Desert into sea…

Monika Nautiyal Delhi

Dearth of rainfall in the ‘wet’ Northeast and unprecedented floods in ‘barren’ Rajasthan have left people perplexed over nature’s solemn twist. However, some experts are attributing this uncanny phenomenon to the variables in the weather patterns known to occur globally and not necessarily due to global warming and change in the climate. But the fact is there has been a 0.6 degree Celsius increase in mean average temperature of 15 degree Celsius in recent times.

There have been instances in the past when some parts of Rajasthan witnessed flash floods. In 2003, several areas in the state were swamped after years of drought. Local residents attribute the inundation this time to the breach of series of dams built in the upper areas of Barmer and Jaisalmer. The death toll in Barmer touched over 104 and bodies are being recovered daily in the district. Many people are still missing.

Barmer, over 600 km from the state capital, is a part of Thar desert bordering Pakistan. This sparsely populated area normally receives an average low of 277 mm rainfall annually, but this year (August 19-21), 678 mm of rainfall has been recorded, which has turned this area of sand-dunes into a huge and artificial lake. More than 800 villages and 800,000 out of the district’s two-million population have been affected due to unexpected rains and once-in-a-century floods. Massive damage has been reported to houses, property and livestock. About 47,000 head of cattle and crops worth Rs 300 million have reportedly been perished.

Twelve districts of the desert state were affected by the monsoons. These include Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Dungarpur, Rajsamand, Jhalawar, Kota, Barmer, Jalore, Pali, Sirohi and Jaisalmer. The highly affected areas in the Barmer district are Kavas and Malwa where the water is not receding as fast as in other areas. The water level is still over 10 feet as a thick belt of gypsum beneath the surface area is preventing the water from percolating. Some villages are still submerged in 20-25-ft-deep water. In fact, Kavas had experienced floods in 1989 and 1994 and received about 608mm of downpour. The NGOs say that there have been 36 deaths and three children are missing.

The disposal of floodwaters is now a big headache for the authorities. The NGOs have warned against draining out of the water which will lead to vast amount of wastage in a state thirsty for water for agriculture and drinking purposes. They have suggested that the government should install pumps in the range of 2-3 km and use the water for agricultural purposes by creating reservoirs, anicuts, check dams in the manner the ‘water experiment’ has succeeded in other parts of Rajasthan, including rainwater harvesting. This will help villagers to grow Rabi crops and horticulture crops and improve the groundwater table.

However, the uncanny question remains. Floods in a desert, is it a freak event, or climate change?