Space based disaster management of 2008 Kosi floods, North Bihar, India
- PDF / 665,910 Bytes
- 10 Pages / 612 x 792 pts (letter) Page_size
- 87 Downloads / 143 Views
J. Indian Soc. Remote Sens. (March 2010) 38: 99–108
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Space Based Disaster Management of 2008 Kosi Floods, North Bihar, India C. M. Bhatt . G. S. Rao . P. Manjushree . V. Bhanumurthy
Received: 23.09.2009 / Accepted: 26.11.2009
Keywords Remote Sensing . Kosi . Breach . Flood . Bihar.
Abstract One of the most important elements in flood disaster management is the availability of timely information for taking decisions and actions by the authorities. During the August 18, 2008 Kosi floods which impacted India and Nepal and affected more than three million people, aero-space technology proved to be a critical input for providing vital information on flood inundation. The satellite based flood inundation maps were extensively used for
C. M. Bhatt ( ) . G. Srinivasa Rao . P. Manjushree
. V. Bhanumurthy National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO, Hyderabad500625, India
identifying marooned villages, submerged roads and railway tracks and carrying out the relief and rescue operations by the state agencies. Decision Support Centre (DSC) at National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) kept a constant watch on the flood situation. More than 200 flood inundation maps, using about 30 satellite datasets were generated and provided in near real time mode to the state agencies during August to October, 2008. DSC efforts were primarily focused in providing an overall picture of the flood situation in a short span of time to the state agencies. The present paper discusses about the operational use of remote sensing technology for near real time flood mapping, monitoring of Kosi floods and the satellite based observations made for the Kosi river breach.
Introduction
e-mail : [email protected]
The alluvial plains of North Bihar (India) are most vulnerable to flood hazards. During the last thirty years period these plains have experienced the highest number of flood incidences (Kale, 1997). Drained by
100
two major rivers, the Kosi and the Gandak (and other smaller river systems like the Burhi Gandak, Bagmati and Kamla-Balan), these plains experience extensive loss of life and property every year. The Kosi river has been responsible for some of the most devastating floods in the region. It is also known as the “Sorrow of Bihar” due to the frequent channel migration and the extensive flood damage it causes in the region. During the the last two centuries the Kosi river has shifted its course by about 150 km (Gole and Chitale, 1966; Wells and Dorr, 1987). The presence of a number of palaeochannels all along the surface of Kosi alluvial fan clearly visible on the satellite images, bear testimony to the dynamic nature of the Kosi river. To control the erratic flow of the river and trap the sediments, the Kosi river was embanked on both sides and a barrage was constructed across the river in 1963, after the devastating floods of August, 1954. However, this did not help much and there have been repeated occurrence of floods in 1963, 1971, 1984, 1991, 1995 and the latest 2008 floods (Reddy, 2008).The Kosi breach of August, 1
Data Loading...
