A Deluge of Disaster: The Floods Ravaging North India

Punjab, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana are currently in the grip of devastating floods. Heavy rains have created a scene of devastation in the entire North India. The condition of the deluge is so terrible that one gets goosebumps just by looking at the scene. Villages are getting buried in Himachal and Uttarakhand. Frequent incidents of cloudburst have created havoc. In Punjab, fields and more than 1200 villages have been submerged. Dead bodies of dead cattle are seen drowning. Hundreds of people have died in natural disasters. Thousands of people are seen swimming in water in search of safe places to save their lives. Man who has reached the moon and space seems helpless in front of natural disasters. In these states facing the tragedy of floods, not only has there been extensive loss of life and property, but the standing crops in the fields have also been destroyed. The rains of August fell heavily. It is drenching the fragile slopes of the Himalayas, breaking the embankments in the plains and submerging the lower areas.

Heavy rainfall is also being predicted in September. The increasing irregularity of monsoon is indicating uncertainty. The consequences of this flood will be seen far beyond the immediate damage. More than 1300 villages of Punjab are submerged. Crops in 3 lakh acres have drowned. Himachal has been declared a disaster affected state. 5 national highways and 800 roads including Chandigarh, Manali four lane are closed. Flood like conditions are also prevailing in seven districts of Haryana. So far, crops in 2.50 lakh acres have been damaged in the state and more than 40 thousand farmers have been affected. There is widespread devastation in Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir as well. Yamuna is in spate in NCR including the national capital Delhi. The intensity and quantity of the southwest monsoon is fluctuating around the peak point.

Heavy rainfall has destabilised the mountains and increased the risk to civilian settlements. Climate change has created a risk of infrastructure development lagging behind. Punjab was already facing an agricultural crisis. The devastation of floods has made the crisis of this large fertile region even more serious. It will now take years for farmers to restore normalcy. The entire network of roads in Himachal and Uttarakhand has collapsed. Both the hill states could not recover from the old wounds of disasters when new disasters completely surrounded them. The collapsed bridges have not only blocked connectivity but have also created a huge crisis for the tourism industry. The horror of floods has displaced thousands of people, due to which there is a possibility of deterioration of the social fabric of these states. Construction of roads and bridges in hill states may take a lot of time. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding Rs 60 thousand crore. The hill state and Haryana will also need assistance. In such a situation, relief cannot be limited to mere countermeasures. At this time, the people affected by the floods are expecting help from the central and state governments. At this time, the negligence of the bureaucracy and the administration should not be acceptable. In view of the destruction, immediate intervention of the Center is needed. These states immediately need disaster relief funds and special packages. The Center and the states should rise above party politics and end the communication gap between them. Flood victims need food, medicines and financial help at this time. In this hour of crisis, everyone should extend a helping hand. Almost every state in India is affected by floods in some form or the other. Bihar state is the most affected by floods. Under the National Flood Control Program running since 1954, an effective flood control system has not been developed yet. The irony is that the entire bureaucracy and administration system has turned floods into a disaster festival.

There is a lot of corruption in flood relief operations. The news and budget of the relief operation are publicized loudly but not much is done on the ground. Unless serious work is done on sustainable infrastructure, preventing landslides, preventing urban settlements along river banks and early warning systems, we will all have to be prepared to face another round of havoc during the next monsoon. NGOs will also have to make sincere efforts to help the flood victims. The biggest question is how to bring the economy of flood-affected states back on track.