Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri C.R. Paatil, released a publication brought out by Central Water Commission (CWC), ‘Assessment of Area Affected due to Floods in India.’
- CWC has carried out scientific study by capturing all flood events utilising the satellite imageries for the period 1986-2022.
Key highlights of the report
- About 20.5 Mha (million hectares) of area has been protected from the floods in the country by taking various structural measures.
- About 21 Mha of area in the country has been affected by flood as per analysis for the period 1986-2022.
- Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal are the states most affected by floods. Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 5.175 mha affected. Bihar comes next with with 2.914 mha affected and West Bengal with 1.84 mha, while 2.48 mha were hit by floods in Assam.
- The total number of flood-hit districts across India stands at 712, with Uttar Pradesh leading with 75 affected districts, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 53, Bihar with 38 districts and Assam with 33 districts.
- As per basin-wise bifurcation of flood-affected areas, the Ganga basin is the most affected, accounting for a substantial portion of the total flood-affected area, at 54 per cent. Other major basins impacted include the Brahmaputra and the Mahanadi.