By Steff Gaulter
Every year the monsoon sweeps across much of Asia. Even Qatar is affected by the monsoon system. We obviously don’t get the rain, but our summer humidity is all part of the same system. As the rain pushes north across India and Pakistan, the moisture-laden air is also drawn up from the south. This air flows across Oman, the UAE and towards us in Qatar too.
Given that the monsoon happens every single year, you may be forgiven for thinking that it’s predictable and can be taken for granted. The thing about the monsoon is that it’s neither predictable nor reliable.
For those of us living in Doha, of course, the onset of the ‘monsoon’ or humidity isn’t so much of a dramatic change. If the summer is less humid than usual, then the weather is generally more pleasant. In India, however, if the air is drier than usual, the crops will wilt, millions of farmers will struggle to make ends meet and the price of food in the shops will increase.
Every year, the monsoon throws up some surprises, some of which are far more dramatic, and devastating, than others. In 2008, there was simply too much rain; crops and homes were washed away, and over 2,400 people lost their lives. Just one year later, in 2009, the opposite problem occurred when the rains failed, leading to shrivelled crops and soaring food prices.
This year, the monsoon has also delivered some surprises. The rains covered the entirety of India four weeks ahead of schedule, which is the earliest on record. The early monsoon was welcomed by many, as it meant an end to the relentless heat. The rains also brought hope to millions of farmers who depend on them for their livelihood. However, the monsoon wasn’t only early, it was also incredibly heavy.
The early rains were triggered by the heat wave which gripped central Asia. This caused the air to be sucked northwards earlier in the year than usual. At the same time two low pressures swirled either side of India.
One hurled moisture towards India from the Arabian Sea, the other from the Bay of Bengal. For some parts of northern India, this resulted in 36 hours of relentless and torrential rain. Severe flooding swamped many places, including the town of Uttarkashi, in Uttarakhand, Northern India, where 465mm of rain fell in just 24 hours.
It took a few days before the full horror of the devastation was clear. Video footage emerged of entire buildings being swept away by the raging floodwaters, and off-camera, entire villages were flattened.
The death toll is still unclear and estimates range from 900 to 30,000. Given the extreme discrepancy, clearly the devastation was immense, but can 465mm of rain in 24 hours be the only cause? 465mm is certainly a lot of rain, but it’s not unheard of in the monsoon.
The situation was undoubtedly exacerbated by the time of year that the rain struck. These were the first proper rains of the season and the ground was generally quite dry. There had been thunderstorms in the previous few weeks, but only light rain, nothing to give the ground a proper soaking.
The topography would also have made matters worse, because Uttarkhand is a very mountainous state, so the water would have rushed down the mountainside, forming vast torrents of water.
An even more significant factor in the scale of the disaster is because May and June are the time of peak pilgrimage to Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand is also called ‘devbhoomi’ which means the land of gods. The state is home to countless holy sites. Every year the temples, shrines, rivers and lakes, attract a huge number of pilgrims.
Due to the climate of the region, the majority of the sites are only open and assessable between April and November. The monsoon rains normally start in July, so May and June are the peak time for pilgrims. The holy Hindu site of Kedarnath is no different, which tragically was one of the worst hit locations.
In June, over 10,000 people visit Kedarnath every day. At the time the rains poured, every inch of the temple town was taken up by pilgrims.
The shrine is a 14km trek from the town and can only be reached by foot, horse or on the back of porters. These winding paths proved no match for the raging floodwaters. Many were obliterated by the powerful torrents, leaving thousands upon thousands stranded.
As the path dissolved, those who were lucky enough to be near a building took refuge inside, others clung to trees as the rain continued to pour. The rain fell incessantly for 36 hours. As the rain poured, a dam just a few hundred metres from Kedarnath burst, and water, rocks and debris flattened much of the town.
Due to the scale of the disaster, the rescue operation took over two weeks.
The Indian Air Force airlifted 18,000 people to safety. Many of the bodies of those who perished will never be found and the real death toll from the disaster is only likely to be known at the end of this month, when those who have still not be traced will be declared dead.
It’s not only the northern parts of India where the monsoon rains have been very heavy so far this year, almost the entire country has seen above average rainfall. This is of great delight to many of the farmers, but they know not to under estimate the power of the monsoon. It could well still have some more ugly surprises up its sleeve.