Thousands Of Homes Flooded In Cambodia
Heavy rains pushed the Mekong River in Cambodia over its banks during the weekend, flooding 37 villages and damaging over 5,000 homes. Schools also were closed, and rice and cassava crops have been badly affected.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured the top image on August 13, 2011. For comparison, the bottom image shows the same region a year earlier, on August 16, 2010. Both images use a combination of visible and infrared light to increase contrast between water and land. Water ranges in color from electric blue to navy. Vegetation is green. Clouds are pale blue-green.
Despite cloud cover, significant changes are apparent along the Mekong River between 2010 and 2011. In 2010, the river is a thin blue line extending southward toward Phnum Penh (Phnom Penh). In 2011, flood water spans kilometers north of the city. Higher water is also apparent south of Phnum Penh, and around Tônlé Sab (Tonle Sap).
Link to the article: www.irishweatheronline.com/news/thousands-of-homes-flooded-in-cambodia/32277.html
Pakistan PM Declares Disaster Areas Following Monsoon Rains
Monsoon rains have resulted in serious flooding in Pakistan’s southern Sindh Province. A drain breach in Badin District left residents marooned on dry spots separated by high water.
The flooding in southern Pakistan affected 100 villages and more than 200,000 people, according to news reports. Pakistan’s prime minister declared parts of the region disaster areas and pledged thousands of tents to provide temporary shelter.
Pakistan typically receives most of its moisture between July and September. Despite some cloud cover, these images, acquired one month apart, show significant changes to the landscape. In mid-August, flood water sits on areas that had been dry a month earlier. Although conditions remain relatively dry around the city of Hyderabad, flooding is obvious around the city of Badin.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured these images on August 16, 2011 (top), and July 17, 2011 (bottom). The images show southern Pakistan, near the coast and near the border with India.
Both images use a combination of visible and infrared light to increase contrast between water and land. Water ranges in color from electric blue to navy. Vegetation is green, and bare ground is pink-beige. Clouds are pale blue-green. Just over the Indian border lies the Rann of Kachchh (or Kutch). Annual rains change this area from salt desert to salt marsh, and the increase in standing water has colored this region bright blue by mid-August.
Link to the article: www.irishweatheronline.com/news/environment/flood/pakistan-pm-declares-disaster-areas-following-monsoon-rains/32359.html
