Heavy rains along with low pressure over India’s western coastline has led to severe floods in Kerala and the Kodagu district of Karnataka. This low pressure has stayed constant over the Kerala Karnataka coastline for the past fortnight.
As a result, the coast of Kerala and Karnataka has received about 46% of the total rainfall received in India. Till now this has amounted to approximately 7,158 mm of rainfall.
| Area | Rainfall Received in 2018 |
|---|---|
| Konkan Goa Coast | 2,418.7 mm |
| Karnataka Coast | 2,565.7 mm |
| Kerala | 2,191.1 mm |
| Rest of India | 15,530 mm |
Bhagamandal in Kodagu recorded 106 mm of rainfall on Sunday. Tourists travelling to Kodagu have been advised to postpone their plans and a holiday has been declared for all educational institutions in the area.
Many major roads including those in Kushalanagar, Virajpet, Napoklu, and Ponampet have been submerged. Talacauvery has been cut off from the rest of the district by 6 feet of water over the Bhagamandala-Aiyyangeri road. Minor landslides have also been recorded at many points along the Madikeri-Mangaluru Highway (NH 275) and one the Mukkodu-Hanjala Road.
| Area | Rainfall Received in 24 hours in 2018 | Rainfall Received in 24 hours in 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Somwarpet | 52 mm | NA |
| Madikeri | 106.4 mm | 1.5 mm |
| Bhagamandala | 113.2 mm | 17.6 mm |
| Virajpet | 185.8 mm | 12.2 mm |
Why has the Monsoon been so Heavy this Year?
Deforestation is one of the main reasons for this increased monsoon intensity. Evapotranspiration from the green cover of the Western Ghats is responsible for around 50% of the total rainfall received by southern peninsular India. Deforestation in these areas has contributed to Global Warming which has caused the monsoon intensity to increase steadily since the 1990s.
Human incursion and unscientific development in these ecologically sensitive areas have also been cited as reasons for this natural disaster. According to environmental scientists, this disaster could have been averted if the recommendations of the Gadgil committee had been implemented. Kerala and Karnataka were among the six states in the Western Ghats that unanimously opposed the recommendations.