{"id":7516,"date":"2022-08-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-22T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/22-08-2022\/cloudburst-flash-floods\/"},"modified":"2022-08-22T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T00:00:00","slug":"cloudburst-flash-floods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-08-2022\/cloudburst-flash-floods","title":{"rendered":"Cloudburst &#038; Flash Floods"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>In Context<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Recently <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>cloudbursts and flash floods<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> were seen in different parts of <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>More about the news<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Isolated areas in these two states have reported<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong> heavy rainfall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> during this time.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">The rainfall triggered <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>landslides and flash floods<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> that have disrupted<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong> rail and road traffic<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> and resulted in <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>house and wall collapses<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Himachal Pradesh was hit by<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong> 29 cloudburst incidents<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> in the last three years.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"border-collapse:collapse; border:none; width:667px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #000000; border-left:1px solid #000000; border-right:1px solid #000000; border-top:1px solid #000000; vertical-align:top; width:667px\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>What are Cloudbursts?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">About:<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">A cloudburst is a <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>localised but intense<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> rainfall activity.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Short spells of very heavy rainfall<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> over <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>a small geographical area<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> can cause <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>widespread destruction<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">, especially in<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong> hilly regions<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> where this phenomenon is the most common.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Definition:<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Not all instances of very heavy rainfall, however, are cloudbursts.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">A cloudburst has a very specific definition: <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Rainfall of 10 cm or more in an hour <\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">over a roughly<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong> 10 km x 10-km area<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> is classified as a cloudburst event.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:square\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">By this definition, 5 cm of rainfall in a half hour period over the same area would also be categorized as a cloudburst.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">During a cloudburst event, a place receives about 10% of this annual rainfall within an hour.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Frequency of Cloudbursts:<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Cloudbursts are<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong> not uncommon events,<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> particularly during the monsoon months.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Most of these happen in the <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Himalayan states <\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">where the <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>local topology, wind systems, and temperature gradients<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> between the <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>lower and upper atmosphere<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> facilitate the occurrence of such events.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Are cloudburst incidents increasing?<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:square\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">There is no long-term trend that suggests that cloudbursts, as defined by the IMD, are rising.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:square\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">What is well established, however, is that incidents of extreme rainfall, as also other extreme weather events, are increasing \u2014 not just in India but across the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:square\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">While the overall amount of rainfall in India has not changed substantially, an increasing proportion of rainfall is happening in a short span of time.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:square\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">That means that the wet spells are very wet, and are interspersed with prolonged dry spells even in the rainy season.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Consequences:<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Flash floods<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> are mostly the result of cloudbursts.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Even if cloudburst &#038; flash floods is a localised activity, the consequences of these events, are not confined to the small areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Because of the nature of terrain, the heavy rainfall events often trigger landslides and flash floods, causing extensive destruction downstream.<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Flash Floods<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">.<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Flash-floods are mostly the result of <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>cloudbursts or blockage of river<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"> channel due to landslides.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">The flood problem in the state is mainly during the months of June to August when the southwest monsoon is in progress and snow is melting in the higher reaches.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Impacts<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Death or Serious Injury<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">The very nature of flash floods makes them fast and very difficult to predict.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Since they can occur without warning, it is no surprise that people can be seriously injured or killed by these natural disasters.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Immediate Property Damage<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">In addition to the force of the water, flash floods can carry large debris such as boulders.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">This combination can cause heavy structural damage to homes making them uninhabitable and can carry away large pieces of property such as vehicles.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Loss of Critical Infrastructure<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Large debris and flood waters can cause structural damage to bridges and roadways, making travel impossible.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Power, telephone, and cable lines can be taken out by flash floods as well.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Flood waters can disrupt or contaminate groundwater, making tap water unfit for consumption.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Deposited Sediment &#038; Silt<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Floods can leave behind large amounts of silt and other debris that can make travel difficult and can be costly to remove.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Uninsured or Under-insured Homeowners<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Being infrequent and unpredictable, many homeowners do not consider flash floods when insuring their homes.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Economic Losses<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Depending on the damage caused, it may prevent local businesses from opening or keep customers from getting to those businesses.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"border-collapse:collapse; border:none; width:638px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #000000; border-left:1px solid #000000; border-right:1px solid #000000; border-top:1px solid #000000; vertical-align:top; width:638px\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Initiatives in this direction<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Flash Flood Guidance Services:<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">It is a robust system designed by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to provide the necessary products in real-time to support the development of warnings for flash floods about 6-12 hours in advance at the watershed level for the flash flood-prone South Asian countries viz. India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:disc\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">South Asian Flash Flood Guidance System (FFGS):<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">The India Meteorological Department (IMD) launched the South Asian FFGS.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">It is aimed at helping disaster management teams.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type:circle\"><span style=\"font-size:12pt\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\">Helps governments make timely evacuation plans ahead of the actual event of flooding.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:13pt\"><span style=\"font-family:\"Book Antiqua\",serif\"><span style=\"background-color:#ffffff\"><strong>Source: IE<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Context Recently cloudbursts and flash floods were seen in different parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. More about the news Isolated areas in these two states have reported heavy rainfall during this time.\u00a0 The rainfall triggered landslides and flash floods that have disrupted rail and road traffic and resulted in house and wall collapses. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[128,127,25],"class_list":["post-7516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs","tag-changes-in-geographical-features-their-effects","tag-geographical-features-their-location","tag-gs1"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/07\/3697810Screenshot_20220822-210619_Chrome.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}