Flood Water | SilverScorpio.Com

River spills into Bangkok, floods the Grand Palace

October 29, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

BANGKOK: The main river in Thailand’s capital swelled to a record high on Friday, spilling over its banks and sending water rippling into the grounds of the Grand Palace , a primary historical monument of temples and gilded spires.

The amount of water entering the palace grounds was small, but the breach was symbolically significant as Bangkok enters a crucial period when high tides to the south are pushing back at runoff from the north that has breached the city’s outer defences and is now flooding some outlying districts.

“The crisis we’re facing today is the most critical natural disaster that ever happened in Thai history,” PM Yingluck Shinawatra said.

Chinatown, not far from the palace, was flooded, and concerns grew that floodwaters could reach the commercial center of the city, with its banks and shopping malls and five-star hotels, scene of the “red shirt” protests early last year that were Thailand’s most recent crisis. The commercial center was quiet on Friday as Bangkok residents continued to flee by the thousands after the government warned that there was little more that it could do to stop deluge.

“What we’re doing today is resisting the force of nature ,” the prime minister had said on Thursday. “We cannot resist all of it.” A huge mass of flood water has coursed down over recent weeks from the north, following an unusually heavy monsoon season , taking a steep economic toll as it inundated cities and industrial estates. Several feet of stagnant water continue to paralyse the ancient capital of Ayutthaya, to the north of Bangkok. With bad news continuing , and the prospects for recovery becoming an increasingly steep challenge, the Bank of Thailand cut its economic growth forecast for 2011 to 2.6% from 4.1%.

“The widespread flood, now affecting not only agricultural production but also manufacturing activity, is likely to weigh on the fourth quarter’s growth substantially ,” the central bank said. Floodwater breached the defences of the domestic airport , Don Muang, earlier this week. Airport director, Kanpat Mangkalasiri, said that 90% of the airport was now flooded. The main international airport, Suvarnabhumi , continued to function normally.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: airport, center, Flood Water, grand, High Tides, monsoon season, outer defences, water

It’s raining…but not flooding

June 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

India, June 6 — An inconspicuous telephone has been the center of attention and yet the reason of much disappointment in a small room in Dadar. It has not been ringing as expected. In fact, it has not rung, at all. The Disaster Management Cell – ready with an SUV, walkie-talkie sets and local administrative officials – have been jobless ever since it began raining a week back. Although some degree of flooding was reported from some low-lying areas of the city, the water receded fast enough and did not hamper normal life for more than three to four hours. No one has fallen into manholes left open for the water to drain out (apparently there was no need to open any manhole) and no train services have been disrupted as none of the tracks have been flooded. Areas in Juhu, Sanatacruz (West) and Vile Parle (West) that have been chronically prone to flooding for more years than local residents can remember, did not report any flooding, now that the Irla Nullah pumping station is functioning. “I moved my Italian dining table from the ground floor to the first floor bedroom of the bungalow for nothing,” blogged a Bollywood super-star, a long-time Juhu resident. “Now that there is no flood water anywhere near our home, I wondering whether we should make the bedroom our dining room.” “We have been on high alert for the last couple of days as the weather department predicted heavy rainfall. But we have not got a single call. It seems the city does not need us,” said a civic official at another disaster management cell. “We have nothing to do.” The official added that the loudspeakers they had hired to mount atop the SUVs – to alert citizens of the dangers of getting drenched – may now be returned to the wedding bands that they were taken from. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has been caught on the backfoot. Usually prepared to face the onslaught of citizens’ anger, the public relations department had prepared press releases that were to be sent to the media at regular intervals, explaining why all its efforts to clean nullahs on time could not be successful because heavy rainfall invariably coincides with high tide. Now, reams of press releases are lying unused. “It is normal operating procedure for us. But now, we are stuck with these piles of printouts that we have no use for. Maybe we will keep them for next year. Hopefully, they will be useful then,” said an official at the department.

“We thought our threat of a flash strike, if timed during the monsoon, would send the authorities into a huddle,” said a leader of the railway motrmen’s union. “But now there is no point. We have to rethink our threat.”

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Administrative Officials, Backfoot, brihanmumbai municipal corporation, Center Of Attention, civic official, Dadar, dining table, disaster management, Flood Water, Flooding India, Irla, Italian Dining, loudspeakers, Management Cell, manhole, Pumping Station, train services, Vile Parle, walkie talkie, weather department

Bihar flood victims allege government apathy

August 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Kevati (Bihar), Aug 27 (ANI): Angry and anguished villagers have blamed government apathy for the flood-related havoc across Bihar.

Thousands of people have been displaced after the Misraulia dam broke in theState’s Darbhanga district inundating several villages in the region.

The water has flooded the National Highway 105 Highway, taking away tracts of road with the flow.

Villages have turned into mini islands and are cut off from the rest of the region. Floods have affected around a million people in eleven districts of the state.

Reportedly, over 100 villages are reeling under floods in Darbhanga district.

The death toll due to floods has risen to 23 in the state, with seven fresh cases being reported on Wednesday.

The villagers alleged the government has turned blind eye to their woes and want the government to provide relief to them.

“The flood water has cut away large tracts of land in Khirma. The administration is turned a blind eye towards us. A boat was provided to the villagers, which was broken and hence it sunk with 25 people onboard. Till now, there has been no help from the government. Further on, there is a bridge, which has also been washed away by the flood water. There is around five to seven feet of water on the road but there is no rescue work being carried on to save the people,” said Janki Ahmed, a flood victim.

Movement is also restricted due to the washing away of roads in the region.

Paramilitary forces have been called in to rescue stranded people, but according to some paramilitary officials, it is impossible to carry out rescue work in inundated villages.

“Our main aim is to rescue people. But villages here are cut off from the rest of the region. We conducted a survey and found that the villagers here did not want to leave their homes, instead, they want the government to provide them with relief material. It is impossible to carry out rescue operation here,” said Manoj Kumar Chwarsla, a paramilitary official.

State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is conducting an aerial survey of the flood-affected regions to assess the damage.

“I will conduct an aerial survey of the flood affected regions and hold discussions with the officials there. Instructions have already been issued to the officials there as to how to deal with the situation in the flood-affected areas. How people have to be rescued, how to provide relief material to them and all this work is being carried on by the disaster management department,” said Nitish Kumar.

The villagers are forced to remain indoors and are even facing food shortage in some areas.(ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: administration., ahmed, aim, angry, ANI, apathy, Aug, Bihar, blind eye, boat, bridge, Chief Minister Nitish, Dam, damage, Darbhanga, darbhanga district, death, death toll, department, disaster, district, eye, flood, Flood Victim, flood victims, Flood Water, floods, flow, food, Government, havoc, Havoc Across, help, highway, Instructions, janki, Kevati, Khirma, kumar, Kumar Chwarsla, land, management, manoj, material, mini, Misraulia, movement, national, official, onboard, operation, paramilitary, paramilitary forces, people, region, relief, relief material, reportedly, rescue, rest, road, shortage, situation, state, State C, survey, theState, till, toll, tracts, victim, water, Wednesday, woes, work

Floods ravage Majuli islands in Assam

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Majuli (Assam), Aug 25 (ANI): Around 60 villages have been devastated by floods in Majuli islands of Assam.

The world’s largest river island is facing the nature’s fury for the second time this year as the Brahmaputra River breached an embankment in Matmora region.

The floods were caused by incessant heavy rains for five days when it breached an embankment in Matmora, which channels the entire water of the Brahmaputra into the Luit River.

Heavy rainfall, upstream caused the second wave of flooding on the whole Upper Majuli area and displaced around 30 thousand people, and destroyed thousands of hectares of crop.

“All of a sudden water started pouring inside our house, then only I realized that flood has occurred. Immediately, we moved to safer place. Now, we have no proper shelter, food and water. Every year in this season, we are hit by the flood and we face lot of difficulties,” said Chandon Hazarika, a resident.

The frequent floods have displaced thousand of villagers.

“Once again Majuli is hit by flash flood due to breach of embankment in Matmora in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts. Thousands of people have been displaced in upper Majuli area for the second time and more than 60 of villages has been severely affected. Majuli is frequently devastated by flood water every year because it is totally surrounded by water,” said Nokul Kolita, another resident.

Every year, torrential monsoon rains wreak havoc in Assam, causing the mighty Brahmaputra river and its tributaries to breach embankments, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Assam, Brahmaputra River, embankment, flash flood, Flood Water, frequent floods, havoc, heavy rains, hectares, hundreds of thousands, luit, Monsoon Rains, rainfall, safer place, second time, second wave, Tributaries

Relief work begins in flood-affected Majuli in Assam

July 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Majuli (Assam), July 6 (ANI): Authorities have begun relief work in Majuli island in Assam, where flood has rendered thousands of people homeless. he monsoon causes the mighty Brahmaputra River to bring Majuli miseries every year.

This year too, the Brahmaputra breached a vital embankment along Majuli and displaced thousands of villagers in the upper part of the island.

Authorities have set up around six to seven makeshift camps.

“About 40 villages with a population of around 41,000 have been affected by the current flood. Everyone knows Majuli is prone to flood. As per relief manual village panchayat are completely affected while some are partially affected. We have started distributing relief materials,” said, Deepak Kumar Handique, sub-divisional officer, Majuli.

Due to poor connectivity, the administration is finding it difficult to reach out relief material to the displaced people.

Food, water and fodder are some of the major problems faced by the villagers in the island. All offices, schools and other establishments have been inundated with the floodwater.

“Already four days have passed by since the flood water washed away our village and the main road that connects us to the town. We haven’t received any relief material either from government side or NGOs. Around 50-60 persons are taking shelter in this makeshift camp and we are facing acute shortage of food, drinking water and medicine,” said Moina Saikia, a resident.

A red alert has been sounded in the areas of Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, and Jorhat districts where the Brahmaputra River is flowing above the danger level.

Nearly one lakh hectre of crop has been submerged, and more than seventy thousand people have been left homeless due to the heavy rains in the catchments areas of the Brahmaputra from the last one week.

According to sources, the flood situation will remain same for next few days, as it is still raining heavily on the catchment areas of Brahmaputra and its tributaries. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Acute Shortage, administration., alert, ANI, Assam, Brahmaputra River, camp, catchment, Catchment Areas, connectivity, crop, danger, danger level, Deepak Kumar Handique, Dhemaji, divisional officer, drinking, due, embankment, everyone, flood, Flood Situation, Flood Water, floodwater, fodder, food, Government, Government Side, hectre, island, Island Authorities, Jorhat, July, lakh, Lakhimpur, level, Majuli, Makeshift Camp, Makeshift Camps, material, medicine, Moina Saikia, Monsoon, ngos, officer, panchayat, part, Poor Connectivity, population, relief, relief material, relief materials, resident, road, seventy, seventy thousand, shelter, shortage, side, situation, town, village, village panchayat, water, week, work, year

One killed as flash floods hit three Assam districts

May 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Guwahati, May 28 (IANS) One person was killed and thousands were affected as flash floods, caused by the release of water from dam reservoirs in China and Bhutan, submerged low lying areas of three districts in Assam, officials said here Thursday.

“Even though there has been no major rainfall after Tuesday night, the water level of the Brahmaputra rose substantially at Dibrugarh in eastern Assam after China released water from their dam reservoirs,” said an official of the state revenue, relief and rehabilitation department.

Similarly, Beki river created havoc in Barpeta and Baksa districts in western Assam as Bhutan released water form its dam reservoirs.

“One person was reportedly killed and thousands took shelter in safer places as flash flood in Beki river created havoc in Barpeta and Baksa districts in western Assam,” the official added.

According to official reports available here, about 150 villages in Barpeta and Baksa districts have been inundated so far. Standing crops in about 200 hectares have been washed away by the flood water.

“The surface connectivity with the two districts has been badly hit as a number of wooden and bamboo bridges have been taken away by the waters and the concrete bridge over river Beki at Domnighat has also been damaged,” the official added.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Assam Districts, baksa, Brahmaputra, bridges, China, concrete bridge, connectivity, Dam Reservoirs, dibrugarh, flash flood, Flash Floods, Flood Water, havoc, hectares, rainfall, Rehabilitation Department, standing crops, State Revenue, tuesday night, water level