Flood Prone Areas of India
The total flood prone area in India is more than 4 crore hectares. This area can be divided into four regions viz. Brahmaputra Region; Ganga Region; North West Region; and Central India and Deccan region.
Brahmaputra River Region
The Brahmaputra & Barak Rivers and their tributaries cover 7 states of north east India and northern parts of West Bengal state. The rivers catchment regions receive heavy rainfall in the range of 110-635 cm mostly in June-September period. It causes severe floods in the region. The region is also prone to landslides. Many times the floods cause spillage of rivers over their banks, drainage congestion and change of course by rivers.
Ganga River Region
River Ganga and its tributaries cover as many as ten states. The rainfall in this region varies from 60-190 cm. The flood problem is mostly confined to the areas on the northern bank of the river Ganga. Ganga’s northern tributaries spill over their banks and change their courses. The flood problems increase from South to North and from West to East. North Western parts of the region and some eastern parts face the problem of drainage congestion. The flooding and erosion problem is more in the States located in the downstream.
North West River Region
The Sutlej, the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab and the Jhelum are the main rivers in the region. They carry substantial discharge during the monsoon season along with huge volumes of sediment from the Himalayas. They change their courses frequently and leave behind tracts of sandy waste. The flood problem is less in the region when compared to the Ganga and the Brahmaputra river region. The major issue is that of inadequate surface drainage which causes inundation and water logging over vast areas.
Central India and Deccan Region
The major rivers in this region are the Narmada, the Tapi, the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Cauvery. These rivers have stable courses expect in the delta area. The lower reaches of rivers of East coast have been embanked and thus the problem of floods has been largely eliminated.
