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The Yamuna river is in spate in Delhi. The water of Yamuna has entered the population. The water level has crossed the danger mark. The state government is finalizing preparations to protect people from floods. CM Rekha Gupta hopes that the water level of Yamuna will be reduced in the next two-three days, despite its officers are asking people living in the low-lying areas to be vigilant.

On the pretext of this flood in the Yamuna river, you know the 5 floods of the country which became a record of deaths, know how much they have gone? What did the governments learn from these floods?

1- 2013: Kedarnath flood caused havoc

In June 2013, incidents of unprecedented rains, glaciers, avalanche and lake bursting in the high Himalayan region of Uttarakhand caused tremendous havoc. The sudden floods, debris flow and landlords in Mandakini, Alaknanda and Bhagirathi basins caused havoc in pilgrimage and valleys. The top of the Kedarnath Dham led to a large amount of debris and water flow from the edge of the Chorabadi pool, which destroyed the below settlements.

After the Kedarnath flood, its effect was shown everywhere. Photo: Frank Bienewald/Lightrocket Via Getty Images

According to official data, the total number of dead and missing people was considered about 5,700. Thousands of houses, roads, bridges and hydropower projects were damaged. The intensity of rain recorded 300400 mm per 24 hours at many places, which was several times more than normal. More than one lakh tourists and pilgrims were trapped, with the airlifting and terrestrial route withdrawals with the help of Indian Army, Air Force, ITBP and NDRF.

2-Sal 2018: People did not forget Kerala floods, 483 deaths occurred

In August 2018, Kerala suffered the most severe centenary floods. All 14 districts of the state were affected at some level. Constant heavy rains in the Western Ghats, the release of more than 80 dams, and landslides on the slopes made the situation serious. About 483 deaths were officially recorded in this flood. More than 5 lakh people had to take shelter in relief camps.

In the second-third week of August alone, there was an additional 200-300 percent rainfall at some places in the state. Roads, bridges, houses, schools and hospitals suffered heavy damage. It took the state government for years despite the help of the central government to overcome this. The marks still appear somewhere.

Kerala floods came in the year 2018. Photo: Getty Images

3- Year 2008: 33 lakh people were affected by Kosi floods in Bihar

On 18 August 2008, Kosi changed his channel due to the breaking of the embankment near Kusha in Nepal and started flowing on a large scale in the old left stream. Due to this, wide parts of Bihar including Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj, Purnia were submerged. The government officially accepted the death of people between 400-500. The number of people affected by this flood was stated to be around 33 lakhs. Millions of hectares of crop was destroyed. Roads-rail tracks were cut, and thousands of villages were filled with water for a long time. Silt deposits up to four-five meters kept agricultural land less productive for years. Former Additional Director General of Meteorological Department, Dr. Anand Sharma says that Kosi is such a river in the country which is known to change the most routes. In this flood, he had shown his form, whose wounds have not yet healed.

4- Year 1987: 1300 deaths in Mahabad of Bihar

The monsoon of 1987 was extremely disastrous in the history of Bihar. Ganga remained high water level in Kosi, Bagmati, Kamla, Gandak etc. along with its main stream. Due to continuous rains, high flows coming from Nepal region and flat land of plains, floods expanded rapidly. The fields, villages, crops were all filled with water for a long period. According to government documents, more than 1,300 deaths were recorded in this year's floods. This year, about sixteen hundred lives were lost in the entire country in the flood, out of which people from Bihar had left the untimely world from Bihar alone. Many lakh people had to displace. Hundreds of hectares of crop collapsed, there was heavy loss of livestock. Many roads and bridges were swept away.

The Kosi river of Bihar brings flood every year.

5- Year 1979: Machhu-II dam broken and water came to Morbi

On 11 August 1979, the water level suddenly increased after the heavy rains in the dam on the Machhu river in Saurashtra. Spilway capacity and structural durability could not stay at the expected level and the huge velocity of floods reached Morbi Nagar directly due to dam breakdown. There was a scream all around. The death toll was officially reported between 1,800-2,500. Whereas in informal sources this number was stated more.

Within a few hours, the water in Morbi city and surrounding areas was filled up to 10-15 feet. Industrial units, markets, and residential colonies were swept away or severely damaged.

Why were they considered the most dangerous?

These five events are the solid basis behind calling the most dangerous. The first mass loss, the second, the population of crores came under their grip and the third important reason was the flow of the mountainous-Himalayan rivers, from the landslides to the plains-daltike silatation and dam-protection etc.

Every incident of flood demands different types of risk management, which also makes policy makers and engineers in the dock. We are still not awake. Because in the event of flooding, the entire system sits.

Who made the flood so deadly?

Flood ambience in India is the result of natural and human factors. Where the huge flow of exceptional rainfall, snow-ejaculation, and other rivers including Brahmaputra-Ganges is the main reasons, the Himalayas are relatively raw, which is why landslides and debris are common. On the other hand, uncontrolled construction on the banks of rivers, illegal occupation in river areas, insufficient urban drainage are also among the main reasons.

Embanks, more dependence on dams and their weak maintenance increase risk. The most important, after the flood, health crisis-contaminated drinking water is, due to which many infectious diseases spread and many deaths are caused.

What changed in India, what is left?

In the last three decades, India has made certain reforms in the field of disaster management. Organizations like NDMA, SDMA and DDMA stood up after the NDM Act 2005. Meteorological Department's forecasts are now more accurate. River-basin schemes, master plan for urban flooding, and hotspot mapping were also held in many states. After the 2018 flood in Kerala, radar-based rainfall was strengthened on the operation and dam operation protocol.

Uttarakhand also worked in this direction. States like UP-Bihar made many reforms in embankment monitoring, boat, and community ready-to-do. Nevertheless, there are still challenges. Modern instanceation, third party audit and regular drills are necessary for dam safety.

India's five most dangerous floods- 2013 Uttarakhand, 1979 Morbi, 2018 Kerala, 2008 Kosi and 1987 Bihar, create painful history in their respective context. These incidents showed that deaths are not only from the flood wave, but also from the lack of preparation, risky development, and the subsequent health crisis. If we place rivers their place, convert high-resolution forecasts into community warnings. If dam/embankment security is made a culture, then future floods are possible that it is not so deadly. We have less loss. Policy, technology and community-in partnership can reduce the impact of floods in India.