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62 INDIA : PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT in increasing the intensity, magnitude and also damage physical infrastructure such as gravity of floods. roads, rails, bridges and human settlements. VariousstatesofIndiafaceheavylossoflives Millions of people are rendered homeless and andpropertyduetorecurrentfloods.Rashtriya are also washed down along with their cattle Barh Ayog (National Flood Commission) in the floods. Spread of diseases like cholera, identified 40 million hectares of land as flood- gastro-enteritis, hepatitis and other water- prone in India. The Figure 6.6 shows the flood- borne diseases spread in the flood-affected affectedareasinIndia.Assam,WestBengaland areas. However, floods also make a few Bihar are among the high flood-prone states of positive contributions. Every year, floods India.Apartfromthese,mostoftheriversinthe deposit fertile silt over agricultural fields northern states like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, which is good for the crops. Majuli (Assam), are also vulnerable to occasional floods. It has the largest riverine island in the world, is the beennoticedthatstateslikeRajasthan,Gujarat, best example of good paddy crops after the HaryanaandPunjabarealsogettinginundated annual floods in Brahmaputra. But these are in recent decades due to flash floods. This is insignificant benefits in comparison to the partly because of the pattern of the monsoon grave losses. and partly because of blocking of most of the TheGovernmentofIndiaaswellasthestate streams and river channels by human governments are well aware of the menace activities. Sometimes, Tamil Nadu experiences created by floods every year. How do these flooding during November-January due to governments generally respond to the floods? the retreating monsoon. Construction of flood protection embankments in the flood-prone areas, construction of dams, Consequence and Control of Floods afforestation and discouraging major Frequent inundation of agricultural land and construction activities in the upper reaches of human settlement, particularly in Assam, most of the flood-creating rivers, etc. are some West Bengal, Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh steps that need to be taken up on urgent basis. Removal of human encroachment from the (flooding rivers), coastal areas of Odisha, river channels and depopulating the flood Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat (cyclone) and Punjab, Rajasthan, Northern plains can be the other steps. This is Gujarat and Haryana (flash floods) have particularlytrueinwesternandnorthernparts serious consequences on the national of the country which experience flash-floods. Cyclone centres may provide relief in coastal economy and society. Floods do not only areas which are hit by a storm surge. destroy valuable crops every year but these Figure 6.5 : Brahmaputra During Flood 2026-27