Food for thought after a flood

Food for thought after a FLOOD

Flood affected area near Polali, Mangalore, India

We need to learn from the history; otherwise we will become part of it. I used to read about hurricanes and floods. Now, I am experiencing them. The time gap between floods is decreasing and the intensity of flood is increasing. Floods are not new to the earth; but the recent floods are clearly man-made floods. Earlier, there used to be waterways and small rivulets that use to drain the water to valley or river. Catchments, hill slopes and other grass lands used to hold the water which used to seep into the ground and recharge the groundwater. Increasing human habitation in all possible areas, loss of trees and grass, unscientific developmental activities, failing to understand the nature, increased production of green house gases making the oceans warm and creates new currents and depression at different parts of the world. This relocates the precipitation and creates floods and drought in newer places. People start looking at the governments to help. Good hearted people are in large numbers. They come and give compensations, foods and other essential materials. Few days later, people will go back to their places from rehabilitation centres start building new life...people will become busy in serials, cinema..politics...till the other calamity come to their door step.

Flood affected family at Honnavar (Photo cutesy: Dr M T Laksmipathi )

Though Governments have roles in mitigating the flood by constructing good roads, proper infrastructure, strong policy framework, effective enforcement of law etc. Government is also one of the stakeholders. The responsibility lies on every citizen on the earth and each one of us can play a role in mitigating natural calamities. In spite of warning of bad weather conditions, people refuse relocate from coastal areas and hilly areas. They don’t insure their crops and livestock’s. Poor working capital, small land holding makes them to take risk and live with vulnerable situations.

It is not just number...

According to surveys, India ranked the third highest in the world regarding the number of significant disasters with 18 such events in one year. In Karnataka, India due to recent floods about 103 blocks of 22 districts are affected. The total human death toll is 76, around 10 people are missing; livestock loss is about 996, 6.9 lakh hectares of crop loss and 75317 houses are damaged due to rains. For some, it might just look like number and economics. They compare with 2004 floods and say, the losses are less. But there is a huge message for everyone. If we ignore it, nature also ignores us.

Next year there will be severe drought

            The marine fish production may go up in India during next year because of the excess nutrient deposition that drained into the sea due heavy flooding. But it may not be true for freshwater aquatic resources. Huge gush of water with heavy silt disrupted the ecosystem of many ponds and reservoirs. It takes 4-5 years to regain their normal productivity status. But food grain production will go down by 30-40%. Apart from 6.9 lakh agriculture land in thousands of hectares the top productive soil is eroded and it might take 3-4 decades to develop the required organic carbon (OC) in the soil. There is no soil and green to hold the moisture. It might delay the pollination which will affect the productivity, new pests and disease for both plants and humans may arise. Thousands of people in the flood affected area have to recover from mental agony and build their new life. Because of this shortage of production, the prices of essential goods may go up. This will cause severe social disparity and leads to further more complexes. Many youngsters will migrate to cities and make the cities some more vulnerable.  

Here are the suggestions

•   Research institutes, industries and other academic institutions must come out with cottage industries with complete buy-back system to promote employment and resource use efficiency. Money should circulate among the community.
•        Better micro-financing programs
•        Cancel all schemes on agriculture and buy back their produce by giving 15% profit on cost of production
•      Promote alternative livelihood activities. Needless to say with buy back policy
•      Re-greening programs
•     The people who refused to vacate the location even after warning signals, they have to give an affidavit that they are responsible for their lives.
•      Don’t waste food, no luxury programs..simple living for next 700 days
•     Under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), private and public companies must adopt villages
•      Clean the waterways
•      Vote for the right people
•      Use energy efficient gadgets
•      Speak up with community
•      Keep yourself informed about government schemes, initiatives, laws
•      Respect the law of the nature and the Governments
•      Pray god to make you responsible