The Flood In India
Blessed with the gifts of the modern science, man is puffed up with pride. In this pride of power he proclaims himself the Lord of land, air, water and there is none to dispute his right. To teach him a good lesson nature appears before him “red in tooth and claw.”
India is a low land. It
has many rivers. She is also in the monsoon area. It rains heavily during the
monsoon period. So floods are very common in our country. Almost every year
flood visits in our country.
In the remote past it was
believed that flood is the outcome of God’d wrath upon man. When people of a
particular area committed sin, God punished them by sending floods in that
area. With the growth of scientific knowledge man has however come to realize
they overflow their banks and cause flood. Floods are caused by some other
reasons. Sometimes, there is heavy rush of water from the mountain through our
rivers. Sudden melting of snow or tidal bores causes flood.
Damage: The
havoc done by flood beggars description. It causes a heavy damage to our life
and properties. Houses are destroyed, cattle are washed away, crops are greatly
damaged and trees are uprooted. The weak, the invalid and the children meet
watery grave. The strong climb up the trees or houses tops and save themselves.
Thousands of people become homeless and shelter less. They remain without food
for many days on house tops or on the branches of trees. All communications
from the outside world is cut off. Then people move by boats.
The flood of 2015 broke
the records of the past. Never before did water lever rise so high nor was the
duration so long. The people whole country went under water. All communication
was cut off. Normal activities were stopped for long time. Many people become
homeless. The miseries of the affected people knew no bounds. Crops were
greatly damaged. Herds of cattle were washed away. Thousands of people met
watery grave. In a word the havoc was so great that it took a long time to
repair the loss.
But the effects of floods
are more serious. Famine breaks out in the flood affected areas and many people
die for want of food. The prices of all necessary things go up. Many dangerous
diseases like cholera, typhoid and dysentery etc. break out in an epidemic from. Scarcity of
good drinking water causes great suffering. It ruins the economy of a country.
Merits:
Floods do a little good to man. During floods our rivers carry a great deal of
earth and mud which we call silt. This silt makes the land fertile. As a result
many kinds of crops grow in plenty. Floods also carry away waste matters.
Relief work : During and
after the flood the relief work should go on. Otherwise the miseries of the
affected people will increase. During the flood government and some other
voluntary organizations come forward to help the flood affected people. Relief
camps are opened. People get food, cloth, pure drinking water and many others. The
affected people should be sheltered and fed for a long time. Loans should be
given them so that they could again run their family.
How to prevent floods: Proper steps should be taken to control floods. All
the rivers should be re-excavated and good drainage system should be introduced.
A large number of sluices and outlets should be made for the easy passing of
rain water.
