Assam is a flood-prone state with its vast vast network of rivers. A comibination of natural and mad made factors have contributed to the flood-related devastation in the state. In the monsoon period each year, Brahmaputra and Barak River with more than 50 numbers of tributaries feeding them, cause the flood devastation.
What are the effects of floods in Assam?
On an average, the flood kills 50 people every year. In 2012 alone, the floods cost Assam Rs 3,200 crore. The state loses around 8,000 square km of land to erosion due to flooding every year. (source : The quint) Better forecasting systems to let people know abour the danger limits and rainfalls. Building dams and structures where necessary.
A frequent inquiry we ran across in our research was “Are China’s dams causing floods in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam?”.
Here is what my research found. people in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam allege that flood has aggravated in the region as China has constructed several big dams in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra, which is known as the Yarlung Tsangpo there. “The flow of water is more when excess water is released suddenly.
Where do floods occur in india?
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.
Urban Flooding – Major Causes. Lack of proper drainage network in the cities. Dying water bodies. Encroachment of water bodies like lakes, ponds for building infrastructure or waste disposal. Disposal of garbage without proper planning., and more items.
Another thing we wanted the answer to was, what are the incidents of floods in India?
Nine people are dead and two others missing after floods in Sri Lanka and parts of southern India caused by more than a week of pounding rains. Nearly half of Sri Lanka’s 25 districts have been hit by the deluge, with the worst affected areas in and around the island’s tea-growing Central Highlands.
Odisha is located in the Eastern Coast of India and it is prone to floods due to cyclones, storms and tsunami. Maharashtra experienced one of the worst floods that claimed a large number of human lives. Andhra pradesh, bihar, gujarat, jammu and kashmir, himachal pradesh, assam, tamil nadu, or uttarakhand too may be helpfull too.
This begs the inquiry “Which is the worst flood affected area in India?”
In India, Punjab- Haryana plains are one of the worst flood affected areas and it accounts for more than 15% of the total losses of the country. Further, in the plain regions of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, huge areas are inundated where Ganga River receives its tributaries.
One more question we ran across in our research was “How much do floods cost India?”.
This scale of damage from floods is not an outlier for India. The average annual loss from floods in the country is estimated to be US$ 7.4 billion⁶. In recent years, extreme rainfall has also caused flash floods in India’s major cities — including in Mumbai (2005), Srinagar (2014), and Chennai (2015).
Why do floods happen in the Himalayas?
The glacial melt in summer coincides with the monsoon, intensifying downstream, causing the annual flooding. But this is a natural phenomenon for this region. There was a time when people welcomed the ‘first flooding’ of the year as it replenished the fertility of the land.
What is the average rainfall of Assam per year?
Rainfall and bottleneck : Assam has an average rainfall of 2800mm per year. Other relative sized states like Odisha (1400mm), Gujarat (800mm), Bihar (1200mm) receives less rainfall comparatively. It also leads to the issue of bottleneck where the amount of water received is more then amount it can disperse.