The frequency and intensity of flash floods is rapidly increasing in the Himalayan region. Flash floods carrying huge amounts of water, loaded with debris and sediment, are much more hazardous and tend to affect more people than normal monsoon floods. They are also much harder to predict, making them more difficult to manage and prepare for. However, the devastation can be minimized with effective flood forecasting and early warning systems.
While meteorological departments provide some flood forecasts for larger rivers, in the smaller rivers that flow down from the Himalayas, systems for forecasting flash floods or warning local communities are less common. To fill this gap, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Aaranyak, an environmental research and advocacy organization in northeast India, have installed flood early warning system (FEWS) along the Jiadhal and Singara rivers in Assam. Both rivers are tributaries of the Brahmaputra.
n 2010, a timely warning from the FEWS installed in Dihiri, a village in the Jiadhal basin, enabled people to shift their livestock to a safer place one hour before the flood arrived. Another community-based flood early warning system in Dhemaji district has been welcomed by local residents, who see it as a potential life-saver.
In 2013, ICIMOD has already provided eight such systems for installation on different rivers in Assam. Five of them have been installed. After the installation, all the systems are managed by local residents. ICIMOD and Aaranyak have been training residents to manage the system.
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