In India, floods remain a natural recurrent event of many major rivers of the sub-continent. Most frequently, it occurs during the ＂monsoon season＂ when precipitation remains very heavy and the natural watercourses ...In India, floods remain a natural recurrent event of many major rivers of the sub-continent. Most frequently, it occurs during the ＂monsoon season＂ when precipitation remains very heavy and the natural watercourses fail to accommodate excess water. The river Kosi, located in Bihar, India too bears a long history of annual floods and is often labeled as a ＂Sorrow of Bihar＂ due to its strange behavioural attributes and the extensive damage it causes as a result of severe flood inundation. The river Kosi is one of the megafans of the Gangetic plains. Geologic evidence demonstrates that the megafans are prone to devastating flood hazards. On August 18, 2008, the river Kosi burst through its banks to flow into a channel it had abandoned more than 200 years ago, drowning towns, numerous villages and rendering over a million homeless and many were reported to have died. The research is an attempt to reflect on the geographies of socio-economic impact of the Kosi flood, 2008. For this, the research uses a holistic approach. The findings suggest that the rescue and rehabilitation operation continue in the post flood region. However, operations were significantly delayed as the result of inept bureaucratic process and insufficient funding. The final sections draw together, the threads of analysis and suggest suitable measures, so that the floods of such magnitude can be managed better in near future.展开更多
文摘In India, floods remain a natural recurrent event of many major rivers of the sub-continent. Most frequently, it occurs during the ＂monsoon season＂ when precipitation remains very heavy and the natural watercourses fail to accommodate excess water. The river Kosi, located in Bihar, India too bears a long history of annual floods and is often labeled as a ＂Sorrow of Bihar＂ due to its strange behavioural attributes and the extensive damage it causes as a result of severe flood inundation. The river Kosi is one of the megafans of the Gangetic plains. Geologic evidence demonstrates that the megafans are prone to devastating flood hazards. On August 18, 2008, the river Kosi burst through its banks to flow into a channel it had abandoned more than 200 years ago, drowning towns, numerous villages and rendering over a million homeless and many were reported to have died. The research is an attempt to reflect on the geographies of socio-economic impact of the Kosi flood, 2008. For this, the research uses a holistic approach. The findings suggest that the rescue and rehabilitation operation continue in the post flood region. However, operations were significantly delayed as the result of inept bureaucratic process and insufficient funding. The final sections draw together, the threads of analysis and suggest suitable measures, so that the floods of such magnitude can be managed better in near future.
