Floods across Asia see death and disease afflict largest continent
China devastated by floods
Roads and houses in Shayuan village aresubmerged after floods hit south-east China's Jiangxi province
Cloudburst flattened the Leh
Monks conduct a rescue operation after flash floods at Choklansar, on the outskirts of Leh
Floods In Pakistan Kill at Least 800
Pakistanis on Saturday crossed a main highway damaged by a flood in Charsadda, in northwestern Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan
Floods
devastateNorth Korea
State media reported that thousands of residents have lost their homes and farms
In China, the death toll rose to 702 after Sunday's landslides in Gansu the deadliest incident so far in the country's worst flooding in a decade. A debris-blocked swollen river burst, swamping entire mountain villages in the county seat of Zhouqu and ripping homes from their foundations.
More than 1,450 people had been killed by floods and landslides in China and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage across 28 provinces and regions. as of Aug. 6, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
In Pakistan, thousands of people fled the central city of Muzaffargarh as authorities warned swollen rivers could soon submerge the area, adding to the worst natural disaster in the nation's history,two weeks of flooding have killed 1,500. The United Nations said the government's estimate of 13.8 million people affected by the country's worst-ever floods exceeded the combined total of three recent disasters – the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.Rescue workers have been unable to reach up to 600,000 people marooned in the north-western Swat valley, where many residents were still trying to recover from an intense battle between the army and the Taliban last spring. At least 165 people were killed and another 370 injured when flash floods triggered by torrential rains struck this Himalayan town in Leh in Ladakh region, northeast of Jammu and Kashmir, leaving a trail of death and destruction.While many villages like Sabu, Phyang, Nimoo and Choglamsar were affected, the city bore the maximum brunt of the calamity.
Thousands of army and paramilitary soldiers continued clearing roads and removing the debris of hundreds of homes flattened in the Ladakh region by Friday's thunderstorms.
In North Korea, some 10,000 people sheltered in public buildings in the border city of Sinuiju near China because of flooding, the Red Cross said. Flash floods destroyed thousands of homes across the impoverished country, and the Amnok river recorded its highest water level in 15 years. Human activity that changes the surface of the Earth also effects the water cycle, and can cause floods. Buildings, parking lots and roads, replace grass and dirt with concrete. Under normal circumstances, soil acts like a sponge and soaks up a fair portion of rainwater. But in crowded towns and cities, rainwater flows into storm sewers and drainage ditches, and, at times, overloads them. An urban area can be flooded by an amount of rainfall that would have had no impact in a rural area. The destruction of the nation's wetlands may also contribute to moderate floods. The wetlands are the swampy land along the edges of some rivers. When it rains, the wet soil and mud of a wetland acts like a sponge and stores the extra water. But much of America's wetlands have been drained for farmland or to build houses. The only place flood water can go is up and over its normal riverbanks and into areas where it can cause major damage. Floods are primarily natural events. Human activity influences the frequency and severity of floods, but they are created by Mother Nature. There is no really workable protection against major floods like those that hit Grand Forks in the spring of 1997 and the MississippiRiver Basin in 1993. Our best defense against floods is an understanding of the way people treat their environment and better weather prediction.
Fragile habitat of French mystery island 'risks being trampled underfoot'
Scientists say 'wonderful biological laboratory' of island that rose from stormy seas is under threat until official status guarantees protection
The 'mystery island' created by cyclone Klaus in the mouth of the Gironde estuary. Photograph: Couillaud Pascal/Sud-Ouest/Maxppp
In the early morning of 23 January 2009, the most powerful hurricane-force storm to hit France in a decade came howling in from the Bay of Biscay.
With wind speeds of up to 125mph, cyclone Klaus struck land at the point of the estuary of the river Gironde, near Bordeaux, then charged south-east to Spain and across the Mediterranean to Italy. It left 26 people dead, flattened forests and power lines and caused massive destruction of buildings and roads.
But it also left behind an extraordinary creation at the very point where its devastation began, causing the townsfolk of Royan, a fishing port situated at the mouth of the Gironde, to rub their eyes in disbelief.
Seven miles out to sea, along the frontier between the Atlantic Ocean and the estuary, an island had risen out of the boiling waters. It had a surface area of 11 acres above the highest sea level, and a base of some 250 acres at low tide. Locals soon called it "l'île mystérieuse" – the mysterious island – after the novel by Jules Verne.
"What is so remarkable about this new island, apart from its sudden apparition, is that it has since remained intact in what is often a very violent, hostile sea environment," said Guy Estève, a retired local geomorphologist. "It could well become a permanent feature."
The nature of its apparition was all the more fantastic given that it emerged close to the location of the lost island of Cordouan, once home to the Tower of the Black Prince, a legacy of English occupation during the 100 Years' war. Inhabited from Roman times until the late Middle Ages, Corduan disappeared below the waves after the erosion of its limestone rock. France's oldest lighthouse, completed in 1611 to replace Edward of Woodstock's tower, now stands at the site.
'Raj's attempt to malign migrants unfortunate'.....PTI
Union Minister of State for Communications Gurudas Kamat today condemned MNS chief Raj Thackeray for blaming the spread of malaria on migrants and described his remarks as "unfortunate"
In a statement issued here, Kamat who represents the Mumbai North West parliamentary seat, said Raj Thackeray had no constructive suggestion to solve such problems but create tensions among the city's population.
The MNS chief had said that migrants were responsible for the spread of malaria as they flooded the hospitals leaving no space for patients from the state.
"The repeated attempts at maligning Muslims or migrants has become a nuisance and needs to be nipped in the bud," he said.
Kamat said the MNS chief's family migrated from Indore and settled in Mumbai
Mumbai, Aug 2 (ANI):Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has blamed migrants for the outbreak of malaria in Mumbai. "It is all an attack of the population. These epidemics of malaria and dengue don't spread on their own. Who is coming to Mumbai, who is staying in Mumbai, no one knows. Slums are increasing; gutters are flowing and breeding mosquitoes. The municipal corporation blames the state government and vice-a-versa. This is the only business going on," Thackarey told reporters here. "All the city's hospitals are crowded with these migrants. There's absolutely no space left for anyone else. Where does the local go, then?", he said.
Heavy downpour has flooded streets and houses in Mumbai and several rivers are in spate across Maharashtra.
While a good monsoon is vital to India's farm sector, heavy rains and runoff also leads to floods and outbreak of diseases. (ANI)
This is what Mr Raj Thakrey said but all the media and politicians are using this statement against North Indians and Muslims.....I only urge to all of them,"Please this is a serious issue ,don't play your dirty politics here come together to get the solution or tomorrow we will have new epidemics.....
This is for the people irrespective of anything but only one thing common "Dare to say something" If you want to say something,anything,whatever ....then this is for you come share your thoughts because you never know your thought may change the world,your thought today may be tomorrow's lifestyle.....
Monks conduct a rescue operation after flash floods at Choklansar, on the outskirts of Leh
