Category:

Disaster & Management

Heatwave scorches north India; flash floods render many homeless in Tripura

The northeastern state is being battered by torrential rains for the last 48 hours and besides power and road infrastructure, crops have also been damaged. Though there was some respite for the national capital, temperatures in Punjab and Haryana were recorded above 40 degrees Celsius. Churu in Rajasthan sizzled at 43.6 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while it was 43.5 degrees Celsius in Haryana’s Gurgaon, which falls in the Delhi-National Capital Region.

read more

Floods may be nearly as important as droughts for future carbon accounting

“These wet extremes have basically been ignored in this field and we’re showing that researchers need to rethink it when designing schemes for future carbon accounting,” said senior study author Alexandra Konings, an assistant professor of Earth system science in Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth). “Specific regions might be much more important for flood impacts than previously thought.”

read more

SC directs NDMA to issue norms for financial help to kin of Covid victims

A special bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and M R Shah said that the court cannot direct the Centre to fix a particular amount of financial help but the government can fix the minimum standard of amount to be paid as ex-gratia to family members of those who lost their lives due to COVID-19 while keeping various aspects in mind.

The top court asked the Centre to consider formulating an insurance scheme for cremation workers as proposed by the Finance Commission.
It also directs the authorities to issue appropriate guidelines for simplification of process of issuance of death certificates for Covid fatalities.

read more

On climate change frontline, indigenous provide pointers to save planet

After an analysis of the growing threats confronting the communities and their sustainable ways of life, the authors of the report maintained that indigenous peoples worldwide play a vital role in countering global threats such as the destruction of nature, climate change, biodiversity loss and the risk of future pandemics.

read more

Karnataka to set up system at dams to get real-time water data, to prevent floods

This system, once set up in Karnataka’s Almatti and Narayanpur dams, will help the officials of both the states overcome the possibility of floods. In case Maharashtra has to release water from its dams as a precautionary measure, it will inform the Karnataka officials who would accordingly lower their water level in Almatti and Narayanpur dams. This alleged lack of communication in 2019 had resulted into Maharashtra releasing lakhs of cusecs water into river beds that flooded the villages on the banks.

read more

SC reserves judgment on PIL seeking direction to provide Rs 4 lakhs ex gratia to kin of COVID-19 victims

The petition also sought the issuance of direction to respondents, respective State Governments to fulfill their obligation to take care of victims of the calamity and their family members. The lawyers- Reepak Kansal, and Gaurav Kumar Bansal– in their petition, filed before the Supreme Court, sought immediate appropriate directions to the concerned authorities to pay financial help or ex gratia amount of Ra 4 lakh, as laid down by the Central government in its statute and rules to the family members of the deceased, who succumbed to COVID-19 pandemic. 

read more

Third wave in 6-8 weeks if Covid-appropriate behaviour not followed: AIIMS chief

There needs to be aggressive surveillance strategy in Covid hotspots and lockdowns in case of any significant surge. The moment a significant surge in cases in noted in a particular area and the positivity rate goes beyond 5 per cent, area-specific lockdown and containment measures should be implemented,AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria said.

read more

People in flood prone villages in K’taka will be moved to other places:CM

According to the release, 1,710 villages have been identified as flood prone and gram panchayat level disaster management action plan has been developed and training imparted regarding its implementation.
“We have given instructions to district authorities to take precautionary measures in view of possible floods.We have to ensure that no further damage happens in coming days and people in villages prone to floods are shifted to nearby high altitude places,” Yediyurappa told reporters after a meeting with officials of 20 districts, Karnataka Disaster Management Authority and Water Resource Department.

read more