Let's manage risks, not disasters

Today, across the country, there are flood-and-drought-affected pockets next to one another. This is the new normal, and it will do us good to acknowledge and adjust to it quickly

A year ago, flash floods created havoc in Kerala. As the nation responded to the disaster, an ugly truth emerged — that of fast changing patterns of rainfall in South Asia. As floods across the country rule the headlines again this year, a look at the last decade shows that rainfall variability has caused floods and water shortages across the country, including in the most unlikely of locations. There have been devastating floods in the deserts of Rajasthan and Ladakh, while rain-rich areas such as the North-East have faced water stress and lake-cities such as Chennai have run completely dry.