“At least 22 people have been killed after monsoon-season floods triggered a landslide in the southern Indian state of Kerala.”, BBC news reported on the 8th of August and NDTV reported loss of lives and property in Uttarakhand for the same reason on August 25. Several districts in Odisha and Bihar are also undergoing crisis because of untimely floods. Well, what is it that causes these floods ?

Severe flooding is caused by atmospheric conditions that lead to heavy rain or the rapid melting of snow and ice. Geography can also make an area more likely to flood . For example, areas near rivers and cities are often at risk for flash floods. The most common reasons for floods may be heavy rains, overflowing rivers,broken dams, urban drainage basins,storm surges, tsunamis, channels with steep sides , lack of vegetation and melting of snow and ice.

The vast adverse effects that floods have can be greatly reduced by taking some simple measures beforehand. Introduction of better flood warning systems, modifying homes and businesses to help them withstand floods, tackling climate change and protection of wetlands and introduce and plant trees strategically would be some wise precautions to take amongst many others.