Shirish B Pradhan Outlook Tue, 21 Jul 2020 13:17 UTC
Eight people, including two children, were killed in landslides triggered by incessant rains in Nepal, home ministry officials said here on Tuesday.
Two children below the age of five were buried alive under a landslide in Tokha municipality, 12 km north of Kathmandu on Tuesday morning, they said.
Similar incidents were also reported in the last 24 hours from other parts of the country.
While one death each was reported from Dhading and Darchula districts, two persons died in Nawalparasi district, National Emergency Operation Centre chief Murari Basti said.
Summer snow India, 500 year storm New Zealand along with new data showing no warming in the country for the last 130 years. Brazil record cold in 23 municipalities and multiple volcanic eruptions across Japan. Is it a sign from nature that the changes begin ?
Authorities in central China have blasted a dam to release surging waters behind it amid widespread flooding that has claimed scores of lives.
The dam on the Chu river in Anhui province - a tributary of the Yangtze river - was destroyed with explosives on Sunday morning, state broadcaster CCTV reported, after which the water level was expected to drop by 70cm (2ft).
The water released is being channelled into two storage ponds on a flood plain that can hold more than 60m cubic metres (2.1bn cubic ft) of water.
Water levels on many rivers have been unusually high this year because of torrential rains. Blasting dams and embankments to discharge water was an extreme response employed during China's worst floods in recent years in 1998, when more than 2,000 people died and almost 3m homes were destroyed.
Comment: Flooding of biblical proportions is happening with an increasing frequency all over the planet, here are just some of the recent reports:
A young university scholar has become the latest victim of a deadly wild elephant attack in Sri Lanka, officials said Monday, after a growing spate of similar incidents across the island nation.
The 32-year-old was returning to her hostel at the University of Jaffna on Sunday when she was trampled.
"She was with another friend who managed to escape the attack," a local police officer told AFP.
"Wildlife authorities have tried to track down the elephant, but with no luck."
She sustained multiple head injuries and died in hospital on Monday, officials added.
Three rivers in Indonesia's South Sulawesi province overflowed after intense rainfall
The death toll from flash floods that hit Indonesia's South Sulawesi province has risen to 36, while 40 are still reported missing, officials say.
Wisnu Widjaja of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said in an online press conference that the number of those wounded was 58 while 14,483 people have been displaced and are staying in 76 shelters in Sabbang, Masamba and Baebunta sub-districts.
Three rivers in the area overflowed following intense rainfall that lasted two days, triggering a flash flood that struck the North Luwu area last Monday evening.
"The flash floods were caused by land conversion. A joint team has been deployed to clear the roads that are blocked by the mud using excavators," BNPB spokesman Raditya Djati said in the press conference.
He said the mud-clearing process is expected to finish by Monday.
Anilesh Mahajan India Today Wed, 15 Jul 2020 14:27 UTC
In gloomy times of the Covid pandemic, any good news is welcome. For Himachal Pradesh, it has come in the form of early snowfall, spreading cheer among residents and officials. The state's remote Baralacha and Shinkula regions received snowfall in the first week of July—a month earlier than usual. With the weather bureau predicting a normal monsoon, which should keep temperatures low, more spells of snowfall can be expected in the higher reaches in the weeks to come.
Sixty per cent of Himachal Pradesh receives snowfall, which is critical not only for the state's ecology but its economy as well. Weather experts say the early snowfall this year could well be owing to the lockdown-induced drop in vehicular traffic and industrial activity in the foothills, which may have brought pollution levels down.
The impact of the 90-day lockdown in the state is also visible in other ways, such as cleaner rivers and lakes. This year, the state is witnessing heavy rainfall in the major tourist hubs, such as Kullu-Manali, Chamba-Dalhousie and Shimla-Rampur, as well as the remote tribal districts of Lahaul and Spiti. This will help recharge the natural water sources even as the early snowfall acts as a buffer water source in the upper reaches.
The low-pressure system in the Arabian Sea caused heavy rains in eastern parts of the Dhofar Governorate. Most of the coastal and desert areas received moderate to heavy rains.
Salalah city also witnessed heavy rain in the wee hours on Sunday. The rain has completely subsided now. Some low lying areas were waterlogged due to the rain.
Mirbat recorded heavy rain and rescue operations had to be carried out on Sunday to protect a stranded person in the city.
Mukesh Singh Sengar NDTV Sun, 19 Jul 2020 09:04 UTC
As heavy rains whipped several parts of Delhi and nearby areas this morning, houses at a slum in Delhi's upscale ITO area collapsed when a canal running through the slum overflowed.
Dramatic visuals, shared on social media, show water gushing into the basement of a building under construction from the overflowing sewage drain.
As houses topple over and get washed away by the rushing water, residents can be heard screaming in the background. No one was present in the building at the time of the incident, officials told NDTV.
Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) and fire engines are present at the spot.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology spotted some debris and lava travelling down the slope of the volcano which could have been dangerous for potential hikers
A violent eruption jolted residents of the Italian volcanic island of Stromboli awake at 3 a.m. Sunday.
Comment: Flooding of biblical proportions is happening with an increasing frequency all over the planet, here are just some of the recent reports:
- Tunisia floods due to heavy rains
- Death toll from the flash flood in South Sulawesi, Indonesia rises to at least 36 with 40 still missing
- Oman floods due to heavy rains
- Houses crumble as drain in Delhi overflows after heavy rain
Also check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Earth changes in an electric universe: Is climate change really man-made?