Overview of Recent Floods in India

Floods are most common natural disasters in India and the country is one of the highest flood prone countries around the world. As per the National Flood Commission report, around 4 crore hectare land in India is prone to floods. India has more flood deaths than any country except Bangladesh. Apart from loss of precious human and animal lives, Floods cause damage to houses, industries, public and private property.

Floods in Kosi River

Almost every year, Kosi River is subject to floods affecting around 20 thousand km² area of fertile lands in Bihar and Nepal. It caused devastating floods in 1953-54. In 1987, the Kosi floods had affected around 30 districts, claiming lives of around 1400 people and 5500 animals. Another disastrous flood experienced by Kosi was in August 2008 when the river changed its course and created havoc in a densely populated area.

Assam Floods, 1998, 2012, 2015

Floods are a part of life in Assam. The state has network of Brahmaputra and Barak rivers and their more than 50 tributaries. These cause floods almost every year during monsoon. Almost 40% of the total land area in the state is flood-prone. Further, the flood and erosion problem of Assam is different from other states in terms of extent and duration of floods and magnitude of erosion. The most severe floods occurred in Assam in 1998. In that year, Brahmaputra remained above the danger mark for almost three months and all districts of Assam remained flooded. In 2012 and 2015 floods also many people lost life. In these floods, the Kaziranga National Park was affected claiming lives of several Great Indian Rhinos.

Maharashtra Floods, 2005

In 2005, Maharashtra witnessed deadly floods that killed around 5000 people.

Ladakh Floods, 2010

In August 2010, a major cloudburst and heavy rainfall triggered mudslides, flash floods and debris flow in Ladakh which claimed 250 lives.

Uttarakhand Floods, 2013

The June 2013, Uttarakhand was hit by one of the most disastrous floods in history of India. The cloudbursts triggered flash floods and massive landslides trapping nearly one lakh Hindu Pilgrims at Kedarnath and Badrinath. Around 1000 people were confirmed dead and around 5,700 people were “presumed dead.” Indian Army launched one of the most severe rescue operations in its history to save those trapped in the valley.

Jammu & Kashmir Floods, 2014

In 2014, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed worst flood due to incessant rain and flash floods.

South Indian Floods, 2015

In November and December 2015, the annual North-East monsoon generated heavy rainfall in south India causing floods along the Coromandel Coast in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry. Chennai and surrounding area were hardly hit by these floods. These floods caused displacement of around 18 Lakh people and claimed lives of around 500.