Page 8 - Floods

CM Omar Abdullah meets flood, landslide-hit victims in J-K's Ramban

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday assessed the ground situation in the aftermath of the destruction caused by heavy rains coupled with cloudbursts and landslides here, and met with the affected families. This was his second visit to the affected areas in as many days. On Monday, the chief minister drove from Srinagar to the worst-hit Maroog-Kela Morh stretch along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway which remained closed for the third day on Tuesday. Abdullah, accompanied by his political advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, flew in a helicopter to Chanderkote area of Ramban this morning and immediately left for landslide-hit Seri to assess the situation. Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Baseer-ul-Haq Choudhary was seen briefing the chief minister as he moved on foot and met the affected families. District Development Council chairperson Shamshad Shan and MLA Banihal Sajad Shaheen were also present and interacted with the chief minister, who later left for the Ramban marke

Efforts on to restore highway, aid flash flood victims: Omar Abdullah

In the Ramban region, flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in the early hours of Sunday have caused widespread damage

Flash floods in J&K's Ramban: Rescue operations underway

Rescue operations are underway in several stretches of National Highway in Jammu's Ramban area after heavy rain triggered triggered flash floods and landslides and wreaked havoc.

3 killed, more than 100 rescued as heavy rain wreaks havoc in J-K's Ramban

Three people were killed and more than 100 rescued after heavy rain triggered flash floods at different places in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district early on Sunday, officials said. The incessant rain also triggered landslides and mudslides at nearly a dozen places between Nashri and Banihal along the strategic Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, prompting traffic to be suspended, they said. The officials said a cloudburst struck the Seri Bagna village of Ramban, resulting in the deaths of three persons, including brothers Aqib Ahmad and Mohd Saqib. The rescue operation in the village was continuing when the last reports were received, they said. With the latest fatalities, five people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents in the Jammu region in two days. Two people, including a woman, were killed and another woman injured when they were struck by lightning in the Arnas area of Reasi district late on Saturday. The officials said about 40 residential houses were damaged aft

At least 16 dead in flooding, tornadoes as storms slash from Texas to Ohio

Another round of torrential rain and flash flooding came Saturday for parts of the South and Midwest already heavily waterlogged by days of severe storms that also spawned deadly tornadoes. Forecasters warned that rivers in some places would continue to rise for days. Day after day of heavy rains have pounded the central US, rapidly swelling waterways and prompting a series of flash flood emergencies in from Texas to Ohio. The National Weather Service said dozens of locations in multiple states were expected to reach major flood stage, with extensive flooding of structures, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure possible. At least 16 weather-related deaths have been reported since the start of the storms, including 10 in Tennessee. A 57-year-old man died Friday evening after getting out of a car that washed off a road in West Plains, Missouri. Flooding killed two people in Kentucky a 9-year-old boy swept away that same day on his way to school, and a 74-year-old whose bod

'Op Brahma': India sends 80 NDRF personnel to Myanmar for earthquake relief

India is sending a contingent of 80 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel for relief and rescue works in earthquake-hit Myanmar, officials here said Saturday. The personnel of the federal disaster contingency force are being deployed under 'Operation Brahma' with quake rescue equipment like strong concrete cutters, drill machines, hammers etc. to provide succour to the neighbouring country. "A team of 80 NDRF personnel are being airlifted to Myanmar onboard two IAF sorties from Hindon in Ghaziabad. The teams are expected to reach by Saturday evening," an official told PTI. Commandant P K Tiwary of the 8th NDRF battalion based in Ghaziabad near Delhi will lead the USAR (Urban Search And Rescue) team. The team is also taking along rescue dogs for the collapsed structure search and rescue operation being undertaken as per International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) norms, the official said. Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand were rocked by high-intensity ...

Significant rise in flood frequency in High Mountain Asia since 2000: Study

The frequency of floods in High Mountain Asia (HMA) has increased significantly since 2000 due to climate change, according to a new study. The study, conducted by a team of scientists including environment expert Sonam Wangchuk, analysed 1,015 floods since 1950. Since 1950, the region's average temperature has shown a steady rise, warming at a rate of 0.3 degrees Celsius per decade. Meanwhile, precipitation patterns have changed in complex ways, both in terms of location and timing, the scientists said. They said this rapid warming, combined with shifting rainfall patterns, is affecting the region's water cycle and increasing flood risks. "In terms of temporal trends, the frequency of recorded flood events since 2000 has generally increased compared to the earlier period, with pluvial floods and snowmelt floods exhibiting a more considerable rise," the authors said. "The study confirms that flood frequency has risen, but a key additional finding is a rise in the unpredictability

Pipeline burst floods houses in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer; repair underway

Several houses in low-lying areas were flooded after a 60-inch water supply pipeline of the Pokaran-Phalsund-Sivana drinking water scheme burst in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district on Monday, officials said. There were no casualties in the incident, a police officer said. Superintending Engineer of Jaisalmer Rajesh Agarwal said the leak occurred in the afternoon in the main pipeline supplying drinking water from the Indira Gandhi Canal Project to 550 villages and four cities -- Pokaran, Balotra, Sivana, and Nachana. Due to high pressure, water gushed into nearby houses. The leakage has been controlled, and the accumulated water is being cleared for inspection, he said. Teams from the Water Supply Department have reached the site, and repair work is underway. The pipeline is expected to be fixed within 24 to 48 hours, he added. Ramdevra police station in-charge Shankar Lal said that 25 houses on the western and northern sides of the culvert were inundated with 2-3 feet of water. Seni

17 dead, 9 missing after flash flood in Indonesia, search ops resume

Indonesian rescuers resumed a search Wednesday for people missing after flash floods and landslides on Indonesia's main island of Java that killed at least 17 people. Waters from flooded rivers tore through nine villages in Pekalongan regency of Central Java province and landslides tumbled onto mountainside hamlets after the torrential rains Monday. National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said flooding triggered a landslide that buried two houses and a cafe in Petungkriyono resort area. The disasters all together destroyed 25 houses, a dam and three main bridges connecting villages in Pekalongan. Muhari said at least 17 people were dead, nine were missing and 13 injured by Wednesday. Nearly 300 people were forced to flee to temporary government shelters. The search and rescue operation that was hampered by bad weather, mudslides and rugged terrain was halted Tuesday afternoon due to heavy rain and thick fog that made devastated areas along the rivers dangerous

Assam mining tragedy: Body of another labourer recovered from coal quarry

The body of another worker, who was trapped inside a coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district, was recovered on Saturday from the quarry during rescue operations, an official said. Two bodies have so far been recovered with the first one brought out from the mine on Wednesday, he said. The two deceased labourers were among nine workers who were trapped inside the mine in Umrangsu on Monday after a sudden gush of water flooded the quarry. "The rescue operations resumed this morning and one more body was recovered as the search for trapped miners entered its sixth day. The body of one labourer, hailing from Nepal, had already been recovered," the official said. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the rescue operations have been continuing with "unwavering resolve", and said the identity of the deceased has been ascertained. "The deceased has been identified as 27-year-old Ligen Magar, a resident of village number 1 of Kalamati in Dima Hasao," the official said. Magar's bo

2023 Delhi floods forecast inaccurate due to Yamuna congestion: Govt to NGT

The Centre has informed the National Green Tribunal the 2023 flood forecast by the Central Water Commission was inaccurate due to the congestion in River Yamuna between Wazirabad and Okhla barrages. The green body had taken a suo motu cognisance of a newspaper report and sought a response of the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), Central Water Commission (CWC) and others over the failure of the commission to predict Delhi witnessing its worst floods in 2023. In 2023, Delhi witnessed one of its worst flood-like situations in several pockets due to heavy rains and over 25,000 people were evacuated from inundated areas. The reply filed by the MoJS and CWC on January 4 said the high discharge downstream of Hathnikund Barrage created a flood situation in River Yamuna near Delhi. "Due to this, the flow of the Delhi Railway Bridge (DRB) site increased continuously and crossed the previous high flow level (HFL) of 207.49 metre at 13:00 (1 pm) hrs on July 12, 2023, and achieved the highes

Year-ender 2024: Disasters aplenty, but are we ready for changing climate?

Yet another year passed by with nature raising red flags about the crises unfolding before our eyes and with disasters that could have been prevented

IIT report flags flood, drought risk in 11 Bihar, Kerala, Odisha districts

At least 11 districts, including Patna, Alappuzha and Kendrapara, are at a "very high" risk for both floods and droughts, necessitating immediate intervention, according to a climate risk assessment report compiled by two IITs. The report was released by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and Mandi, in collaboration with the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), Bengaluru. According to the report titled "District-Level Climate Risk Assessment for India: Mapping Flood and Drought Risks Using IPCC Framework", 51 districts in India face "very high" flood risk, with 118 more categorised as "high" risk. Vulnerable regions include Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Odisha, and Jammu and Kashmir. The report has flagged that 91 districts were identified with "very high" drought risk and 188 districts faced "high" drought risk, primarily in Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha and Maharashtra. Alarmingly, 11 districts, including Patna (Bihar

10 dead, 2 missing after landslides, floods hit Indonesia's Java island

Indonesian rescuers recovered 10 bodies that were swept away in flash floods or buried under tons of mud and rocks that hit hilly villages on the country's main island of Java, officials said on Monday. Two people are still missing. Torrential rains since last week have caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through more than 170 villages in Sukabumi district of West Java province, as mud, rocks and trees tumbled down mountainside hamlets, said Lt. Col. Yudi Hariyanto, who heads a rescue command post in Sukabumi. Landslides, flash floods and strong winds devastated 172 villages and forced more than 3,000 people to flee to temporary government shelters, Hariyanto said. Authorities have warned nearly 1,000 people to evacuate as more than 400 houses are threatened by extreme weather. The disasters also destroyed 31 bridges, 81 roads and 539 hectares (1,332 acres) of rice fields, while 1,170 houses were flooded up to the roof. Extreme weather has also damaged more than 3,300 other

Landslides, floods hit Indonesia's Java island; 10 dead, 2 missing

Indonesian rescuers recovered 10 bodies that were swept away in flash floods or buried under tons of mud and rocks that hit hilly villages on the country's main island of Java, officials said Monday. Two people are still missing. Torrential rains since last week have caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through more than 170 villages in Sukabumi district of West Java province, as mud, rocks and trees tumbled down mountainside hamlets, said Lt Col Yudi Hariyanto, who heads a rescue command post in Sukabumi. Landslides, flash floods and strong winds devastated 172 villages and forced more than 3,000 people to flee to temporary government shelters, Hariyanto said. Authorities have warned nearly 1,000 people to evacuate as more than 400 houses are threatened by extreme weather. The disasters also destroyed 31 bridges, 81 roads and 539 hectares of rice fields, while 1,170 houses were flooded up to the roof. Extreme weather has also damaged more than 3,300 other houses and building

TN CM announces cyclone relief fund of Rs 2,000 to rain-affected families

The families in Villupuram, Cuddalore and Kallakurichi districts which bore the brunt of damage caused by Cyclone Fengal would be provided a relief of Rs 2,000 each, Tamil Nadu Chief M K Stalin announced on Tuesday. Chairing a meeting at the Secretariat here to assess the damage due to rain in the state, the chief minister directed the officials to provide a relief sum of Rs 2,000 on the basis of family ration cards to families whose livelihood was affected due to a very heavy rain in Villupuram, Cuddalore and Kallakurichi districts. These districts witnessed unprecedented rain for more than two days. The meeting decided to extend relief assistance to the rain-hit people in Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Thiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts, and extend Rs 5 lakh as compensation each to the families who lost their kin due to cyclone or floods. The government has decided to provide Rs 10,000 as compensation for damaged huts, give priority to construct houses und

Over 30 killed, thousands displaced due to floods in Malaysia, Thailand

Severe floods caused by monsoon rains killed more than 30 people and displaced tens of thousands in Malaysia and southern Thailand, officials said Tuesday, with both countries preparing shelters and evacuation plans in anticipation of more heavy rain. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said five days of heavier-than-expected rain that battered the country's east coast last week was equal to the rainfall over the past six months, wreaking havoc in the northeastern state of Kelantan and neighbouring Terengganu. The heavy downpours damaged roads and houses in Kelantan and other parts of Malaysia. Rescue workers used boats to distribute food to victims trapped in their homes. Anwar said it would cost the government an estimated 1 billion ringgit (USD 224 million) to repair infrastructure damaged by the floods. The rain eased over the weekend, but the Meteorological Department forecast heavy rains later Tuesday. Anwar said the government is bracing for another monsoon surge that is .

Cyclone Fengal: Tamil Nadu braces for heavy rain, flooding, & strong winds

Cyclone Fengal is expected to bring heavy rain, strong winds, and flooding to Tamil Nadu, prompting school closures and heightened disaster preparedness

Heavy rains trigger flooding in Sri Lanka; 8, including 6 children, missing

Eight people, including six children returning from school, have gone missing in Sri Lanka when the farm tractor they were traveling on was swept away by floods triggered by heavy rains, police said Wednesday. Army and navy troops were deployed to rescue victims and provide food and other essentials to those affected. Sri Lanka has experienced heavy downpours and strong winds over the past two days that have flooded homes, fields and roads and forced authorities to suspend train services in tea-growing mountain areas. In the worst incident, a farm tractor carrying 11 school children was swept away Tuesday evening in the eastern region of the country, police said. Five children were rescued while six other children along with the driver and another adult are still missing in the incident near the town of Karaitivu. A search operation is underway, police said in a statement. Separately, a woman died when a brick wall collapsed on her in the mountainous region of Badulla in the centr

Landslide, flash floods hit Indonesia's Sumatra; 16 dead, 6 missing

Rescuers in Indonesia recovered 16 bodies under tons of mud and rocks or that were swept away in flash floods that hit mountainside villages on Sumatra Island, officials said Monday. Six people are still missing, officials said. Mud, rocks and trees tumbled down a mountain after torrential rains over the weekend and rivers burst their banks, tearing through four hilly districts in North Sumatra province, washing away houses and destroying farms. Police, soldiers and rescue workers used excavators, farm equipment and their bare hands to sift through the rubble looking for the dead and missing in Semangat Gunung, a resort area in Karo district, said Juspri M. Nadeak, who heads the local disaster management agency. Rescuers recovered six bodies after a landslide hit two houses and a cottage late Sunday, he said. Nine injured people managed to escape, he said. Rescuers on Monday were still searching for four missing people, including two children. Rescuers on Sunday pulled two bodies