“Exceptionally heavy” rainfall kills 28 people in Gujarat 

Extreme rainfall and flooding in Gujarat has claimed 28 lives, the Hindustan Times reported. In Gujarat, authorities told the newspaper that “96 reservoirs were flowing above danger levels”, with the state receiving “nearly 100% of its average annual rainfall so far”. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘red’ alert for several parts of the state. 

The heavy rainfall in the region is due to the formation of an intense weather system caused by a deep depression over eastern Rajasthan and adjoining west Madhya Pradesh, which has moved towards Gujarat, the report said. The Indian Express reported that areas that received “exceptionally heavy rainfall” were in arid, desert districts in the two states of Gujarat and Rajasthan. 

In Tripura, the death toll from flooding rose to 31, with “72,000 people still in 492 relief camps as their houses were washed away”, reported the Print. 

Teesta hydropower station destroyed in landslide, the disaster-prone site was already under restoration 

A major landslide destroyed the Teesta-V hydro power station of the state-owned NHPC Limited on August 20. The project was under restoration following the glacial outburst in October last year, which had caused significant damage.

Cracks have also developed along the Singtam-Dikchu road, rendering it inaccessible. NHPC said that the Teesta Basin Region has been subject to periodic natural subsidence and landslides during the ongoing monsoon season, which led to the landslide, reported the BS.

All residents have been evacuated and relocated to the NHPC guest house in Balutar, which has been designated as a relief camp. The Department of Mines and Geology has been directed to probe the landslide and provide recommendations for both short-term and long-term restoration efforts, DTE reported.

189 lakes in Himalayas “high risk” glacial lake outburst threat ?

​​The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned that of the nearly 7,500 glacial lakes in the Indian Himalayas, 189 are high-risk lakes that require mitigation measures to prevent flooding.

HT reported that around 16 teams of officials from the NDMA, scientists and security officials have taken up expeditions to glaciers at an altitude of 4,500m and above to map the threat they could pose to populations downstream in the event of a glacial lake outburst.

The Centre approved the ₹150-crore National Glacial Lake Outburst Floods Risk Mitigation Programme (NGRMP) to conduct technical hazard assessments, and install  automated weather and water-level monitoring stations (AWWS) and early warning systems (EWS) at the lakes and in downstream areas, the report said. The primary objective of this programme is to attempt lake-lowering measures to reduce the risk of glacial lake outburst (GLOF) from such lakes.

23 killed in floods in Bangladesh 

In Bangladesh, floods triggered by long-spells of monsoon rain and overflowing rivers have claimed 23 lives  with around 1.24 million families stranded across 11 districts.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said flood conditions could persist if the monsoon rains continued, as water levels were receding very slowly, Reuters reported, adding that around 470,000 people have taken refuge in 3,500 shelters in the flood-hit districts, where around 650 medical teams are providing treatment, authorities said.

The World Bank Institute in 2015 estimated that 3.5 million people in Bangladesh, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, were at risk of annual river flooding. Scientists attribute the exacerbation of such catastrophic events to climate change.

Global flooding incidents to rise by 49% by end of century, study warns

Incidents of flooding could increase by 49% between 2020 and 2100 if the world continues emitting greenhouse gasses in the name of development, new research found. The biggest increase in flooding incidence is projected to be around coastlines in tropical Africa and Asia, and in arid North Africa, the DTE reported. 

The research published in Water Resources Research noted that the North Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts, as well as southeastern Asia and the Pacific Islands are likely to see the most pronounced effects.

The researchers said they hope industries will derive value from their model for a range of additional policy actions “such as protecting critical infrastructure from future flooding, helping insurers price premiums and meeting the requirements of climate regulations.” The study said that previously used flood maps based on computer models were not very accurate at simulating the behaviour of real floods.

Aug 28 was the last date to declare/register exotic animals, says environment ministry

The last date (for individuals, organisations and zoos) to declare and register exotic animals expired on August 28, the HT reported. The Union environment ministry said that according to these rules, every person who is in possession of any living specimen of species listed in Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972, is required to report the details of such animals and submit an application for registration electronically through the PARIVESH 2.0 portal to the Chief WildLife Warden of the concerned state, within a period of six months from the issue of gazette notification and or within 30 days of possession of such animal species.

2015 Nepal quake and avalanche was exacerbated by climate variability and snowfall anomalies: Study 

Climate change contributed to a deadly avalanche in Nepal in 2015 that was initially triggered by an earthquake, new research suggested. On 25 April, 2015, the Gorkha earthquake “triggered a large rock-ice avalanche and an air blast disaster in the Langtang Valley”, which saw 350 people killed or left missing, the authors explained. Reconstructing the event using field investigations and models, the researchers found that deep snow cover and high temperatures both contributed to the disaster. Specifically, “elevated air temperatures intensify meltwater production and lubricate the flowing mass”, the authors said, while “deep snow cover fosters the formation of a dispersed avalanche, which increases the mobility and destructive power of the powder cloud air blast”.

China reports record number of extreme floods this season

This year, China’s major rivers witnessed 25 significant flood events, the highest number since data collection began in 1998, Global Times reported. The flood season has been marked by frequent extreme weather events, with heavy rainfall and severe floods occurring across both northern and southern regions, officials with the Ministry of Water Resources said.

Wang Bao’en, Vice Minister of Water Resources, warned that China remains in its primary flood season, with significant challenges ahead. This year’s higher-than-usual cumulative rainfall was influenced by Typhoon Gaemi. The country saw a cumulative average rainfall of 183 mm, 10% higher than the annual average. Typhoon Gaemi dumped a total of 216.7 billion cubic metres of rainfall across the southern regions of the country, which is a significant 43% more than the 151.8 billion cubic metres brought by Typhoon Doksuri last year. Large-scale flooding occurred more frequently than the annual average, with some 30 rivers across the country exceeding historical flood levels. 

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