Essay on “Floods and Famines” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Floods and Famines

Essay No. 01

Floods and Famines are a common feature of Indian life. Our food depends on the Rain God and monsoons are  very tricky. Sometimes we get too much of rain and sometimes we get no rain at all. When we get no rain, crops cannot grow in large parts of India when we get rain in cats and dogs, our crops are destroyed by torrential rains or washed away by the rivers in floods. In either case our nation suffers. Our farmers pray fervently for normal rains- neither too much nor too little.   

It is not possible to control the monsoons by any scientific means. All our knowledge falls flat here. No scientists of the world can so manage the atmosphere to get the right quantity of rain at right time of the year. Rain can be produced of rain at right item of the year. Rain can be produced artificially but the cost is heavy. Therefore, we have to depend on the rain God, for our food production every year and people pray with folded hands to get not only rains but also rains in a proper quantity. Either too much or too little can ruin our harvest either way. 

The truth is that flood and famines are a regular feature of Indian economy. Every year there are floods in some parts and famine in others. Sometimes there are famines all over the country for want of rains and sometimes our crops are destroyed by heavy floods. It is a great gamble. When there is a famine the government distributes grains, remits taxes on land and provides  other assistance to the farmers. When there are too heavy rains, the government provides and food of the empty stomach. Both the government of India and the State Government have  allocated large funds for the purpose. In addition to this, there are Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and Chief Minister’s Relief fund to Provide help in any national calamity. Both floods and famines are indeed great national calamities.

Floods and famines are such national and national calamities that we are plagued with them year out and  year in. Indra ,  the God of rains, is a whimsical creature. Sometimes he with holds rains and there is drought over large tracts of the country. For several years in the seventies there was great drought in the country. Then there came great floods in 1978 when fields and farms were destroyed and thousands of men and cattle lost their lives.

When there is no rain, the earth is parched and there is famine in the country. Thousands of people die in starvation. On the other end of the State it rains so generously that vast area of the lands are drowned and the standing crops are destroyed. The rivers fail to contain enormous volume of their water between their banks and the water flows into the villages and between their banks and the water flows into the villages and cities, driving everything and everybody before it. Both men and cattle are washed away. Huts and houses fall down. People quite often climb the trees to save their lives.

It’s a horrible sight to see a river in flood. Men and women cling to trees and other strong points. The old people and children suffer untold miseries. The official authorities and the social organization have to serve them food by boats and sometimes even by helicopters.

There are snakes, cobras and other dangerous animals, such as lions, tigers and bears, floating in river. There are corpses and carcasses flowing in the river many helpless victims raise their hands for help in the rivers. Only the bravest and the boldest youth come to their help, and quite often lose their own lives in the process.

Delhi was in the grip of high floods in the summer of 1978. The Model Town and other areas were inundated. Many people passed their nights on the tops of their houses. They had to be rescued by boats. The Delhi Administration offered quick help to the victims. Many social organizations also participated in the great enterprise saving the sufferers.              

Essay No. 02

Famine and Drought

Famine means complete shortage of food. It is that stage when people begin to die for want of food. We know the famine of Bengal in 1943 when hundreds and thousands of men, women and children died. Today there is no famine in India. But sometimes in some parts of the country there is a famine like situation. Many countries of the world face such a situation. But things have improved in our country.

In the past India was said to be the land of milk and honey. But it became a country of famine, floods and poverty. There are several causes of famine in our country. The backwardness of Indian agriculture is one of thein. India is mainly a land of villages. Villages depend on agriculture. But farmers have to face lot of problems. They are uneducated. They do not know modern methods of farming. Besides, their land is divided and subdivided into many small pieces. Their cattle are poor and weak. Moreover, they have to depend on nature for rain. In short, the backwardness of Indian agriculture is one of the important causes of famine.

In India, the population is rising very fast but the rise in food production is not so rapid. So there happens to be the shortage of food. All this results in famine. Even today there is the food shortage in some parts of Bihar. But the government does not allow the famine to visit us. There is continuous supply of food grains in drought or flood affected areas.

We must try to check famine. We got help from other countries during the times of famine. But it is foolish to depend on them for food. At the same time, it is worse to go on begging from country to country. We hope our family planning schemes will succeed in controlling ever rising populations. Farmers must be educated to produce more food grains through scientific methods of farming. Irrigation facilities should be made available to them. There must be sufficient number of technical know-howl. Apart from this, manmade famine should be stopped. Corruption at all levels should end if famine has to go for ever.

 Famines and drought are great calamity for common man the tales of their suffering that appeared in the newspapers were extremely horrifying. Thousands failed to get even one square meal a day. Many lived on grass, on wild roots, and leaves of trees. Houses, utensils and other necessaryarticles had to be sold to purchase bread. Several starvation deaths were reported, cattle dead in their thousands. People had to trudge several miles to get drinking water.

Anti-social elements took full advantage of the situation. There was hoarding and profiteering on a mass scale. It was so very shocking. One cannot describe the suffering of the children, of the old and invalid. Who could got no milk and medicine and who thus died a horrible death the anguish of the mothers whose children died of hunger before their eyes can better be imagined than described the pictures of these emaciated and starving, people that appeared in the newspapers told a horrible late.

However, the Government did its best to help these famines stricken people. Famine relief work was given top priority and the administration was geared up to meet the situation food grain was rushed in large quantities from the neighbouring states. Food and fodder was also rushed by the government to different parts of the country on an emergency basis. Food was distributed free to the needy countless kitchen worked round the clock. Many lives were thus saved and much suffering avoided.

Some permanent measures to avoid the recurrence of much calamities were also taken jn hand. The digging of Kuchcha wills and canals and the construction of tube wells, was taken up on war fooling. This provided work to many who were unemployed or underemployed thousands of wells thus dug within no time.

Many states of the country are frequently in grip of famine. The Government does its best. But the only permanent solution of farming lies in scientific farming. The youth of the country can do much in this connection. Educated young men should go to the villages and try to educate and persuade the farmers to take to scientific farming.