People of the Northeast region can get flood forecast and rainfall warnings from social media giant Facebook. Earlier people had to depend on the TV or radio for such warnings but no more.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) has decided to put up such warnings on Facebook and Twitter. The social media is being used for quick and wider dissemination of information.
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“Since people want quick dissemination of flood warning, from this year we have started giving daily flood forecast, rainfall data and water discharge from the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra along with advisory for the same three days in advance on our Facebook page and twitter handle. Since this is an age of social media, people in the flood-prone areas like Assam and parts of Arunachal Pradesh can see the forecast for timely safety measures. We have also started a WhatsApp group where we share the same data with officials in Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), Indian Metrological Department, Water Resource Department, railways, defence, ministers and others for timely action,” Superintendent engineer of CWC, Guwahati, Ravi Ranjan said on Saturday.
The data is gathered from 29 flood forecast stations in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and 20 others in Bhutan. The Brahmaputra, flowing from Tibet through Arunachal Pradesh, inundates large areas in Assam while the rivers flowing down the hills of Bhutan inundates the lower Assam areas almost every year, reports The Telegraph.
“We have collaborated with Google recently for using their platforms for more effective dissemination of the flood forecast from next year and we hope to do so together with NESAC,” Ranjan said.
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Floods have claimed around 24 lives this year in the northeast region.