Floods in India
About floods in India
India, being a peninsular country and surrounded by the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, is quite prone to flood. As per the Geological Survey of India (GSI), the major flood prone areas of India cover almost 12.5% area of the country.
Every year, flood, the most common disaster in India causes immense loss to the country's property and lives.
India Flood Prone Areas
The states falling within the periphery of "India Flood Prone Areas" are West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Bihar, Gujrat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. The intense monsoon rains from southwest causes rivers like Brahmaputra, Ganga, Yamuna etc. to swell their banks, which in turn floods the adjacent areas.
Over the past few decades, central India has become familiar with precipitation events like torrential rains and flash floods. The major flood prone areas in India are the river banks and deltas of Ravi, Yamuna-Sahibi, Gandak, Sutlej, Ganga, Ghaggar, Kosi, Teesta, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Mahananda, Damodar, Godavari, Mayurakshi, Sabarmati and their tributaries.
An over-view about state-wise flood prone areas can be gained by checking the following table
| state-wise Flood Prone Areas | |
State | Area liable to Floods (million Ha.) | Uttar Pradesh | 7.336 | Bihar | 4.26 | Punjab | 3.7 | Rajasthan | 3.26 | Assam | 3.15 | West Bengal | 2.65 | Haryana | 2.35 | Orissa | 1.4 | Andhra Pradesh | 1.39 | Gujarat | 1.39 | Kerala | 0.87 | Tamil Nadu | 0.45 | Tripura | 0.33 | Madhya Pradesh | 0.26 | Himachal Pradesh | 0.23 | Maharashtra | 0.23 | Jammu & Kashmir | 0.08 | Manipur | 0.08 | Delhi | 0.05 | Karnataka | 0.02 | Meghalaya | 0.02 | Pondichery | 0.01 | Total | 33.516 |
Highest flood prone areas in India
Though the north-Indian plains prone to flood more, the "India flood prone areas" can be broadly categorized in three divisions:
Besides the Ganga, rivers like
India, being a peninsular country and surrounded by the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, is quite prone to flood. As per the Geological Survey of India (GSI), the major flood prone areas of India cover almost 12.5% area of the country.
Every year, flood, the most common disaster in India causes immense loss to the country's property and lives.
India Flood Prone Areas
The states falling within the periphery of "India Flood Prone Areas" are West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Bihar, Gujrat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. The intense monsoon rains from southwest causes rivers like Brahmaputra, Ganga, Yamuna etc. to swell their banks, which in turn floods the adjacent areas.
Over the past few decades, central India has become familiar with precipitation events like torrential rains and flash floods. The major flood prone areas in India are the river banks and deltas of Ravi, Yamuna-Sahibi, Gandak, Sutlej, Ganga, Ghaggar, Kosi, Teesta, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Mahananda, Damodar, Godavari, Mayurakshi, Sabarmati and their tributaries.
An over-view about state-wise flood prone areas can be gained by checking the following table
| state-wise Flood Prone Areas | |
State | Area liable to Floods (million Ha.) | Uttar Pradesh | 7.336 | Bihar | 4.26 | Punjab | 3.7 | Rajasthan | 3.26 | Assam | 3.15 | West Bengal | 2.65 | Haryana | 2.35 | Orissa | 1.4 | Andhra Pradesh | 1.39 | Gujarat | 1.39 | Kerala | 0.87 | Tamil Nadu | 0.45 | Tripura | 0.33 | Madhya Pradesh | 0.26 | Himachal Pradesh | 0.23 | Maharashtra | 0.23 | Jammu & Kashmir | 0.08 | Manipur | 0.08 | Delhi | 0.05 | Karnataka | 0.02 | Meghalaya | 0.02 | Pondichery | 0.01 | Total | 33.516 |
Highest flood prone areas in India
Though the north-Indian plains prone to flood more, the "India flood prone areas" can be broadly categorized in three divisions:
Besides the Ganga, rivers like