Short Notes on the Flood Prone Areas in India
(1) The Basin of Himalayan Rivers (covering a part of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, U.P., Bihar and West Bengal) gets flooded on account of overflow, erosion and inadequate drainage, steep gradients of the rivers and change in their courses. Kosi and Damodar devastate large areas. The Brahmaputra basin is subject to earthquakes and landslides, which obstruct the free flow of water.
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(2) The North Western River Basin Comprising Jammu and Kashmir, parts of Haryana, western U.P., Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are flooded by the tributaries of the Indus (Jhelum, Satluj, Beas, Ravi and Chenab). In Kashmir Valley, the Jhelum is unable to carry the flood discharge. In Punjab and Haryana plains, the problem is mainly of inadequate drainage.
(3) The Central Indian and Peninsular River Basin, covering Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra contains the Tapti, Narmada and the Chambal. In their basins, at times rainfall is excessive, causing occasional floods. Heavy floods also occur in the Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery at long intervals. In Andhra-Pradesh, the Kolleru lake submerges vast areas along its fringes. While heavy monsoonal rains cause major floods in the Himalayan regions, the coastal areas suffer from heavy rainfall in association with tropical cyclones and storm surges.