September 17, 2021 - Flooding along the Brahmaputra River

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India’s monsoon season, which typically begins in June and ends in
September, has been called a “four-month festival of rains”, a nod to
the benefits that rain brings to farmers, fishermen, industry and even
the average person who drinks water or bathes in it. In a typical year,
the monsoon season gives India about 80 percent of its annual
precipitation. Although there is joy and abundance in the refreshing
rains, the long season of heavy downpours also brings the risk of
flooding to both India and Bangladesh, especially along the rivers that
overflow each season.

The 2021 monsoon season has been inconsistent, with most of August
relatively dry across much of India. By early September, however,
rainfall became near-record breaking in some locations. For example, on
September 17, India Today reported that Delhi, India has already
registered the second-highest totals for September ever recorded in
that city, with 404.1 mm (16 in) measured. The highest rainfall
previously recorded in Delhi was 417.3mm (16.4 in) in 1944—and that was
for the entire month of September. This leaves only 13.2 mm (0.52 in)
of rain that needs to fall in 14 days to break that record.

The heavy September rain helped swell the rivers of the region and
brought flooding to both India and Bangladesh. On September 15,
ReliefWeb reported that heavy rains and widespread floods were
affecting six Districts of Gujarat State (western India), causing
casualties and damage, including the overflow of the Lodhika Dam. As of
September 14, seven people had perished, 4,900 people had been
evacuated and at least 850,000 people affected in this region. On
September 3, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies (IFRC) reported that 3,600 people had been displaced in
Bangladesh, with 454,712 people affected. On September 13, local media
reported that, among other consequences of the floods, that 24 primary
schools had been inundated in the low-lying town area of Rajbari,
Bangladesh, affecting about 5,000 children.

On September 10, 2021, the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a
false-color image of flooding along the Brahmaputra River in India. In
this type of image, infrared and visible light are used to create a
view showing water as dark blue or black in contrast to the bright
green plant-covered land. Clouds appear white or light blue. When seen
from above by human eyes—or in a true-color image—the muddy water and
the land would blend together, but this combination of light, not
normally seen by people, creates contrast between water and land.

While this single image gives an impressive view of broad areas of
water inundating vegetated land, to better appreciate the extent of the
floodwaters it is helpful to compare two MODIS images of the same area,
one acquired prior to the floods and this one. Thanks to the NASA
Worldview App, it’s easy to see such a comparison. To view a roll-over
of images acquired on March 4, 2021, and this one acquired on September
10, 2021, click here. The difference between the two dates is truly
astounding.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 9/10/2021
Resolutions: 1km (255.1 KB), 500m (746.1 KB), 250m (2.1 MB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2021-09-17

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