Paper name: Environmental Geography and Disaster Management
Paper code: GGY-HC-4016
Topic: Floods: Causes and Consequences
What is flood?
Floods are the most frequent type of natural disaster and occur when an overflow of water
submerges land that is usually dry (WHO). Floods are often caused by heavy rainfall, rapid
snowmelt or a storm surge from a tropical cyclone or tsunami in coastal areas. Thus, inundation
of land and human settlements by the rise of water in the channels and its spill-over presents the
condition of flooding.
Generally, floods are considered to be associated with rivers and people conceive floods as
the outcome of accumulation of huge volume of water coming out of the rivers through
overtopping of river banks during peak discharge period. Flood is an attribute of physical
environment and thus, is a component of the hydrological cycle of a drainage basin. It may be
pointed out that floods are natural phenomenon and are a response to rainfall but it becomes
hazard and disaster when it causes colossal loss to human lives and property. Noteworthy that,
floods are also aggravated by human activities and thus, flood hazard is both natural as well as
human-induced phenomenon.
Floods can cause widespread devastation, resulting in loss of life and damages to personal
property and critical public health infrastructure. Between 1998-2017, floods affected more than 2
billion people worldwide. People who live in floodplains or non-resistant buildings, or lack
warning systems and awareness of flooding hazard, are most vulnerable to floods.
Types of floods
Generally, floods are classified into the following three types:
1) Land-borne floods or river floods
2) Coastal floods or storm surge flooding
3) Local water logged flooding
Causes of floods
Unlike other natural disasters, the causes of floods are well-established. Floods are
relatively slow in occurrences and often, occur in well-identified regions and within expected time
in a year. Floods occur commonly when water in the form of surface run-off exceeds the carrying
capacity of the river channels and streams and flows into the neighbouring low-lying flood plains.
At times, this even goes beyond the capacity of lakes and other inland water bodies in which they
flow. Floods can also be caused due to a storm surge (in the coastal areas), high intensity rainfall
for a considerably longer time period, melting of ice and snow, reduction in the infiltration rate
and presence of eroded material in the water due to higher rate of soil erosion. Though floods occur
frequently over wide geographical area having disastrous ramifications in many parts of the world,
floods in the South, Southeast and East Asian countries, particularly in China, India and
Bangladesh, are frequent and equally disastrous.
Fig.: Flood hazard zones
Once again, unlike other natural disasters, human beings play an important role in the
genesis as well as spread of floods. Indiscriminate deforestation, unscientific agricultural practices,
disturbances along the natural drainage channels and colonization of flood-plains and river-beds
are some of the human activities that play an important role in increasing the intensity, magnitude
and gravity of floods.
Various states of India face heavy loss of lives and property due to recurrent floods.
Rashtriya Barh Ayog (National Flood Commission) identified 40 million hectares of land as flood-
prone in India. The Figure shows the flood-affected areas in India. Assam, West Bengal and Bihar
are among the high flood-prone states of India. Apart from these, most of the rivers in the northern
states like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, are also vulnerable to occasional floods. It has been noticed
that states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab are also getting inundated in recent decades
due to flash floods. This is partly because of the pattern of the monsoon and partly because of
blocking of most of the streams and river channels by human activities. Sometimes, Tamil Nadu
experiences flooding during November- January due to the retreating monsoon.
Thus, the following causes of floods can be traced out.
1) Heavy incessant rainfall
2) Spell of extremely heavy rainfall
3) Highly sinuous and meandering courses of rivers
4) Large-scale deforestation
5) Increased urbanization
6) Faulty agricultural practices
7) Blocking of natural flow of water
Consequences of floods
Frequent inundation of agricultural land and human settlement, particularly in Assam, West
Bengal, Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh (flooding rivers), coastal areas of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh,
Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (cyclone) and Punjab, Rajasthan, Northern Gujarat and Haryana (flash
floods) have serious consequences on the national economy and society. Floods do not only
destroy valuable crops every year but these also damage physical infrastructure such as roads, rails,
bridges and human settlements. Millions of people are rendered homeless and are also washed
down along with their cattle in the floods. Spread of diseases like cholera, gastro-enteritis, hepatitis
and other water-borne diseases spread in the flood-affected areas. However, floods also make a
few positive contributions. Every year, floods deposit fertile silt over agricultural fields which is
good for the crops. Majuli (Assam), the largest riverine island in the world, is the best example of
good paddy crops after the annual floods in Brahmaputra. But these are insignificant benefits in
comparison to the grave losses.
The Government of India as well as the state governments are well aware of the menace
created by floods every year. Construction of flood protection embankments in the flood-prone
areas, construction of dams, afforestation and discouraging major construction activities in the
upper reaches of most of the flood-creating rivers, etc. are some steps that need to be taken up on
urgent basis. Removal of human encroachment from the river channels and depopulating the flood
plains can be the other steps. This is particularly true in western and northern parts of the country
which experience flash-floods. Cyclone centres may provide relief in coastal areas which are hit
by a storm surge.
Word Scenario
Drowning accounts for 75% of deaths in flood disasters. Flood disasters are becoming more
frequent and this trend is expected to continue. Drowning risks increase with floods particularly in
low- and middle-income countries where people live in flood prone areas and the ability to warn,
evacuate, or protect communities from floods is weak or only just developing. Deaths also result
from physical trauma, heart attacks, electrocution, carbon monoxide poisoning or fire associated
with flooding. Often, only immediate traumatic deaths from flooding are recorded.
Floods can also have medium- and long-term health impacts, including:
water- and vector-borne diseases, such as cholera, typhoid or malaria
injuries, such as lacerations or punctures from evacuations and disaster cleanup
chemical hazards
mental health effects associated with emergency situations
disrupted health systems, facilities and services, leaving communities without access to
health care
damaged basic infrastructure, such as food and water supplies, and safe shelter.
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