Flood situations in India

Flood is considered as one of the major calamities considered by Disaster management of india , India is highly vulnerable to floods , especially the north eastern states  because in these areas it is happening almost every and became an annual calamity. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO)/UNESCO International Glossary of Hydrology (WMO 1974) defined flood as “rise, usually brief in the water level of a stream or water body to a peak from which the water level recedes at a slower rate” and “relatively high flows as measured by stage height or discharge.”

Assam is one of the most flood prone areas in india ,it accounts nearly 10% of the total flood prone area of India .there are different reasons behind this destructive feature of assam , such as – Natural topography and geographical location of Assam and its surrounding states( all Northeastern states), periodic cloud burst, high annual rainfall , dense network of rivers like Bhramputra and Barak and their high flow during monsoon time and its increasing weith due to high bank erosion , otherthen natural reasons, there are some man made reasons aswell ,such as – high rate of deforestation and mountain leveling , formation of unplanned dams and urban area, improper or lack of sewage system etc.

Flood has very adverse social and economic impacts on Assam as it cause a great loss to lives of the people ,infrastructure such as houses , working buildings, fishing sites etc

According to Assam government “The average annual loss due to floods in Assam is to the tune of ₹200 crore and particularly in 1998, the loss suffered was about ₹500 crore and during the year 2004 it was about ₹771.00 crore”

This could also be considered as one of the major cause of prevailing poverty in Assam.