13 dead, many missing after severe cloudburst hits Samej bridge in Himachal Pradesh Cloudbursts.
Let’s understand about the Cloudbursts in detail:
CloudBursts:
1.Cloudburst is a localised but intense rainfall activity. Short spells of very heavy rainfall over a small geographical area can cause widespread destruction, especially in hilly regions where this phenomenon is the most common.
2. Not all instances of very heavy rainfall, however, are cloudbursts. A cloudburst has a very specific definition: Rainfall of 10 cm or more in an hour over a roughly 10 km x 10-km area is classified as a cloudburst event. By this definition, 5 cm of rainfall in a half- hour period over the same area would also be categorized as a cloudburst.
3.Due to nature of the terrain, the heavy rainfall events often trigger landslides and flash floods, causing extensive destruction downstream.
4.This is the reason why every sudden downpour that leads to the destruction of life and property in the hilly areas gets described as a “cloudburst”, irrespective of whether the amount of rainfall meets the defining criteria.
Reasons for the Occurrence of Cloudbursts:
1.The relative humidity and cloud cover is at the maximum level with low temperature and slow winds because of which a high amount of clouds may get condensed at a very rapid rate and result in a cloudburst.
2.As temperatures increase, the atmosphere can hold more and more moisture and this moisture comes down as a short very intense rainfall for a short duration probably half an hour or one hour resulting in flash floods in the mountainous areas and urban floods in the cities.
Impacts of Cloudbursts:
1.The most visible effect of a cloudburst is landslides.
2. Major Cloudbursts results in the loss of life and properties along with long term economic impacts.
3.Mudslides are also a very common effect of cloudbursts. It is a rapid flow of debris and dirt, which gets stronger and liquified with the addition of fast-moving water.
4.Damage to ecosystem of that place as natural disasters are not only harmful to human beings but can also destroy the rich flora and fauna of a region. As large swathes of forests get flooded, a large number of animals die, and trees get uprooted.
5.Land subsidence is also a major consequence of cloudburst. Land subsidence means a rapid and sudden sinking or settling of the earth’s surface.
6.As cities, villages, and towns get destroyed by this natural disaster, another major impact that one can see is the large-scale migration of human beings.
Therefore, it becomes challenging for the government to rehabilitate a huge displaced population in a short span of time.