A man`s body was found in a car trapped by floodwaters on Wednesday, the first death linked to wild weather across Australia in recent days that has submerged houses, swept away cars and livestock and cut off entire towns.

More than 40,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as torrential rain sparked dangerous flash floods, and authorities issued new evacuation orders on Wednesday for residents in Sydney`s western regions to move to safe zones.

In some other areas, a massive clean-up operation began as sunny skies returned for the first time in days, and food and other emergency supplies were flown in over swamped roads.

The man`s body was found in Sydney`s northwest by emergency services workers responding to reports of the stranded car. Officials said the man had yet to be identified and no other details were available.

Gladys Berejiklian, the premier of New South Wales (NSW), the worst-hit state, warned that water levels would keep rising in some areas as major dams continued to overflow and rivers bulged.

"What we still have to be aware of is the fact that thousands and thousands of people are still on evacuation warnings, that the rivers will continue to swell, that catchments will continue to experience flows of water not seen in 50 years and in some places 100 years," Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.

The Insurance Council of Australia, the peak industry body, said about 17,000 damages claims worth around A$254.2 million ($193.32 million) had been lodged by Wednesday morning across NSW and Queensland.

Homes have been submerged, livestock swept away and crops drowned on a large scale. There have also been many animal rescues, with water craft used to move dogs, cattle, and even an emu, away from the flood waters. In the country`s arid centre, water cascaded down Uluru, a rare phenomenon described by the national park on social media as "unique and extraordinary."

RECOVERY BEGINS

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday that heavy-load helicopters would be prepared to transport food to supermarkets where supplies were running short.

"The expanse of water that went right across that region was quite devastating to see," Morrison said in parliament after he toured flood-affected areas by helicopter.

Several hundred Australian Defence Force personnel will be sent to flood-affected areas in the country`s east over the next few days to help in the recovery, Australia`s Emergency Management minister David Littleproud said on Wednesday.

"Their job will be out there cleaning up, making sure that we get rid of the debris, having boots on the ground," Littleproud said.

Australian Rail Track Corp (ARTC) partially reopened Hunter Valley coal rail lines to Newcastle, the world`s biggest coal export port, on Wednesday.

The Hunter Valley rail network serves mines run by BHP Group, Glencore Plc, New Hope Corp, Whitehaven Coal and Yancoal Australia, among others.

The Port of Newcastle, which last year shipped 158 million tonnes of coal, slowed ship movements earlier in the week but said on Wednesday it was continuing to operate. 
Forecasters said the weather system will shift to the island state of Tasmania on Wednesday, bringing heavy rains and localised flooding.

A man`s body was found in a car trapped by floodwaters on Wednesday, the first death linked to wild weather across Australia in recent days that has submerged houses, swept away cars and livestock and cut off entire towns.

A man`s body was found in a car trapped by floodwaters on Wednesday, the first death linked to wild weather across Australia in recent days that has submerged houses, swept away cars and livestock and cut off entire towns. More than 40,000 people have been forced to flee their homes as torrential rain sparked dangerous flash floods, and authorities issued new evacuation orders on Wednesday for residents in Sydney`s western regions to move to safe zones. In some other areas, a massive clean-up operation began as sunny skies returned for the first time in days, and food and other emergency supplies were flown in over swamped roads. The man`s body was found in Sydney`s northwest by emergency services workers responding to reports of the stranded car. Officials said the man had yet to be identified and no other details were available. Gladys Berejiklian, the premier of New South Wales (NSW), the worst-hit state, warned that water levels would keep rising in some areas as major dams continued to overflow and rivers bulged. "What we still have to be aware of is the fact that thousands and thousands of people are still on evacuation warnings, that the rivers will continue to swell, that catchments will continue to experience flows of water not seen in 50 years and in some places 100 years," Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney. The Insurance Council of Australia, the peak industry body, said about 17,000 damages claims worth around A$254.2 million ($193.32 million) had been lodged by Wednesday morning across NSW and Queensland. Homes have been submerged, livestock swept away and crops drowned on a large scale. There have also been many animal rescues, with water craft used to move dogs, cattle, and even an emu, away from the flood waters. In the country`s arid centre, water cascaded down Uluru, a rare phenomenon described by the national park on social media as "unique and extraordinary." RECOVERY BEGINS Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday that heavy-load helicopters would be prepared to transport food to supermarkets where supplies were running short. "The expanse of water that went right across that region was quite devastating to see," Morrison said in parliament after he toured flood-affected areas by helicopter. Several hundred Australian Defence Force personnel will be sent to flood-affected areas in the country`s east over the next few days to help in the recovery, Australia`s Emergency Management minister David Littleproud said on Wednesday. "Their job will be out there cleaning up, making sure that we get rid of the debris, having boots on the ground," Littleproud said. Australian Rail Track Corp (ARTC) partially reopened Hunter Valley coal rail lines to Newcastle, the world`s biggest coal export port, on Wednesday. The Hunter Valley rail network serves mines run by BHP Group, Glencore Plc, New Hope Corp, Whitehaven Coal and Yancoal Australia, among others. The Port of Newcastle, which last year shipped 158 million tonnes of coal, slowed ship movements earlier in the week but said on Wednesday it was continuing to operate. Forecasters said the weather system will shift to the island state of Tasmania on Wednesday, bringing heavy rains and localised flooding.

Australia floods claim first fatality, more evacuations as clean-up begins

Thunderstorm and gusty winds could disrupt railway and airline operations in the coming days as western disturbances are expected to bring rains across Delhi and its adjoining region.

According to Skymet Weather, a private weather forecasting agency, we can expect rains of varying intensity from February 18 to February 22 across the national capital and adjoining areas of Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.

"At present, an active Western Disturbance has approached the Western Himalayas, which would be soon inducing a Cyclonic Circulation over northwestern plains. Due to these systems, Delhi-NCR may receive scattered light to moderate rain and thundershower activities during this week," the organisation added.

The minimum and maximum temperatures are hovering at 13 Degree Celsius and 24 Degree Celsius, while humidity in the region throughout the day will oscillate between 60 per cent to 63 per cent, said India Meteorological Department.

Until now, Delhi has received excess rainfall by 112 per cent. On and off good spells of rain were witnessed by Delhi NCR in the season.&nbsp;

Most of the rains were in the wake of active Western Disturbances and their induced Cyclonic Circulation over northern plains.

On a few occasions, Delhi has received few spells of hailstorm as well. In fact, the national capital saw an intense spell of the hailstorm on February 7.

Until now in the month of February, Safdarjung Observatory has recorded 17 mm of rains which is the highest rainfall since 2014.&nbsp;

During the last four years, Delhi has not received any significant rainfall. 2017 and 2018 remained dry, 2016 received 1.3 mm, followed by 2015 with 1.8 mm.

Thunderstorm and gusty winds could disrupt railway and airline operations in the coming days as western disturbances are expected to bring rains across Delhi and its adjoining region.

Thunderstorm and gusty winds could disrupt railway and airline operations in the coming days as western disturbances are expected to bring rains across Delhi and its adjoining region. According to Skymet Weather, a private weather forecasting agency, we can expect rains of varying intensity from February 18 to February 22 across the national capital and adjoining areas of Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad. "At present, an active Western Disturbance has approached the Western Himalayas, which would be soon inducing a Cyclonic Circulation over northwestern plains. Due to these systems, Delhi-NCR may receive scattered light to moderate rain and thundershower activities during this week," the organisation added. The minimum and maximum temperatures are hovering at 13 Degree Celsius and 24 Degree Celsius, while humidity in the region throughout the day will oscillate between 60 per cent to 63 per cent, said India Meteorological Department. Until now, Delhi has received excess rainfall by 112 per cent. On and off good spells of rain were witnessed by Delhi NCR in the season. Most of the rains were in the wake of active Western Disturbances and their induced Cyclonic Circulation over northern plains. On a few occasions, Delhi has received few spells of hailstorm as well. In fact, the national capital saw an intense spell of the hailstorm on February 7. Until now in the month of February, Safdarjung Observatory has recorded 17 mm of rains which is the highest rainfall since 2014. During the last four years, Delhi has not received any significant rainfall. 2017 and 2018 remained dry, 2016 received 1.3 mm, followed by 2015 with 1.8 mm.

More rains with thunderstorms likely in Delhi-NCR

Extraordinary biodiversity richness is one of the reasons why India is incredible! Occupying just 2.5 per cent of the earth’s total land area, India holds 7 per cent flora and 6.5 per cent fauna of the world.&nbsp;

Western Ghats mountain range that extends over 1,500 km from River Tapi to Kanyakumari through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala is one of the world’s eight hottest biodiversity hotspots.&nbsp;

The Ghats with an average elevation of 600m force the moisture-laden winds coming off the Arabian Sea to cause precipitation of 2,000 mm or more, with the western hill slopes receiving maximum rainfall while the eastern slopes remaining comparatively drier.&nbsp;

These typical conditions have evolved a wide range of habitat types like a tropical evergreen forest, moist deciduous and dry deciduous forest, dry thorn forest, lateritic plateaus and grassland. Around 5,000 species of plants, 500 bird species, 220 amphibians, 120 mammals is just a glimpse of its species richness! The Ghats are a centre of endemism with over 2,000 species of flora and fauna found only in this stretch of 1500 km, out of which 325 species are globally threatened – Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Tahr, Malabar Grey Hornbill to name a few. The UNESCO recognises 7,653.15 sq km of the Western Ghats as a World Heritage Site.

There is an inherent relationship between forests and water. Forests serve as natural sponges, collecting and filtering rainwater and releasing it slowly into streams and rivers such as Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, Koyna that originate and flow through the Ghats proving to be lifelines for the biodiversity and local people. 
 
India, a country with one of the oldest civilisations and a rich culture that respects and worships natural resources, protects large chunks of forests as ‘sacred groves’, where destructive activities like tree-cutting and hunting are disallowed. No person dares to break this system lest he is punished by the Almighty. This fear or respect has been largely responsible for conserving several areas such as forests around Sabarimala temple in Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala, and Lord Shiva temple in Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra.

Recognising these ecological, cultural and economical values, Prof. Gadgil Committee and Dr Kasturirangan Committee constituted by the Government of India in 2011 and 2013, respectively, recommended measures for long-term preservation of this ecologically fragile landscape. Gadgil committee report recommended declaring the entire WG landscape as Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), divided under three sub-zones, with a ban on mining, thermal power plants, polluting industries and large dams, and the inclusion of local communities in biodiversity conservation and promoting eco-friendly activities.&nbsp;

Since this report rubbed many the wrong ways, the Kasturirangan committee was set up to review the Gadgil committee report. The Kasturirangan committee recommended to incentivise green growth that promotes sustainable and equitable development bringing only around 37 per cent Ghats area under the ESA out of the entire 1,64,000 sq km. Although significantly reduced, as compared to Gadgil Committee report, the area of 56,000 sq km recommended by Kasturirangan Committee report includes around 68-odd existing Protected Areas covering around 17,000 sq km area. The Central Government tried to bring in three draft notifications for declaring this as the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (WGESA). 
 
However, none of the state governments concerned have shown any inclination to support this notification. Rajya Sabha Committee on Government Assurances has recently expressed its dissent over the insensitive approach of the concerned state governments as the mayhem caused by 2018 Kerala floods is believed to have resulted due to illegal quarrying and deforestation that triggered landslides in the Ghats. In 2014, a village named Malin was buried under a massive landslide at the foothills of Ghats in Maharashtra largely due to deforestation and unsustainable agricultural practices on the hills above. 
 
Had the state governments adopted the WGESA notification, perhaps the above catastrophes costing thousands of human lives could have been avoided. There is an increasing trend to convert privately-owned forests to monoculture plantations of exotic species such as rubber causing severe loss of biodiversity and associated ecological services. Illegal hunting and indiscriminate plant collection by some local communities are other threats for the local biodiversity. Haphazard and unsustainable tourism development in existing ESAs such as Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani is playing havoc with natural ecosystems. Despite being one of the wettest areas, drinking water shortage and depletion of groundwater have emerged as major environmental issues.&nbsp;

India’s economic policies should be built on strong ecological foundations that ensure an environmentally sound and sustainable future to 50 million people and prevent species extinction of this beautiful landscape.

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-protecting-the-western-ghats-is-in-national-interest-2710964">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Extraordinary biodiversity richness is one of the reasons why India is incredible! Occupying just 2.5 per cent of the earth’s total land area, India holds 7 per cent flora and 6.

Extraordinary biodiversity richness is one of the reasons why India is incredible! Occupying just 2.5 per cent of the earth’s total land area, India holds 7 per cent flora and 6.5 per cent fauna of the world. Western Ghats mountain range that extends over 1,500 km from River Tapi to Kanyakumari through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala is one of the world’s eight hottest biodiversity hotspots. The Ghats with an average elevation of 600m force the moisture-laden winds coming off the Arabian Sea to cause precipitation of 2,000 mm or more, with the western hill slopes receiving maximum rainfall while the eastern slopes remaining comparatively drier. These typical conditions have evolved a wide range of habitat types like a tropical evergreen forest, moist deciduous and dry deciduous forest, dry thorn forest, lateritic plateaus and grassland. Around 5,000 species of plants, 500 bird species, 220 amphibians, 120 mammals is just a glimpse of its species richness! The Ghats are a centre of endemism with over 2,000 species of flora and fauna found only in this stretch of 1500 km, out of which 325 species are globally threatened – Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Tahr, Malabar Grey Hornbill to name a few. The UNESCO recognises 7,653.15 sq km of the Western Ghats as a World Heritage Site. There is an inherent relationship between forests and water. Forests serve as natural sponges, collecting and filtering rainwater and releasing it slowly into streams and rivers such as Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, Koyna that originate and flow through the Ghats proving to be lifelines for the biodiversity and local people. India, a country with one of the oldest civilisations and a rich culture that respects and worships natural resources, protects large chunks of forests as ‘sacred groves’, where destructive activities like tree-cutting and hunting are disallowed. No person dares to break this system lest he is punished by the Almighty. This fear or respect has been largely responsible for conserving several areas such as forests around Sabarimala temple in Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala, and Lord Shiva temple in Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra. Recognising these ecological, cultural and economical values, Prof. Gadgil Committee and Dr Kasturirangan Committee constituted by the Government of India in 2011 and 2013, respectively, recommended measures for long-term preservation of this ecologically fragile landscape. Gadgil committee report recommended declaring the entire WG landscape as Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), divided under three sub-zones, with a ban on mining, thermal power plants, polluting industries and large dams, and the inclusion of local communities in biodiversity conservation and promoting eco-friendly activities. Since this report rubbed many the wrong ways, the Kasturirangan committee was set up to review the Gadgil committee report. The Kasturirangan committee recommended to incentivise green growth that promotes sustainable and equitable development bringing only around 37 per cent Ghats area under the ESA out of the entire 1,64,000 sq km. Although significantly reduced, as compared to Gadgil Committee report, the area of 56,000 sq km recommended by Kasturirangan Committee report includes around 68-odd existing Protected Areas covering around 17,000 sq km area. The Central Government tried to bring in three draft notifications for declaring this as the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (WGESA). However, none of the state governments concerned have shown any inclination to support this notification. Rajya Sabha Committee on Government Assurances has recently expressed its dissent over the insensitive approach of the concerned state governments as the mayhem caused by 2018 Kerala floods is believed to have resulted due to illegal quarrying and deforestation that triggered landslides in the Ghats. In 2014, a village named Malin was buried under a massive landslide at the foothills of Ghats in Maharashtra largely due to deforestation and unsustainable agricultural practices on the hills above. Had the state governments adopted the WGESA notification, perhaps the above catastrophes costing thousands of human lives could have been avoided. There is an increasing trend to convert privately-owned forests to monoculture plantations of exotic species such as rubber causing severe loss of biodiversity and associated ecological services. Illegal hunting and indiscriminate plant collection by some local communities are other threats for the local biodiversity. Haphazard and unsustainable tourism development in existing ESAs such as Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani is playing havoc with natural ecosystems. Despite being one of the wettest areas, drinking water shortage and depletion of groundwater have emerged as major environmental issues. India’s economic policies should be built on strong ecological foundations that ensure an environmentally sound and sustainable future to 50 million people and prevent species extinction of this beautiful landscape. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Protecting the Western Ghats is in national interest

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Australia floods claim first fatality, more evacuations as clean-up begins

More rains with thunderstorms likely in Delhi-NCR

Protecting the Western Ghats is in national interest