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Why Cuba and Netherlands set an example for India in dealing with floods.?

Floods became a challenge after the monsoon rains in many states of India. This disaster is not new for the country.

Why Cuba and Netherlands set an example for India in dealing with floods.?

Floods became a challenge after the monsoon rains in many states of India. This disaster is not new for the country.

About five years ago, during the monsoon, the Mahananda River was in spate in Bihar. The flood proved disastrous for Kunti Devi and her family. The water carried away Kunti Devi's husband.

In the year 2017, the death toll from floods in India, Bangladesh and Nepal was more than 12 hundred.

After five years i.e. this year also the floods became the cause of destruction in many states of India.

In Assam alone, more than two thousand villages in more than 27 districts were affected by the floods. Government figures have confirmed the death of more than a hundred people.

About 4 million people were affected due to floods in the northeastern part of Bangladesh.

This difficulty is not seen only in South Asia. Last year, cyclonic storm 'Aida' became a problem for America. More than 40 people died due to the impact of the storm.

Scientists around the world are warning that incidents of 'nature's wrath' may increase in the coming years.

But can the damage caused by it be reduced and deaths prevented?

Journalist Amanda Ripley explains, "I was doing a series on disasters for Time magazine. These included the 9/11 attacks, Cyclone Katrina, and other disasters. I found that the survivors of different types of accidents were largely were telling the same stories."

The stories Amanda heard weren't just about tragedy and loss. They also came to know how people react in times of disaster and how it can put them in danger.

Amanda says that most of the deaths during floods in developed countries are due to drowning. In most such cases, it has been seen that people were trying to cross the flood water or were driving in the middle of the water.

Amanda says that usually the brain is not able to correctly estimate the danger associated with water. People are unable to assess the power of flowing water and sometimes they overestimate their capacity. Actually, for many people driving in the middle of the rain is not a unique thing. They are not afraid of it and sometimes they get into trouble.

Amanda explains, "15 cm of water running as high as ankle height is enough to knock you down. 15 cm of water can stop a car. If there is 30 cm of water, then your car can float. 60 cm If there is water, you can flow. We probably don't even think that this much water can kill us."

Amanda also answers why we can't assess the situation properly.

She says, “There is a fear in our mind for situations like cancer or terrorism that we feel that we cannot control them, but something that we consider ourselves to be aware of or believe that we can overcome it. We can control it, as if we are not afraid of rain and we see danger differently.

Research conducted in developed countries such as the US and Australia has revealed that a certain group of people are accustomed to underestimate the risk.

Amanda says that men are more than twice as likely to die during floods.

One reason for this is that men are more likely to work in hazardous areas than women. One of the major reasons is men's habit of taking risks. However, not all men are the same in this matter. She says that "about 30 percent of white men see very little risk of driving in water."

The elderly are more alert to the dangers that lie ahead. But they can put themselves in trouble when they make decisions like leaving home during bad weather.

Amanda says, "I spoke to the family of an elderly person who died in Hurricane Katrina. They did not want to leave the house. They did not want to spend 20 hours in their daughter's car with children and dogs. Like he too was afraid to leave his house.

In difficult situations, many times people's decisions become the reason for their death.

Now the question is how to stop such deaths?

Amanda says that governments can inform people about the danger in advance. The warning should be clear, precise and detailed and should be repeated over and over again.

Flood prevention measures

Kees Bones, a specialist in water resources management, works for the Institute 'Deltares' in the Netherlands.

He says, "It might be surprising to people outside the Netherlands that we don't think about floods every day. Is."

Kees Bones, who seems careless about the flood, does not forget to mention that more than 50 percent of the GDP of the Netherlands comes from below sea level. In such a situation, if there is a flood in the western part of the Netherlands, then the economy here will be ruined.

He says that the people of the Netherlands have been working towards stopping floods for centuries. It started with the extraction of water through windmills and steam engines.

After the great devastation in 1953, the people of the Netherlands intensified efforts to deal with the floods. At that time more than 18 hundred people died due to floods.

Kees Bones explains, "It was a time of decision for the people of the Netherlands. After that the Netherlands decided to prepare a plan which we call the Delta Plan."

Large scale construction projects were made in it. Dams and barriers were built to stop the sea water. It cost about $6 billion. It took almost 40 years to complete.

But due to rising sea levels and climate change, it seems that the task of getting protection from floods will never be completed. For this a new delta law was made.

Keyes states that one billion euros is earmarked for flood protection every year.

In the Netherlands, most of the money is spent on building large projects. One of these is the 'Rotterdam Harbor Flood Barrier'.

He explains, "This is a storm barrier. It has two doors. Each door is as high as the Eiffel Tower. Its control is entirely computer-controlled. To close it, the flood risk is assessed. What is the level, what is the level of the storm. What is the level of rain, etc. It is a very hi-tech system."

The Netherlands has also made a lot of progress in terms of weather forecasting.

Kees Bones explains, "In the Netherlands, we want to have an accurate flood forecast of 10 to 20 centimeters. Even if you can't stop the flood, people have a chance to go to higher places. So that they can lose their valuables." Safe

Through these measures, the Netherlands has got great security. Keyes Bones says that he does not remember when the last death in his country was due to floods.

Keys Bones has also advised the Government of India. He says that in the year 2017, he had also warned the Bangladesh government a week before the floods.

Devastation and lessons

This year (in 2022) floods became the cause of great destruction in the northeastern part of Bangladesh. The deaths of many people, including small children, have been confirmed. More than 40 lakh people are homeless. Bangladesh faces the problem of floods almost every year.

Dr Ashraf Dewan, a specialist in weather and floods associated with Curtin University of Australia, says, "When I was in high school, it was 1988, when Bangladesh was in the grip of severe floods. About 61% of the country was under water for three months. Drowned."

A large part of Bangladesh falls in the world's largest delta region. It is one of the most fertile areas but floods are a permanent problem here.

Dr Ashraf says that floods cause major devastation in Bangladesh every five or ten years and the government spend more than 20 percent of its total budget on projects related to water management.

Dr Ashraf explains that sometimes these constructions give a 'false sense of security'. Considering the site close to the dam and other constructions as safe, people start settling there and are not aware of the dangers present there.

They say that here it is difficult to try the measures of rich countries like Netherlands. There is a need for cheap measures in Bangladesh. This includes accurately identifying the flood-prone area and making evacuation plans.

Dr Ashraf Diwan says, "You have to build more shelters for flood situation. If you can tell people that see this flood shelter is near your house. You can go here when there is a flood situation. "

The death toll during floods is decreasing worldwide. Due to better technology, accurate weather forecast is available. But still people will be surrounded by floods. It is also important to plan for post-flood situations. Many people get caught by typhoid during monsoon. The reason for this is contaminated water. Many people also face the problem of diarrhea and cholera during the monsoon season. I think by informing people the effect of these diseases and other problems can be reduced.

Dr. Dewan says that governments should suggest solutions for the future. Local people should also be included in the plan that is made. But is this happening?

On this question Dr. Ashraf says, "At present we don't seem to be doing this. During floods you will hear a lot of noise in the country but as soon as the flood water recedes, we all forget. We don't do anything that in future. Let us save people and property."

learn from cuban

Cuba remains an example for the world regarding the management of natural disasters.

"In the 1950s, when I lived there, there were a lot of tornadoes and great destruction," says Elizabeth Newhouse, advisor to the Cuban Program at the Center for International Policy, a Washington-based think tank.

Elizabeth now lives in America, but she grew up in Cuba and has seen what storms can do.

She says that she saw many storms in Cuba and her experience was very scary.

Sometimes change begins after a major accident. In the case of Cuba, this accident was the cyclonic storm 'Flora' of 1964.

Elizabeth explains, "Seven thousand people died due to the Flora storm. After that they adopted the civil defense system. It is headed by the President of the country. It is very effective. It covers every aspect of preparing to deal with the storm. Gone."

After this, the Comprehensive Emergency System was implemented. Elizabeth says that this is one of the best systems in the world. She says that very few people die in Cuba due to storms and floods and the reason for this is preparation. In schools, children are taught from a young age how to prepare themselves.

Every year drill means preparation is tested and then when the storm comes, everyone from big government officials to local volunteers work together according to the plan.

Elizabeth says that about 120 hours before the civil defense people start preparing. About 36 hours ago, they get into action rapidly.

During one of the most severe cyclonic storms 'Irma', Cuba showed the world what to do on such occasions.

"They started evacuating people 24 hours before the storm hit. Most people went to their friends and relatives' homes. The rest went to rescue centers. They were also accompanied by pets. Their household items could not be found if they were to be found," Elizabeth says. If there was any loss, the government would have compensated for it. So they were not worried about the goods. In such a situation, they did not face any difficulty in going to a safe place."

Elizabeth says that volunteers or officials provide help to the elderly, sick, pregnant women and all other people who cannot go to safe places on their own. Even if someone wants to stay, he is not allowed to stay in a dangerous place.

Elizabeth explains, "Their (Cuba's) record of saving lives is excellent. For example, in the event of a hurricane, Cuba has two deaths per 100,000 people. In the US this number is closer to 15. In Cuba Everything stays on track and it takes practice."

America and other countries also took cognizance of this. He sent disaster management experts to Cuba to understand how this small country managed to reduce the death toll during a natural disaster.

Coming back to the same question that how to prevent the deaths due to floods?

As our experts pointed out, accurate weather forecast can make a big difference.

In rich countries, it is possible to counter natural disasters through construction. But the Cuban approach can be effective for developing countries facing the problem of floods, lack of resources and climate change.

And plan, as our fourth expert, Elizabeth, says. teach people. This Cuban mantra will be useful in saving lives.