure such as roads, rails, bridges and human settlements.

• The floods render people homeless and wash them down along with their cattle.
• Spread of diseases like cholera, gastro-enteritis, hepatitis and other water-borne diseases.

Steps taken in India to deal

• The weather department, IMD, uses fancy radars called Doppler radars to predict flash floods and give warnings. They’re like superhero radars for floods.
• NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) suggests that the government should make rules about where people can live near rivers and stuff. This helps prevent problems when there’s too much rain and water starts to flood.
• There are other superhero groups like Central Water Commission, National Remote Sensing Agency, and state governments. They use cool satellite pictures to check if there are landslides or if rivers are getting blocked. It’s like they’re using space technology to keep an eye on Mother Nature and make sure everything’s okay.

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