Natural Disasters – Safeguard Measures
Gujarat Cloudburst
- Heavy to very heavy rains pounded several districts in Gujarat’s south and Saurashtra regions, triggering a flood-like situation in urban areas and isolating villages amid rising water levels in dams and rivers surging to danger levels due to cloudburst.
About Cloudburst
- Cloudburst is defined as a geo-hydrological hazard.
- Cloudbursts are sudden, unprecedented heavy rainfall.
- Rainfall over 100 mm or 10 cm per hour over a region of 20 to 30 square km falls into this category.
Causes
- It occurs mainly in mountainous areas when the warm air currents rise from the ground towards clouds. It carries the falling raindrops along with it.
- Thus, the rainfall fails to occur steadily, and the clouds have excessive condensation. There is also an accumulation of a large amount of water at high altitudes.
- The upward current becomes weak, and the waterfalls on a single stretch.
- Generally, cloudbursts occur at an elevation of 1000 to 2500 meters above sea level.
- Cumulonimbus clouds are responsible for the heavy downpour.
National Disaster Management Authority
- It is headed by the Prime Minister of India
- It was established on September 27, 2006
- Set up based on National Disaster Management Act, 2005
