7 of 10 SINKING & Africa Roll; India: floods in North-east kill 23, displace 7 lakh! Central & West Africa: Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal experience the worst flooding! 284 dead by floods!

India TILTING & BACKWASHING:

/ Flood situation grim in Assam, 7 dead
The flood situation in Assam is grim with over 800,000 people affected in at least 15 of the 27 districts in the state, officials said on Sunday. Officials said that seven people have died in floods in various places during the past one week. Over 700 villages have also been submerged in the affected areas, an official said. The government has sounded an alert, as water level in most of the rivers in the state continue to rise owing to incessant rains in some Upper Assam districts as well as in Arunachal Pradesh. The flood situation is more serious in Kamrup, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Sonitpur districts, according to the official. /

/ Flash floods, landslides in North-east kill 23, displace 7 lakh
Flash floods and landslides have killing 23 people and displacing a further 7 lakh people in the North-east. CNN-IBN reported that nearly 20 people were killed in Sikkim, three in Arunachal Pradesh and more than 7 lakh people affected in Assam after days of incessant rainfall triggered landslides and flash floods in the region on Sunday.
In Sikkim, landslides swept away houses, buildings, roads, bridges and everything else in their way, in the northern part of the state, while a labour camp at the Teesta Hydel Project site was also washed away.
The twenty deaths in the state are believed to include seven Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel, three civilians and one General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) personnel. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) claimed that 11 of its personnel were missing. In Arunachal Pradesh, flash floods resulted in the deaths of three people. /

/ Even before lakhs of people in Assam, displaced due to floods, could return home, another four lakh people have been affected in a fresh wave of floods in the state. A third wave of floods has hit Assam this monsoon season, affecting 13 districts. In the Bhoyra village in Lower Assam's Rangiya sub division, people are escaping to safer places. Their home and fields are completely engulfed by the Puthimari river which breached on Thursday evening. Around 150 homes have been inundated here, affecting 1300 people.
Bhadrasher Das, a school teacher, has lost eight bighas of standing crop in the flood that washed away hundreds of hectares of land.
"We have a huge problem... communication and roads have breached... we hope to get some relief from the government but that will not be adequate," Mr Das said. /

Thailand SINKING:

/ In Thailand, 15 provinces have been declared disaster flood zones. Heavy rain has also slightly flooded some Bangkok streets prompting the government to criticize its governor for the mismanagement of the situation.
In spite of being the end of the monsoon season, It's been raining for weeks in several Thai provinces and Bangkok as well, in northern and eastern regions the situation is worsening. According to the latest updates from the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, 15 provinces have been declared flood disaster zones, with more than 235,000 people across the country already affected. Bangkok governor's remark came after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra publicly questioned Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's efficiency in water management, to add more tension, Deputy Government Spokesman blamed Bangkok administration for not keeping the city's roads dry over the past week, up to 30 Bangkok roads were flooded, creating huge traffic jam and affecting hundreds of thousands of Bankokians. /

/ BMA: Slow drainage caused by subsidence
Twenty-nine areas in Bangkok were flooded following heavy rain on Wednesday night, causing severe traffic congestion across the city, and the water took many hours to drain away. Deputy city clerk Jumpol Sampaopon said on Thursday that work crews took a long time to drain off the water because subsidence in the city means the canals now have only a gradual drop and the water flows out much more slowly.
Land in the city was subsiding at a rate of one to 10 centimetres a year, he said. Mr Jumpol denied that the flooding was caused by undredged canals or clogged drains, as many people claimed. /

7 of 10 Africa Roll - Africa floods 2012

40+137+81+13+13=284

527,471 + 445,725 = more than one million

Cameroon worst flooding in 60 years!

17 September, 2012

18 September, 2012

15 September, 2012 - 24 September, 2009

15 September, 2012 - 8 September, 2011

15 September, 2012

Cameroon authorities have found six more bodies in flood waters, bringing the number killed to as high as 40 in the wake of tropical downpours and the breaching of a dam in the west African country. Cameroon's Communication Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary has described the flooding as "a calamity" and called for urgent action to save lives and property. Local officials are calling it the worst flood disaster in over 60 years.

edition.cnn.com;

Nigeria worst flooding in 50 years!

8 September, 2012 - 23 September, 2009

14 September, 2012 - 23 September, 2009

15 September, 2012 - Niger river floods

Flooding across Nigeria has killed at least 137 people and displaced more than 35,000 since July. This is worst floods in 50 years! allafrica.com; capitalfm.co.ke;

Flood Kills Nine Month-Old Baby, Displaced 12,000 People in Cross River. Floods kill over 47 in Niger State! allafrica.com; channelstv.com

Niger worst flooding in 100 (or 80) years!

14 September, 2012 - 23 September, 2009

Floods in Niger have killed 81 people since July, the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs announced Thursday, adding cholera outbreaks have killed a further 81 people. "The last update of the toll of the floods dating from September 11 indicates that 527,471 people have been affected by the bad weather and 81 people have lost their lives," OCHA said in a statement in Niamey. Niger has worst floods for 100 years. google.com trust.org

Senegal some of worst flooding in it's history

Sources: reliefweb.int; reliefweb.int;

Senegal in the wake of some of the worst flooding in its history, displacing tens of thousands and killing 13. allafrica.com;

Chad

Tens of thousands of people have been affected by flooding in parts of central, eastern and southern Chad following heavy rains in August. Thousands of hectares of crops and hundreds of houses have also been destroyed. The floods have caused at least 13 deaths, affected 445,725 people and inundated about 255,720 hectares of cropland, according to a 3 September update by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Some 73,412 houses have been destroyed.
The flooding has come when Chad is still grappling with food insecurity. In late August, residents and officials in an affected area of the Mouraye department, in the south-eastern region of Salamat, told medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) that "this year's flooding in the area, although having lasted a shorter time than the flooding in 2010, is much more serious due to the extension of the floodwaters and the impact on crops," according to Stefano Argenziano, the head of Mission of MSF in Chad. guardian.co.uk;

East Africa:

/ The UN humanitarian agency says more than 240,000 people in East Africa have been displaced by localized flooding which has also destroyed infrastructure across the region. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its bulletin published on Tuesday received in Nairobi that the flooding is as a result of the ongoing July-September rains.
"The regional climate outlook for the September-December rainfall season indicates an increased likelihood of above to normal rainfall over much of the Greater Horn of Africa," OCHA said. According to humanitarian agency, some 131,000 people have been affected by flash floods in Afar and Amhara regions of Ethiopia while over 100,000 people have been affected in Sudan's Darfur, Gedaref, Kassala and Blue Nile States. "Heavy rains continue to hamper delivery of vital humanitarian aid to refugee camps in the border areas of South Sudan," the relief agency said. In Kenya, OCHA said, 5,000 people have been displaced by a landslide in Baringo county, where a section of the road was destroyed, cutting-off relief response to the area.
More than 70 people were killed and over 100,000 others displaced in Kenya's flash floods that ravaged several parts of Kenya between April and June. /

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India:

Flood situation grim in Assam, 7 dead

The flood situation in Assam is grim with over 800,000 people affected in at least 15 of the 27 districts in the state, officials said on Sunday.

Officials said that seven people have died in floods in various places during the past one week. Over 700 villages have also been submerged in the affected areas, an official said.

The government has sounded an alert, as water level in most of the rivers in the state continue to rise owing to incessant rains in some Upper Assam districts as well as in Arunachal Pradesh.

The flood situation is more serious in Kamrup, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Sonitpur districts, according to the official.

A total of 16 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 60 army teams and 18 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have stepped up their relief and rescue efforts in some of the worst affected districts, the official said.

Four helicopters of the Indian Air Force and army have been pressed into service in the Sadia subdivision in Tinsukia district to air drop necessary food items and rescue marooned people.

Ferry services have also been stopped at Sadia and Assam's largest river island Majuli in Jorhat district as the Brahmaputra river is flowing above the danger level in many areas. Several villages have been submerged in Sadia and Majuli.

In Lower Assam, too, flood waters have breached the Rangia-Goreshwar PWD road at Rangia in Kamrup district Sunday morning, an official said.

Parts of the Kaziranga National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Dibru-Saikhowa National Park have also been submerged.

Alert has been sounded in the Kaziranga National Park. At least 15 anti-poaching camps of Kaziranga have been submerged, forcing the security staff to shift to boats in order to keep an eye on poachers.

Officials from Dispur said that Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level mark in Dibrugarh, Nimatighat, Dhemaji, Tezpur and Dhansirimukh in Kaziranga.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_flood-situation-grim-in-assam-...

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Flash floods, landslides in North-east kill 23, displace 7 lakh

Flash floods and landslides have killing 23 people and displacing a further 7 lakh people in the North-east.

CNN-IBN reported that nearly 20 people were killed in Sikkim, three in Arunachal Pradesh and more than 7 lakh people affected in Assam after days of incessant rainfall triggered landslides and flash floods in the region on Sunday.

In Sikkim, landslides swept away houses, buildings, roads, bridges and everything else in their way, in the northern part of the state, while a labour camp at the Teesta Hydel Project site was also washed away.

The twenty deaths in the state are believed to include seven Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel, three civilians and one General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) personnel. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) claimed that 11 of its personnel were missing.

In Arunachal Pradesh, flash floods resulted in the deaths of three people.

In Assam, thirteen districts are affected, the worst-hit being Tinsukhia. The Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark and the Kaziranga and Dibru-Saikhowa national parks are under water.

Nearly 60 relief camps have been set up across the state to cater to the flood victims. This is the fourth time that floods have hit the state this year.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army have been called in for rescue operations.

CNN-IBN said that according to the latest reports, nearly 30 km of a highway was washed away and the region between Mangan and Chungthang was said to be affected.

http://www.firstpost.com/india/flash-floods-landslides-in-north-eas...

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Flood situation in Assam worsens, over four lakh affected

Rangiya, Assam: Even before lakhs of people in Assam, displaced due to floods, could return home, another four lakh people have been affected in a fresh wave of floods in the state. A third wave of floods has hit Assam this monsoon season, affecting 13 districts.

In the Bhoyra village in Lower Assam's Rangiya sub division, people are escaping to safer places. Their home and fields are completely engulfed by the Puthimari river which breached on Thursday evening. Around 150 homes have been inundated here, affecting 1300 people.

Bhadrasher Das, a school teacher, has lost eight bighas of standing crop in the flood that washed away hundreds of hectares of land.

"We have a huge problem... communication and roads have breached... we hope to get some relief from the government but that will not be adequate," Mr Das said.

In Lachi Bishnupur village, located further into the flooded plains, almost 1500 people are marooned. There are no roads to this village and they have been living like this since the first flash of flood in the last week of June.

"From June 26 we are in water... we have lost our houses, paddy fields. However, we have not received sufficient relief from the government," said Hiren Kalita, a farmer.

The National Disaster Response Force is on standby as the district administration is distributing relief and evacuating people.

"The present scenario is that the water is still rising. Some parts of Rangia are under water because of Puthimari and due to rain in Bhutan... Administration is taking all possible measures... we have requested the NDRF in case rescue is suddenly needed... also next step is relief," said Barnali Deka, Sub-Divisional Officer, Rangia.

It has been a cruel summer for Assam. Lakhs of people have been displaced in waves of flood across the state and ethnic riots in Lower Assam. With more embankments threatening to breach the flood, misery may affect many more people.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/flood-situation-in-assam-worsens-...

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Thailand:

Thai Opposition & government blame each other for flood mismanagement ‎

In Thailand, 15 provinces have been declared disaster flood zones. Heavy rain has also slightly flooded some Bangkok streets prompting the government to criticize its governor for the mismanagement of the situation.
In spite of being the end of the monsoon season, It's been raining for weeks in several Thai provinces and Bangkok as well, in northern and eastern regions the situation is worsening. According to the latest updates from the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, 15 provinces have been declared flood disaster zones, with more than 235,000 people across the country already affected.

Bangkok governor's remark came after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra publicly questioned Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's efficiency in water management, to add more tension, Deputy Government Spokesman blamed Bangkok administration for not keeping the city's roads dry over the past week, up to 30 Bangkok roads were flooded, creating huge traffic jam and affecting hundreds of thousands of Bankokians.

Despite the construction of flood walls and dykes, Waters have reached over 2 meters high in eastern region close to the capital Bangkok, The Office of the National Water and Flood Management Policy announced that the situation was considered now "severe".

During last year's flood more than 5,300 cubic meters of floodwater per second flowed into the main "Chao Phraya River" that crosses the capital, whereas the river capacity is only 3,500 cubic meters per second. Thailand Water Resources Association advised the government to build other major flood diversion channels in order to divert water from the Chao Phraya River to the sea to prevent the capital to be flooded again.

The blame game between the government and opposition is not reassuring the population nor investors who have been assured by Prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra that there would be no floods similar to last year's. With several provinces already under water, doubts over the government's capacity to handle the situation is emerging in the country's political sphere.

http://presstv.com/detail/2012/09/23/263116/thaioppositiongovernmen...

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BMA: Slow drainage caused by subsidence

Twenty-nine areas in Bangkok were flooded following heavy rain on Wednesday night, causing severe traffic congestion across the city, and the water took many hours to drain away.

Deputy city clerk Jumpol Sampaopon said on Thursday that work crews took a long time to drain off the water because subsidence in the city means the canals now have only a gradual drop and the water flows out much more slowly.

Land in the city was subsiding at a rate of one to 10 centimetres a year, he said.

Mr Jumpol denied that the flooding was caused by undredged canals or clogged drains, as many people claimed.

Responding to former Bangkok governor Bhichit Rattakul's suggestion that all the drains in the capital city should be replaced with new ones, the deputy city clerk said the task would be difficult and would require a large budget.

However, he said, Bangkok authorities might lay new drains in some flood-risk areas.

Officials will ensure that the drains are not clogged with debris such as leaves, sticks and garbage so that water can flow unobstructed, he added.

Sujarit Koontanakulvong, a water engineer at Chulalongkorn University, said rainfall is an important variable for flooding in Bangkok.

"The drainage system has been in use for more than 20 years and it is designed to handle 60 millimetres of rain per hour," Assoc Prof Sujarit said. "If there is more than 130mm of rain in an hour, it will take more than two hours to drain off."

He also suggested that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration install more drains and speed up the draining process on main routes in the city.

"The BMA should consider setting up an electrical drainage system. This system is a central public utility system which each agency can operate together," he said.

Meanwhile, Rak Thailand Party leader and MP Chuvit Kamolvisit posted a question in his Facebook page on Thursday asking whether the BMA's giant tunnel can really be used to drain water out to the sea.

His question was directed to Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra.

"I want to know whether the giant tunnel, in which a huge sum of money was invested for sustainable flood prevention, is really effective.

"An official working at the BMA office told me that the city's water pumps and water pumping system were full of defects, making the BMA's water pumping capacity ineffective," Mr Chuvit posted on his Facebook page.

The Rak Thailand leader suggested it was time that people started looking into various projects of the BMA to see how much it had actually done to prevent Bangkok from being flooded.

Mr Chuvit also posted a picture taken last year of a flooded spot in Bang Khae area.

The picture shows how sad and disappointing it was that when Bangkok was hit by the great flood, the giant tunnel could not be of any help, he said.