CSR: Fighting The Floods
Natural calamity has struck India yet again in form of floods this monsoon season. As reported by the Times of India, Home Ministry data showed that about 774 people have died in seven states in India during the monsoon season so far. Apart from these, at least 27 people are missing and 245 others have been injured.
Every year, hundreds of people die in India during the monsoon season. The repercussions of flooding, that causes land slides, soil erosion and increase in silt loads in the rivers, causes a lot of damage to the property, livelihoods as well as the environment.
Global warming and climate change has caused an upheaval in the ecosystem leading to such calamities. With increasing carbon emissions in lieu of development, these calamities cannot be completely avoided on the immediate basis. However, to ensure that the damage is minimised and the impact of these calamities are not taking us ten steps back in the walk of development, some preventive measures are needed to be implied.
It is important to know the facts in order to enable sound decision making. Indian Railways is one entity that display the elevation of each of its station above the sea level. Taking inspiration from them, each area and establishment should be made aware of its elevation level and its risk rank to flooding. This way people can get prepared for such an event and can evacuate before the damage demands their lives.
The colossal damage from flooding has increased because the catchments are not dense enough to moderate the flow of floods. In order to remedy that, more trees can be planted so that they hold the soil, reducing soil erosion and also reduces the impact of the water flow.
India is facing water crisis currently. Using the flooding season as an opportunity to store water to use for the entire year, would not only manage the crisis, but also reduce the damage caused in the calamity.
Mumbai, Jaisalmer, Uttarakhand, Chennai, Surat and Kerala have seen massive floods in last few years. These places are in different parts of the country with different topographies. It clearly says that no place is really safe from the calamities unless steps are taken to contain it.
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The CSR Journal Team
