An overflowing Narmada killed parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and water released by the Hirakud Dam flooded several districts of Odisha over the weekend. At least 24 people died in the floods in MP and Odisha. and thousands were displaced when heavy rains hit other parts of India, causing the reservoirs to overflow. Rainfall was 25% higher than normal in August, which the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is the highest for the month in 44 years. The previous highest in August was recorded in 1983, when rainfall was 23.8% more than normal. Here is a quick look at the reasons for the flooding in central India:
• Very heavy to extremely heavy persistent rains, measuring more than 20 centimeters (cm), were recorded over two to three days between August 25-27 in Odisha and August 27-30 in Madhya Pradesh (MP) .
The 12 weather stations in MP’s Chhindwara district recorded 20 to 41 cm of rain from 28 to 29 August. Chaurai logged 41 cm in one day. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) authorities are still evaluating the data to conclude whether it is the highest rainfall recorded in one day.
The Gujarat region continues to experience very heavy rains.
• A well-marked low pressure area had formed over the Bay of Bengal, moving very slowly from 24 to 31 August to western Rajasthan bringing extremely heavy rains on its way. “Our analysis shows that extremely intense episodes were recorded on PM only during one day between August 28 and 29 that led to flooding. There is no chance that another low pressure area will form over the Bay of Bengal immediately, ”said RK Jenamani, senior scientist at the National Weather Forecast Center (NWFC), IMD.
• Now, the rain will gradually decrease over central India and begin in the northern plains, according to scientists. “The extremely heavy rains in MP and other parts of central India are mainly due to the formation of a strong low pressure area over western MP and eastern Rajasthan. We expect the rain to gradually subside in central India, but Gujarat may experience very heavy rains for one more day. The rains will increase in the northern plains when the monsoon trough shifts north around Wednesday (September 2), ”said Dr. Mrutyunja Mohapatra, IMD CEO.
• These unusually heavy rains caused rivers to flow in extreme flood situations. It means that the highest flood level has been broken. Stretches of the Mahanadi, Wainganaga and Narmada rivers still flow in extreme flood situations. Eight dams in Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka and MP are at 100% capacity and will have to release water to accommodate more rainfall.
• While flooding has disrupted lives in these states, excess rainfall can improve soil moisture and help with a good harvest during the next rabi season. “There are different ways to collect water. But the most important source of water for agriculture is groundwater. The focus should be on local storage and recharging systems. We have to store rainwater and prevent its runoff, ”said Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of the South Asia Network of Dams, Rivers and People.
• The country has registered an excess of rainfall of 26.3% in August, the highest in 44 years with an excess of 61.5% over central India, 36.7% of the excess over southern India. peninsula, 19.1% deficient over the east and northeast and 1.9% the northwest parts of the country.
Scientists have not linked the current spell to climate change, but central India has been trending upward in extreme heavy rain events.
According to the “Climate Change Assessment in the Indian Region”, a report from the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) published earlier this year showed that from 1950 onwards there has been a significant upward trend in the frequency and intensity of rainfall events over central India, along with a decreasing trend in moderate rainfall events.
A study published in the journal Nature in 2017 by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) concluded that there was a three-fold increase in extreme rainfall along the west coast and central India between 1950 and 2015.
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