Cloudburst

Cloudbursts are short-term extreme precipitation that takes place over a small area.

It is not the breaking open of a cloud, as is sometimes perceived, resulting in the discharge of huge amounts of water. A cloudburst is defined very precisely, “If rainfall of about 10 cm or above per hour is recorded over a place that is roughly 10 km x 10 km in area, it is defined as a cloudburst event. Similarly, by this definition, 5 cm of rainfall in half an hour would also be classified as a cloudburst”. 

Causes: 

Cloudbursts are usually associated with thunderstorms, and the air currents rushing upwards in a rainstorm hold up a large amount of water. If these currents suddenly cease, the entire amount of water descends onto a small area with a fatal force all of a sudden and causes mass destruction. Clouds condense rapidly as a result of this.

Effects:

• A cloudburst can be very dangerous because of how much rain is involved, especially if it lasts several hours. Cloudbursts are frequently followed by flooding, destroying people, animals, and land in their wake.
• Debris, boulders, and trees (after being uprooted) brought down by flowing water damage structures on steep slopes. Consequently, steep hills are an ideal location for cloud formation.
• Often, these relentless rainstorms appear in the summer, and in farming communities, they are sometimes welcomed, as a cloudburst can irrigate crops very thoroughly.

Measures of NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) for cloudbursts: 

• Strengthening of dams, barrages, and embankments to regulate and control water flow.
• Localized planning that incorporates the surrounding community and considers the ecological fragility of the region.
• Adoption of eco-friendly legislation and eco-aware tourism for the development of the region.

In the NDMA guidelines, community-based disaster management is emphasised (CBDM). Mitigation can be made more successful by utilising and leveraging local resources and expertise. By joining and collaborating, local organisations like  Gram Sabhas, and Panchayats may improve the disaster management system as a whole.