Year-ender 2017: From floods to avalanches, here are 5 major natural calamities of the year

Year-ender 2017: Ranging from floods in Gujarat to Cyclone in south India, the year 2017 witnessed many natural calamities which resulted in death and destruction of life and property. Here is a list of five disasters that took place in the year 2017, have a look: 1) 2017 Gujarat flood Image: PTI In July 2017, following heavy rain, the state of Gujarat was affected by severe flooding which reported to have caused total 224 deaths between 1 June and 31 July 2017 and 16 people had died in neighbouring Rajasthan state by 31 July. Between July 1 and 28, Gujarat received 559.4 mm of rainfall, as against the average of 339.6 mm for the said period, representing an excess of 65%, said the Indian Meteorological Department. The rescue teams evacuated more than 113,000 people to safety and more than 17,000 of them were rescued. The GOI announced an interim relief package of ₹ 500 crores and it is also announced that ex gratia of ₹ 200,000 be given to the next of kin of the deceased and ₹ 50,000 to people seriously injured in the floods. 2) Cyclone Ockhi Image: PTI It was the most intense tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea since Cyclone Megh in 2015 and the third and the strongest storm of the 2017 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. Ockhi originated as a low-pressure area in the Gulf of Thailand on November 21 and while traversing the southern part of the Bay of Bengal, favorable conditions enabled it to consolidate into a deep depression. And on November 30, due to moisture and warmer temperatures between Sri Lanka and Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin) in mainland India, it intensified into a Cyclonic Storm. Cyclone Ockhi crossed the sea near Kanyakumari on November 30 and although it changed direction near Kanyakumari and headed towards the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea, it caused destruction in the southernmost districts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. 3) 2017 Mumbai flood Image: PTI The 2017 Mumbai flood occurred on August 29, 2017, following heavy rain in Mumbai. The extreme rainfall on 29 August 2017 was forecasted by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), at 5–6 days in advance. The government, however, failed to respond quickly, leading to the crisis. Transport systems were not available through parts of the city as trains and roadways were shut. Power was cut-off from various parts of Mumbai to prevent electrocution. As of the morning of 30 August 2017, 14 people had been confirmed killed and GlobalGiving launched a relief fund to support survivors of the flood. According to some recent research, these Mumbai floods could be attributed to climate change which has led to huge fluctuations in the monsoon winds carrying the moisture from the Arabian Sea, resulting in heavy rainfall over central India, lasting for 2–3 days. 4) 2017 Gurez sector avalanche Image: PTI/Representational In Gurez sector in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir, three soldiers went missing after an avalanche, triggered by fresh snowfall, struck a forward post on December 12. The avalanche hit an Army post at Baktoor near the Line of Control in Gurez sector during the intervening night. In January alone, around 22 Army soldiers died due to snow furry in Gurez and Sonmarg areas of north Kashmir. 5) 2017 West Bengal floods Following heavy rain in July and August 2017, West Bengal was affected by severe flooding. Not less than 27,00,000 people in 106 blocks of 14 districts of West Bengal were affected by the flood. The state government opened around 311 relief camps for them and Chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited flood-hit areas in Amta and Udaynarayanpur in Howrah.