Assessment of Area Affected due to Floods in India report released

Central Water Commission (CWC) has released a publication titled ‘Assessment of Area Affected due to Floods in India’.

What defines a Flood affected area

An area of land adjoining a stream/ watercourse/ river which is susceptible to being inundated due to floods in any given year, obtained by aggregating each pixel, wetted at least once in a year, in any satellite source.

Overview of the report

CWC, a premier technical organization of India in the field of Water Resources, has carried out scientific study by capturing all flood events utilising the satellite imageries for the period 1986-2022. This publication reveals that about 20.5 Mha of area has been protected from the floods in the country by taking various structural measures. Further, about 21 Mha of area in the country has been affected by flood as per analysis for the period 1986-2022.

Most affected states include Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Bihar and West Bengal. 

The publication provides details of district-wise areas affected by floods. It would be useful for the development of early warning systems to mitigate the impact of floods, advance development of flood management strategies, planning emergency response measures and infrastructure development to prevent damages caused by floods. It would therefore help planners, policy makers, disaster managers, relief agencies, academicians etc. dealing with floods in their respective fields for taking various measures to mitigate the impact of floods and carry out further appropriate flood protection works.

Presentation on Assessment of Area Affected due to Floods in India report