Essays

Introduction. Unseasonal heavy rains cause floods in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Union Territory of Delhi. The floods left behind a trail of death and destruction.

Destruction Caused By Flood. More than 800 persons died. Standing crops over a vast area were submerged. Communication and rails-and road services in many parts were disrupted shattered. In Jammu and Kashmir, the national highways roads which connect Jammu with Kashmir was blocked with landslides and rock slips, They blocked traffic all along the route. Heavy rains also caused great damage in Himachal Pradesh in Punjab, the flooded Sutlej, Ravi and Beas caused extensive flooding of farmlands and towns. Water from the Sutlej River entered Ferozepur city and cantonment which are projected by a barrage and head works.

Punjab and Haryana and the grain houses of India. They were hit when the kharif crop was ready for harvesting rice and cotton area came under the sheet of water of rains and suffered water logging.

Loss caused by foods. With the end of foods in these areas the Centre and the State government assessed the extent of the damage Caused to life and properly. More the 800 persons died. The overall damage to crops was assessed at a rough estimate of 5 to 10 percent In some: area it could be more. Aryan’s loss was put as Rs. 150 crores. But an overall loss for the' region could not be properly assessed.

Prime minister’s estimate. In spite of the floods the union agriculture ministry hoped that the kharif target of 92.5 million tons for the country world be achieved the Prime Minister Mr. Rajiv Gandhi hinted at a function in the Indian Agriculture Research Institute in Delhi that the production, might even Eros the 170 million tones mark which would be a big jump. Meanwhile a national conference on the Rabi campaign for 1998-89 worked out plans for reaching higher production level of over 74 million tons for the Rabi season with the help of adequate moisture in the ground, better seeds and other new agricultural technology.

Steps for controlling folds. To prevent floods the need of link- king the country’s different rives is felt. Dr. K. L. Rao, one of India’s top engineers had once suggested utilization of 2.59 million he care meters of Ganga waters to bring additional area under irrigation. In 1975, captain disturb proposed the garland Cancel providing for a Himalayan canal linking the Ravi to Brahmaputra and Central and Southern canals with about200 integrated lakes and two large reservoirs. The Central Water Commission prepared a national perspective plan to take surplus water from the rivers to the water scarce regions.