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|
Catastrophe Report 7
February 18th to August 7th 2005 |
Flood - India
| Territory: |
|
India |
| Region: |
|
West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat,
Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, and Madhya Pradesh |
| Date: |
|
July 24th to early August 2005 |
| Event: |
|
Flood |
| Impact: |
|
As of early August the death toll was more than
a thousand, with Maharashtra bearing the brunt with 1,054 lives
lost; 406 of these in Mumbai. 109 deaths were reported in Karnataka
and a further 8 in Orissa. In Maharashtra, 25,000 people were
affected in 2,300 villages as well as in Mumbai Metropolis.
Numbers affected in Orissa total close to 1.5 million, and in
Karnataka 110,000 people have been affected and 24,000 homes
destroyed or damaged. In total, it is estimated that around
20 million people have been affected by the rains or floods.
Agriculture has suffered badly, particularly cash-crops such
as sugar and oil seed, while Mumbai’s Pharmaceutical and
car industries have also been hit. Early, provisional estimates
of losses in industry, agriculture and infrastructure range
from US$700 million to US$2.8 billion. By early August, India's
four biggest private insurers - ICICI Lombard General Insurance,
Iffco-Tokio General Insurance, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance
and Tata AIG General Insurance - had received claims for damages
totalling 10bn rupees (US$230 million). |
| Summary: |
|
Torrential monsoon rains arriving on July 24th
brought unprecedented precipitation rates and devastating floods
to at least eight Indian states, with Maharashtra and its capital,
Mumbai being worst affected. Here 94 cm of rain in a single
day (July 26th) - a record for Mumbai - overwhelmed its Victorian
storm drain system, leading to massive surface run-off. The
scale of the flooding was exacerbated by a number of factors.
The storm drains were closed for a time to prevent high tides
penetrating into the island city, but as a result stopped the
flood waters from draining out. Many drains were also clogged
with rubbish and debris, while a new road system has been blamed
for constricting the Mithi river that carries excess surface
water to the Arabian Sea. The destruction of mangrove swamps
and the reclamation of land from the sea are also implicated
in increasing the flood risk. In the 16th century, 95 percent
of Mumbai was beneath the sea. General urbanisation is clearly
a major culprit. Typically 35-40 percent of rainwater infiltrates
into the ground, but rapid building and loss of open space now
prevents this and increases surface run-off as a consequence.
By the end of the first week of August, torrential rains were
continuing, resulting in Mumbai receiving 146.6 cm of rain in
just over a week. This compares with the normal July and August
totals of, respectively, 86.8 and 55.3 cm. |
| Data sources: |
|
ReliefWeb
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc100?openForm
NASA Earth Observatory
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16985
|
| Additional sources:
|
|
Reuters Alertnet
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/219816/112318366972.htm
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