The recent flooding of Chennai and other areas in southern India is a grim reminder of the power of nature’s fury. All man-made fortification come up short against the intensity of an engulfing flood. We have seen it time and again.
The post-mortem of the floods will go on for some time. Some have claimed that the opening of the water reservoirs of the dams was not managed properly. The El Nino effect (the warming up of water in the Pacific, which happens periodically) was responsible for the severe North-East monsoon in late November. The biggest reason being sited is the destruction of green cover in areas around Chennai, including the mangroves.
Our ecosystem is our first and last protection against floods. Last year I had written an article on how the ecosystem performs the all important function of flood control. Here is the link:
http://www.yourssciencely.in/2014/06/ecosystem-sciences-part-5-flood-control.html
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