While India is known for its heavy monsoons which drench the country between the months of June to September, experts claim that the recent flooding and landslides afflicting the western state of Maharashtra are a result of the ever present and global issue, climate change (Mukadam).
Since July 22, 2021, Maharashtra, India has been experiencing unprecedented rainfall which has resulted in flooding and landslides that are ripping apart small villages (Mukadam). Numbers as high as 23 inches of rain are reported, leaving certain towns in Maharashtra devastated (Pratap). More than 50,000 Indians are homeless, 213 dead and basic utilities like electricity and water are cut off (IANS). Within Maharashtra, two towns Chiplun and Mahad apart of districts Ratnagiri and Raigad respectively in the states Konkan region were reportedly the hardest hit (Mukadam). Chiplun lies in between the Vashishthi and Shiv rivers as well as in close vicinity of the Arabian Sea and Koyna Dam (Mukadam). All of this to say that the town is susceptible to flooding. The night of July 21, 2021, residents of Chiplun were awoken by rising water levels (Mukadam). Although many citizens began alerting authorities, the Indian National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) did not arrive to Chiplun until 24 hours later (Mukadam). While Torrential downpours wiped out the Raigad, Satara and Ratnagiri districts, landslides were the ultimate cause of death. In other neighboring districts such as Sangli and Kolhapur, heavy flooding forced evacuations (India Today).
HOW TO HELP
On July 23, 2021, Narendra Modi (Indias prime minister) offered affected families $2,686 and injured residents $671 (Pratap). Despite this financial step, it is clear that lack of resources and slow communication lines in these small Indian villages are the fundamental reasons for the deaths and displacements of so many people. An American non-profit organization known as Americares stepped in to provide aid for victims of this natural disaster (Business Standard). To support Americares with the Maharashtra floods and other disasters donate at: Donate to Americares. While monsoons are typical in India, the extremity of these particular floods indicate a significant change in climate patterns that experts know is linked to global warming. The 2021 Maharashtra floods are yet another reminder to take care of the environment and do our part to subdue the effects of global warming.