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Box
Independent India’s 15 most devastating floods
Year
2005
2000
1998
1997
1995
1994
1993
1989
1988
1987
1982
1980
1978
1971
1961
States/ region affected
Maharashtra (Mumbai, Raigad)
West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal
Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,
Punjab, Uttar Pradesh
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Meghalays, Punjab,
Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat,
Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan,
Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Bihar, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West
Bengal, Maharashtra
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal
Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Gujarat
Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir,
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Assam
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat
Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh,
Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi
Assam, Bihar, West Bengal
Northeast
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Kerala, Haryana
North, Northeast
North India
North India
Deaths
1,000
2,174
1,811
1,422
1,479
2,001
827
1,591
1,850
1,200
932
1,600
3,800
1,023
2,000
Source: DNA, August 29, 2008.
Floods
Floods are result of the fact that in India, 75 per cent of the total annual rainfall is
received during four months of monsoon (June- September) causing almost all the rivers
carry heavy discharge during this period. The flood hazard is compounded by the
problems of sediment deposition, drainage congestion and synchronization of river floods
with sea tides in the coastal plains. The area vulnerable to floods is 40 million hectares
and the average area affected by floods annually is about 8 million hectares. The average
annual total damage to crops, houses, public utilities during the period 1953- 1995 was
about Rs.9720 million4 (See Annexure 1.3).
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