Describe flood-affected areas of India.

Major Flood-Affected Areas of India:

According to the National Flood Commission (Rashtriya Barh Ayog), over 40 million hectares (~12% of geographical area) in India is prone to recurring catastrophic floods, concentrated across four major zones:

• 1. Brahmaputra and Barak River Basin (North-East India):
  • Assam Valley (Brahmaputra Valley) & Meghalaya: Severe annual monsoonal flooding and riverbank erosion due to torrential rains ($>250 ext{ cm}$), narrow valley topography, heavy siltation, and tectonic instability (e.g., Majuli Island, Kaziranga National Park).
• 2. Ganga River Basin (Northern Plains):
  • North Bihar: Devastated annually by Himalayan tributaries—Kosi (Sorrow of Bihar), Gandak, Bagmati, and Kamla.
  • Eastern Uttar Pradesh & West Bengal: Ghaghara, Rapti, Ganga, and Damodar.
• 3. North-Western River Basin: Jhelum in Kashmir Valley (2014 Srinagar floods), Sutlej, Beas, and Ghaggar in Punjab/Haryana.
• 4. Peninsular Coastal Deltaic Belts:
  • Mahanadi, Brahmani, and Baitarani deltas in Odisha; Godavari and Krishna deltas in Andhra Pradesh; and Narmada-Tapi flash flood inundations in Gujarat.