NEW DELHI, August 2, 2024 (TBINN)
An accurate Early Warning System that correlates rainfall and the potential for land-slides is imperative, say experts as rains create havoc in hills across India and the toll mounts in Kerala’s Wayanad slopes where land-slides buried entire homesteads and possibly hundreds of people.
Notably, cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh led to houses, bridges and roads being washed away with five people dying and 50 missing. In Uttarakhand, heavy rain triggered floods and house collapses with at least 14 people killed. The rain scripted tragedies in the hill states came just two days after extremely heavy rain – more than 570 M.M. over 48 hours – triggered the disaster in Wayanad, leaving at least 195 people dead.
Given the scenario of erratic rain, extreme weather events, changing climatic conditions and the fragile hills – both in North and in South – an accurate Early Warning System (E.W.S.) based on empirical rainfall thresholds followed by a systematic evacuation protocol is essential.
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