Week 16 Final Blog for Geology 9 Pr. Garcia

Jessica Jaskiart Bhardwaj 

Geology 9 

Professor Garcia 

May 18, 2018

Week 16 

Final Hazards Report 

Country: India  

Hi there everyone, my name is Jessica and welcome to my very last post for Geology 9!

This class truly has been a wonderful experience and taught me how to blog. Before taking, Geology 9 I had never looked or even wrote any blogs, but it’s been fun and quite an interesting challenge. This is week 16 now, and we only have one more week left until the semester is over with. Time truly does fly by fast. By the end of this semester I will have graduated with my Associates Degree to Transfer, and will be on my way with the rest of my life. But I am extremely happy that in this Geology 9 class, I got the opportunity to study India in great depth. I was actually born there for those that may not know but I came to America when I was only 3 months old, so I don’t/didn’t know much about it. Especially in regards to natural disasters/hazards and all. 

My country has had a lot of natural hazards, disasters, earthquakes, mass wastes etc…

But the most important one that I should address is the issue that my country has with water related disasters. For example: floods, tsunamis, cyclones.  The reason I choose this natural disaster is because when I was researching the deadliest natural disasters most of them all were related to water. But like I said natural disasters strike India routinely—earthquakes, tropical storms, cyclones and heat waves. But floods in India by far, have been the most damaging of all the natural catastrophes in the past last 10 years, this is data from the International Disaster Database.

Floods truly can cause a lot of damage and devastate homes and farms. Floods tend to displace families as well as pets and livestock, floods will damage crops, and disrupt agriculture processing and businesses.

But the real question to this is, why? Why does India experience so many water related issues, like floods? Well one of the reason's why India experiences floods is because in India there are intense monsoon seasons where it rains like crazy.  One of the latest flood/extreme waterfall story is from last August in which over 1000 people died. The rainfall brought over 300mm of water, it caused an immense of flooding in which, "Hundreds dead in India, Nepal and Bangladesh, while millions have been forced from their homes and 18,000 schools shut down across the region."-theguardian You can see how flooding is the biggest killer in India, people don't know how to even swim there. Because of floods, they're being displaced, they can not continue with their lives, its just so hard for the citizens there.




What kind of recommendation can I give for the people in India? It is so hard to even think of solutions because the country just is in a certain area, where they experience so much devastation due to the monsoons. 

• Well one thing for sure is that when Indians experience such rainfall, and are in flood zone areas they should try to get to higher ground. 
• The Indian government should also train people on how to protect themselves, or how to prepare.
• The government should have several rescue teams. 
• Seal walls in houses with waterproofing compounds to avoid seepage
• To build pipes, embankments, areas where the flood water can go, like to divert the water from the cities, away from people
• The government should have plans for each disaster

India all over experiences monsoon seasons and floods, but according to UNICEF there are five for sure states that are at risk of floods the most. Those five states are Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Orissa. The reason why these states are highly likely to experience floods is because when there is heavy rainfall, the major rivers that are nearby flood. The water has no where else to go so it comes out. These are the top areas that would need a lot of attention and care. Just because they are the riskiest states to be in. 

What is India doing about these floods? People of India are suffering because of these floods, so the government is taking some action to try and relief the pain that the people are experiencing. Some of things that are happening are: 

• The IFRC – working with the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society and the Nepal Red Cross – has launched appeals to support almost 200,000 vulnerable people with immediate relief and long-term help with water and sanitation, health and shelter.
• the Government of India enacted the Disaster Management Act
• UNICEF in line with the Core Commitment to Children provides support of the government’s relief programs during emergencies and natural calamities.
• As part of the measures to prepare for the disasters, there is an overall master plan for every state and contingency plan for each district, involving apart from other things, steps required to be taken before the onset of floods during the floods and post- flood management.

Where would I live to avoid disasters? Or in better words where is the safest city to live in to avoid floods? That is a good question. When i saw this photo it became clear that in the middle of India, it seems to be the most safest. Yes, it had a gas problem back in 1982, but that does not seem as bad as what other states in India are experiencing. So I would say that I would live in Madhya Pradesh if I was to live in India. 

Sources:

• Dutta, Saptarishi. “Of All Natural Calamities, Floods Are the Deadliest for India.” Quartz, Quartz, 29 Sept. 2014, qz.com/236280/of-all-natural-calamities-floods-are-the-deadliest-for-india/.
• IndiaSpend/indiaclimatedialogue.net, S Gopikrishna Warrier. “Mumbai Floods: Why India's Cities Are Struggling with Extreme Rainfall.” Https://Www.hindustantimes.com/, Hindustan Times, 29 Aug. 2017, www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mumbai-floods-why-india-s-cities-are-struggling-with-extreme-rainfall/story-wsWPNy2MXh4b9JYTqtA0QJ.html.
• Siddique, Haroon. “South Asia Floods Kill 1,200 and Shut 1.8 Million Children out of School.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 31 Aug. 2017, www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/30/mumbai-paralysed-by-floods-as-india-and-region-hit-by-worst-monsoon-rains-in-years.
• “Preparing for the Monsoon | UNICEF.” Child Labour | UNICEF, unicef.in/Story/293/Preparing-for-the-monsoon-.
• “Top Ten Flood Prone Areas In India.” India Large Color Map, www.mapsofindia.com/top-ten/geography/india-flood.html.

Thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy my post on India and it's hazards. Wishing everyone the best, good luck on finals and life! :) 

Jessica Bhardwaj