Google announced that it would be making public emergency alerts for floods in India to make critical information more accessible during natural disasters. The additional features will allow users to access flood alerts and information about the river level for more than 170 areas where data partner Central Water Commission (CWC) has active observation stations.
The tech giant says that these alerts are now available on the Google web search, Google Now cards in the Google app, Google Maps, and on the Google Public Alerts homepage, and can be accessed via desktop or mobile devices.
“Timely information is the first step in disaster preparedness and has the potential to save thousands of lives lost to natural disasters each year. By making critical information more widely available to people, ‘Flood Alerts’ will enable citizens across the country to make quicker and more informed decisions,” said Payal Patel, Product Manager at Google.
Previously in 2015, Google had introduced cyclone alerts to provide users with information about cyclones in the country. Clicking on the alert helps users find information with details about the hazard, including a map and expected timeline, as well as tips on how to stay safe.
Through Public Alerts, Google shares relevant weather updates, public safety and earthquake alerts to ensure that people have the timely information required to make informed decisions in times of crisis.
Users can browse all active alerts at google.org/publicalerts, and relevant alerts will also appear on normal Google Maps searches depending on the query.
Floods are the most common natural disaster in India and it is estimated that chronic floods during the monsoon season on an average affect more than 30 million Indians annually.
According to CWC, on an average 7.21 million hectares (roughly 72,000 sq. km) go under floodwater annually. This water typically ravages 3.78 million hectares of agricultural land, damaging crops worth Rs.1,118 crore annually. Heavy rains and floods also account for nearly 1,700 lives lost annually. Apart from this, 1.25 lakh houses are annually damaged by torrential rains that also wipe out nearly 96,000 livestock.
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Simar Singh is one of the youngest members of the BW team. A fresh graduate from IIMC, she also holds a degree in political science from LSR. She enjoys covering power, startups, lifestyle and a little bit of tech.
