In an attempt to implement an effective mechanism for sending timely alerts on floods, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has joined an initiative by the UK Space Agency for a collaborative project on ‘Impact-based flood forecasting using Earth observation (EO) -based information ‘.
Calling the project the next step in flood forecasting services, Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha said: “Impact-based flood risk forecasts will be helpful for efficient and effective contingency planning as well as for rapid assessment of severity for the necessary response. “
Noting that international collaboration adds specific value to help analyze past floods and identify relationships between anticipated floods and their impact, he said the mechanism will predict impacts on people, their homes, crops, livestock and transportation routes. , thus mitigating many of the challenges. people face during floods.
A recent report has placed India among the 10 most disaster-prone countries in the world and has classified flooding as a climate-related hazard, posing the greatest risk to people. India has numerous flood forecasting systems that provide predictions of water levels and flows, but not their impact in terms of loss of life, damage to buildings, critical infrastructure and agriculture.
At J&K, there is no effective impact-based flood forecasting mechanism as such, an official statement here said. It is a great initiative taken by the Lieutenant Governor as it will help predict river flood risks, in terms of expected loss of life, injury to people, collapse of buildings, disruption of infrastructure and economic damage, he added. The framework will be able to be linked to any existing or future flood flow forecasting system and UT management will not have to bear any expenses for the project, he said.
Under its National Space Innovation Program (NSIP), the UK Space Agency supports collaborative projects between UK-based organizations and their international partners. HR Wallingford, in collaboration with Oxford University, Sayers & Partners (SPL) and D-Orbit (UK), will be responsible for the accurate flood forecasting project, the statement added.
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