Distribution of flood prone areas

Large scale flooding in India is limited to a relatively small area - along the lower reaches of most rivers and along parts of the sea coast.

Compared to drought, a smaller area is affected by large scale flooding. However the loss in terms of lives and property is much higher. Usually heavy rainfall combines with some other factor(s) to lead to destructive flooding.

EAST
Assam - Brahmaputra and Barak valleys
Manipur - central districts
Tripura - west
West Bengal - Duars, Hugli basin, areas adjoining Ganga and Damodar
Bihar - Ganga valley, Kosi valley
Orissa - central coastal districts, lower Mahanadi basin
Jharkhand - Damodar valley

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Causes of floods: Unusually high rainfall in a short period of time, which leads to high volume of run-offs. Rivers or other water bodies overflowing their banks. Excessive deforestation of hills can cause floods lower downstream. Inadequate drainage facilities may cause water to stagnate. Change in the course of rivers. In the coastal regions, tropical cyclones too can cause flooding.

NORTH

Uttar Pradesh

- Ganga floodplains, Ghaghra, Gomti, Sharda, Rapti basins

Punjab

- Satlej-Ravi basin

Himachal Pradesh

- valley

Jammu and Kashmir

- Kashmir valley

WEST

Rajasthan

- flash floods along Luni, Chambal

Gujarat

- Lower Mahi, Narmada, Tapi

Maharashtra

- lower Wainganga, Penganga

SOUTH

Karnataka - upper reaches of Tunga, Bhadra

Andhra Pradesh

- lower reaches of Krishna, Godavari, north coastal districts

Tamil Nadu

- Kaveri delta

Kerala

- along hills in west flowing rivers