An analysis of the daily district wise rainfall data from India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the month of September 2024, the last month of India’s South West Monsoon 2024 shows that there were 546 (406 in Sept 2023[i], 417 in Sept 2022[ii] and 489 in Sept 2021[iii]) instances when district rainfall of a day was above 50 mm. Such high rainfall instances included 438 (330, 365 and 374 in Sept 2023, Sept 2022 and 2021 respectively) instances in Sept 2024 when rainfall was 50-100 mm, 73 (64, 47 and 84 in Sept 2023, Sept 2022 and 2021 respectively) instances in Sept 2024 when it was 100-150 mm, 30 (10, 3 and 20 in Sept 2023, Sept 2022 and 2021 respectively) times in Sept 2024 when it was 150-200 mm and 5 (2, 2 and 11 in Sept 2023, Sept 2022 and 2021 respectively) instances in Sept 2024 when rainfall in a day was above 200 mm.
Continue reading “High Rainfall days in India’s districts in Sept 2024: Highest numbers in East India”Tag: IMD
SW Monsoon 2024: District wise rainfall in India
In the just concluded South West Monsoon 2024, India received 934.8 mm (820 mm in SW Monsoon 2023, 925 mm in SW Monsoon 2022[i]) rainfall, about 107.6% (94.45 % in 2023, 106.5% in 2022) of the Normal SW Monsoon rainfall of 868.6 mm as per India Meteorological Department (IMD). This rainfall is categorised as above normal rainfall.
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DRP 300924: Focus on River Studies
Rivers are the most important ecosystems (eco here includes ecology and economy) and yet possibly least studied entities. Some news below this week about some river studies brings the focus on need to take up many more river related studies.
Most important aspect of river related studies is the need for credible, independent studies, not influenced by the needs of the governments. Otherwise, the government is likely to not only influence the study, but also decide not to make it public as they did in case of the studies related to Joshimath town and role of Chamoli disaster.
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DRP 230924: Role of rivers in the birth of governments
(Feature Image Source: The Economic Origins of Govt)
Interesting research published in 2023 suggests that archaeologists and economists are now learning that dynamic, shifting rivers also created conditions that triggered people to develop some of the first organized govts on the planet.
In the research published in The American Economic Review Robert Allen and two co-authors found that Agriculture and large settlements emerged alongside rivers because they could tap into the gifts of rivers: close access to water and fertile soil. But rivers can move and take those gifts away. So, society developed organized govts to work collectively to regain their access to those gifts.
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DRP 160924: Urban Flood lessons from Vadodara, Vijaywada
(Feature Image: Vadodara: A flooded area after heavy monsoon rainfall, in Vadodara, Aug. 27). Photo Credit: PTI/The Hindu)
Like every monsoon, a number of cities have faced catastrophic floods in SW monsoon this year. Vadodara and Vijaywada have got the media attention more than any other city for urban floods this year. In both cases a number of factors are common: role of upstream dams, encroachment on water bodies including rivers, lakes, streams, role of illegal sand mining particularly in Vijaywada, not having learnt any lessons from past flood disasters.
It is interesting to see Andhra Pradesh CM hinting at bringing HYDRAA like enforcement institution to remove encroachments on Budameru and other water bodies. Considering the nature of his politics and track record, it is doubtful if this NDA CM will take such a bold step, but it is certainly worthy of consideration for almost all urban areas in India.
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Imprudent management of SSP and other Narmada dams could create avoidable flood disaster in Sept 2024?
Similar to we wrote on Sept 1 2024[i], but possibly with even greater flood prospects and urgency, the situation in Narmada River Basin is once again moving towards a massive avoidable flood disaster due to imprudent management of Sardar Sarovar dam in Gujarat and dams including Indira Sagar, Omkareshwar, Bargi and Tawa dams in Madhya Pradesh. All of these dams are full or almost full with IMD Flash Flood Bulletin (FFB, bulletin is updated thrice a day) as at 0730 hrs on Sept 11 2024[ii] warning about the ongoing or imminent flash flood in Narmada Valley districts.
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DRP 090924: Question marks over Yettinahole should not be buried under money spent
(Feature Image: File photo of Yettinahole Project. Source: Daijiworld)
The Yettinahole project has seen protests and question marks right from the time when the project was proposed, none of them have been convincingly answered. As the Karnataka Chief Minister and his deputy commissioned a small part of it, those question marks remain as relevant today, including its hydrological viability, environmental impact assessments and sustainability, with hugely weakening of the western ghats by such major interventions without any credible impact assessments. (see: https://sandrp.in/2013/09/18/yettinahole-diversion-an-imprudent-rs-100-billion-proposition/)
It is good to see CWC and MoEF have also raised some questions and asked report even at this stage. One however expects CWC to raise such questions much earlier in the project cycle and before the project becomes fait accomplice. Else, it seems more like politicking. MoEF could have raised issues of violations before the violations happened on ground and should have refused to provide piece meal forest clearances as it has alleged.
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High Rainfall days in India’s districts in Aug 2024 highest in last 4 years
An analysis of the daily district wise rainfall data from India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the month of Aug 2024, shows that there were 717 (500 in Aug 2023; 667 in Aug 2022[i] and 431 in Aug 2021) instances when district rainfall of a day in a district was above 50 mm. Such high rainfall instances included 572 (424/ 553/ 371 in Aug 2023, Aug 2022 and Aug 2021 respectively) instances when rainfall was 50-100 mm; 113 (67/ 98/ 48 in Aug 2023, Aug 2022 and Aug 2021 respectively) instances when it was 100-150 mm; 19 (5/ 13/ 11 in Aug 2023, Aug 2022 and Aug 2021 respectively) times it was 150-200 mm; and 13 (4/ 3/ 1 in Aug 2023, Aug 2022 and Aug 2021 respectively) instance when a district day rainfall was above 200 mm.
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June Aug 2024: District wise rainfall in India’s SW Monsoon
In the just concluded month of Aug 2024, India received just 295.2 mm (162.7 mm or 36.2% below normal in Aug 2023[i], 263.8 mm in Aug 2022, 3.5% above the normal[ii]) or 15.8% above normal rainfall of 254.9 mm as per India Meteorological department (IMD). In Aug 2021, the rainfall was 195.9 mm[iii], about 24.13% below normal and in Aug 2020, the rainfall was 327 mm[iv], or about 26.6% above normal.
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DRP 020924: HYDRA to protect water bodies in Hyderabad – a landmark move?
(Feature Image: An analysis of satellite imaging of 54 lakes taken in 1979 and 2023, secured by the HYDRAA from the NRSA shows that 40 lakes or nearly 75 per cent of lakes have shrunk by half. (Image: Twitter/DC)
The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency, or Hydra was established under GO 99, dated July 19 2024. A task the agency has taken up in all seriousness is protection of water bodies in the Hyderabad Capital Region (it includes 4 districts). To begin with it has started demolition of buildings illegally built inside the Full Tank Area (FTL) and Buffer area of the water bodies.
In July, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy replaced the Enforcement, Vigilance and Disaster Management (EVDM) wing of the government with Hydra, a body mandated to tackle illegal encroachment on water bodies in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits and surrounding areas. Its strength was upgraded from around 800 to 2,200 and its officials came directly under the principal secretary, municipal administration and urban development or the CM himself. “Hydra will also ensure the protection of water bodies in and around Hyderabad,” former EVDM commissioner and Hydra chief A V Ranganath said during its inception.
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SANDRP 