View: Catch the floods before they destroy

Excess monsoon rains resulting in floods and waterlogging, roads caving in and homes and establishments collapsing across northern India have claimed more than 100 lives and displaced far more in the last two weeks. An early warning system (EWS) could have saved many lives and reduced damage by as much as 30%. India needs to take a leaf out of its own EWS book for cyclone to put in place a multi-hazard EWS, with a special focus on floods.

EWS refers to an integrated system of hazard-monitoring, risk assessment, forecasting and prediction, communication and preparedness activities systems and processes that enable individuals, communities, governments and businesses to take timely action to reduce impacts of hazardous events. Availability of data to assess hazard, exposure and vulnerability is at the core of EWS. However, only a quarter of the 72% of districts exposed to extreme flood events have level flood-forecasting stations. Effectively, only one in three Indians exposed to extreme floods is covered by flood EWS.

Disruptions in rainfall patterns due to global warming have increased the incidence of flooding and waterlogging. According to a 2021 Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) study, 27 of 35 states and Union territories are vulnerable to extreme hydro-meteorological disasters and their compounding impacts. Improved EWS will require greater coordination between departments and agencies for sharing data and analyses, and deploying improved technology for robust real-time data collection and analysis. Disseminating robust information should be an easier task, given the telephone-mobile network. More than 88% of districts exposed to floods have a high teledensity ratio. Response plans must leverage civil society groups and local communities, businesses, governments and institutions.

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