Floods in India

Last updated December 23, 2023

This is a list of notable recorded floods that have occurred in India. Floods are the most common natural disaster in India. The heaviest southwest, the Brahmaputra, and other rivers to distend their banks, often flooding surrounding areas. ^{[ citation needed ]}

In the 20th century

In 1923, Lucknow was one of the earliest recorded floods in the city's history. It was caused by heavy rainfall in the monsoon season, which made the Gomti River overflow its banks and inundate many parts of the city. The flood affected the old city, the civil lines, and the cantonment areas. It damaged property, crops, and infrastructure, and forced many people to take shelter in higher places. The flood also disrupted the communication and transportation systems, and posed a threat to public health and safety.^[1]
In October 1943, Madras (now Chennai) saw the worst flood to hit the city. Flood occurred due to excessive rains that lasted for 6 days and overflowed Coovum and the Adyar rivers. Damage caused to life and property was immense. However, estimate figure is unknown. The flood left thousands of people homeless.^[2]
In 17 October1960, The 1960 Lucknow flood was a natural disaster that occurred in the city of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, India, in October 1960. It was caused by the overflow of the Gomti River, a tributary of the Ganges River, after heavy rainfall in the Himalayan region. The flood submerged almost half of the city under several feet of water, killing more than 16 people and making thousands homeless on 13 October 1960. It was one of the worst floods in Lucknow's history.

The flood affected various parts of the city, including the old city, the civil lines, the cantonment, and the main shopping centre. It also caused damage to the electricity supply, the zoological gardens, and many historical monuments. Elephants, bicycle rickshaws, and boats were used as means of transport in the flooded areas. The government deployed army units and helicopters to rescue the marooned people and provide relief materials. The water level dropped very slowly and no estimate was made of the total damage. The flood also coincided with a tidal wave that ravaged the mouth of the Ganges in Bangladesh, killing more than 3,000 people on 16 October 1960. The Gomti River, on which Lucknow is situated, is a northern tributary of the Ganges River.^[3]

In 8 September 1971, The 1971 Lucknow flood was a natural disaster that occurred in the city of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, India, in September 1971. It was caused by two breaches in the embankment of the Gomti River, which flows through Lucknow before joining the Ganges River. The breaches were caused by the high water level of the river, which was six feet (about two metres) above the danger mark due to heavy rainfall in the monsoon season.

The flood submerged many parts of the city under three or four feet (one to 1.2 metres) of water, affecting the main shopping area, some fashionable residential areas, and the zoological gardens. The flood also disrupted the electricity supply, the communication and transportation systems, and the public health and safety. At least 13 deaths due to drowning were reported from Uttar Pradesh on September 7, taking the death toll in two months of rains and flooding in the state to 268. In Lucknow itself, a quarter of the city's area was under water on September 8. The government deployed army and civilian engineers to plug the breaches in the embankment and rescue the marooned people. More than 25,000 people were evacuated from the city in 24 hours and housed in 18 camps opened by the state government. Elephants, boats, and helicopters were used as means of transport and relief in the flooded areas. The flood also affected the animals in the Lucknow Zoo, some of which had to be placed on raised platforms or protected by sandbags and boulders.^[4]

On 11 August 1979, the Machchu-2 dam situated on the Machchhu River burst, thus flooding the town of Morbi in the Rajkot district of Gujarat.^[5] Exact figure of loss of lives is unknown, but it is estimated between 1800 and 2500 people.^[6]^[7]^[8]
In 1987, Bihar state of India witnessed one of its worst floods till then. Flood occurred due to overflow of the Koshi river; which claimed lives of 1,399 humans, 302 animals and public property worth INR ₹68 billion (US$850 million).
In 1988, Punjab experienced its first flood when all the rivers in Punjab overflowed.
In July 1993, flash floods killed 530 people across the seven to eight states of India.

In the 21st century

Heavy rains across the state of Maharashtra, including large areas of the metropolis Mumbai which received 567 (tmkoc inches) alone on 26 July 2005 killed at least 1,094 people. The day is still remembered as the day Mumbai came to a standstill, as the city faced worst ever rain. Mumbai International Airport remained closed for 30 hours, Mumbai-Pune Expressway was closed for 24 hours with public property loss was estimated at ₹550 crore (US$69 million).
2008 flood: The 2008 Lucknow flood was a natural disaster that occurred in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, India, in August 2008. It was caused by the overflow of the Gomti River after heavy rainfall in the monsoon season. The flood submerged several parts of the city, affecting more than 100,000 people and killing at least 15. The flood also damaged property, crops, and infrastructure. The state government declared Lucknow as one of the 11 districts affected by floods and deployed army units and helicopters to rescue and provide relief to the affected people. The rainfall increased the water level of the Gomti River, which rose above the danger mark of 8.5 metres (28 ft) at Lucknow. The river also received water from its tributaries, such as Sai, Kathana, and Kukrail. The flood situation was worsened by the inadequate drainage system of the city, which could not cope with the runoff from the urban areas. The encroachment of floodplains and wetlands by illegal constructions also reduced the natural capacity of the river to absorb excess water. The flood affected various parts of Lucknow, especially the low-lying areas along the banks of the Gomti River. The worst-hit areas were Daliganj, Nishatganj, Aminabad, Chowk, Thakurganj, Alambagh, Rajajipuram, and Indiranagar. The flood water entered many houses, shops, offices, schools, hospitals, and religious places, forcing people to evacuate or take shelter on rooftops or higher grounds. The flood also disrupted the power supply, water supply, communication, and transportation systems in the city. Many roads and bridges were damaged or submerged by the flood water, making them impassable for vehicles and pedestrians. The flood also posed a threat to public health and safety due to water-borne diseases and electrocution.^[9]^[10]
June 2013 North Indian floods: Heavy rain due to a burst of a cloud caused severe floods and landslides on the North Indian states, mainly Uttarakhand and nearby states. More than 5,700 people were presumed dead.^[11]
June 2015 Gujarat flood: Heavy rain in June 2015 resulted in widespread flood in Saurashtra region of Gujarat resulting in more than 70 deaths. The wild life of Gir Forest National Park and adjoining area was also affected.^[12]^[13]
July 2015 Gujarat flood: Heavy rain in July 2015 resulted in widespread flood in north Gujarat resulting in more than 70 deaths.^[14]
2015 South Indian floods: Heavy rain in Nov-Dec 2015 resulted in flooding of Adyar, Cooum rivers in Chennai, Tamil Nadu resulting in financial loss and human lives.^[15]
2016 Assam floods: Heavy rains in July–August resulted in floods affecting 1.8 million people and flooding the Kaziranga National Park killing around 200 wild animals.^[16]
2017 Gujarat flood: Following heavy rain in July 2017, Gujarat state of India was affected by the severe flood resulting in more than 200 deaths.^[17]
August 2018 Kerala Flood: Following high rain in late August 2018 and heavy Monsoon rainfall from August 8, 2018, severe flooding affected the Indian state of Kerala resulting over 445 deaths.
2019 India floods including 2019 Kerala floods: Following high rain in late July and early August 2019, series of floods that affected over nine states in India. The states of Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat were the most severely affected.
Brahmaputra floods
2020 Assam floods
2020 Hyderabad floods, flash flood in Hyderabad in October 2020 that caused 98 fatalities, a part of the 2020 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
2021 Uttarakhand flood, flood in Uttarakhand in February 2021 caused by an avalanche from Ronti peak
2021 Maharashtra floods, widespread flooding in Mahad and Chiplun on 22 July 2021 caused by exceptionally heavy rainfall.
2022 Assam floods, heavy flooding in Assam State in May 2022.^[18]
2022 Balrampur floods after heavy rains, with over 1300 villages affected^[19]
2023 North India floods after heavy rainfall in North Indian states.^[20]
2023 Himalayan floods occurred after heavy rain caused flooding and landslides, killing at least 50 people.^[21]
2023 Chennai floods, heaving flooding in Chennai in December 2023 due to Cyclone Michaung.^[22]
2023 Thoothukkudi-Tirunelveli floods, heaving flooding in Thoothukkudi and Tirunelveli districts in December 2023 due to heavy rainfall.^[23]

Climate change

Climate change is said to have in part caused (but may also be a natural evolution of earth's cycle) large-scale floods across central India, including the Mumbai floods of 2006 and 2017. During 1901–2015, there has been a three-fold rise in widespread extreme rainfall events across central and northern India – Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Assam and parts of Western Ghats – Goa, north Karnataka and South Kerala.^[24] The rising number of extreme rain events are attributed to an increase in the fluctuations of the monsoon westerly winds, due to increased warming in the Arabian Sea. This results in occasional surges of moisture transport from the Arabian Sea to the subcontinent, resulting in heavy rains lasting for 2–3 days, and spread over a region large enough to cause floods.^[24]^[25]

Related Research Articles

The 2005 North Indian Ocean cyclone season caused much devastation and many deaths in Southern India despite the storms’ weakness. The basin covers the Indian Ocean north of the equator as well as inland areas, sub-divided by the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Although the season began early with two systems in January, the bulk of activity was confined from September to December. The official India Meteorological Department tracked 12 depressions in the basin, and the unofficial Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) monitored two additional storms. Three systems intensified into a cyclonic storm, which have sustained winds of at least 63 km/h (39 mph), at which point the IMD named them.

The 1970 North Indian Ocean cyclone season had no bounds, but tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean tend to form between April and December, with peaks in May and November. The 1970 season saw a total of seven cyclonic storms, of which three developed into severe cyclonic storms. The Bay of Bengal was more active than the Arabian Sea during 1970, with all of the three severe cyclonic storms in the season forming there. Unusually, none of the storms in the Arabian Sea made landfall this year. The most significant storm of the season was the Bhola cyclone, which formed in the Bay of Bengal and hit Bangladesh on November 12. The storm killed at least 500,000, making it the deadliest tropical cyclone in recorded history. The season was also the deadliest tropical cyclone season globally, with 500,805 fatalities, mostly due to the aforementioned Bhola cyclone.

The 2008 Indian floods were a series of floods in various states of India during the 2008 monsoon season. The floods mostly affected the western regions of Maharashtra state and Andhra Pradesh as well as northern Bihar. In India, the monsoon season generally lasts from June to September.

The climate of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) is primarily defined as humid subtropical with dry winter (Cwa) type with parts of Western U.P. as hot semi-arid (BSh) type. Alternatively, some authors refer to it as tropical monsoon. Variations do exist in different parts of the large state, however the uniformity of the vast Indo-Gangetic Plain forming bulk of the state gives a predominantly single climatic pattern to the state with minor regional variations. U.P. has a climate of extremes. With temperatures fluctuating anywhere from 0 °C or 32 °F to 50 °C or 122 °F in several parts of the state and cyclical droughts and floods due to unpredictable rains, the summers are extremely hot, winters are cold and the rainy season can be either very wet or very dry.

The 2015 South India floods resulted from heavy rainfall generated by the annual northeast monsoon in November–December 2015. They affected the Coromandel Coast region of the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. More than 500 people were killed and over 1.8 million people were displaced. With estimates of damages and losses ranging from nearly ₹200 billion (US$3 billion) to over ₹1 trillion (US$13 billion), the floods were the costliest to have occurred in 2015, and were among the costliest natural disasters of the year.

Following heavy rain in July 2017, the Indian state of Gujarat was affected by severe flooding. The floods were reported to have caused total 224 deaths between 1 June and 31 July 2017. 16 people had died in neighbouring Rajasthan state by 31 July.

Following heavy rain in July and August 2017, the Indian state of West Bengal was affected by severe flooding. The floods were reported to have caused 50 deaths since 1 August and 8 deaths in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand.

Widespread monsoon flooding occurred in the South Asian countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan from July through September 2017. More than 45 million people were affected by the floods, including 16 million children.

The Brahmaputra floods refers to a catastrophic flood event that occurred in 2012 along the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries, as well as in subsequent years.

In mid-March 2019, monsoonal downpours caused widespread flooding and landslides across South Asia.

The 1968 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was an active cyclone season. Cyclone seasons in the Northern Indian Ocean have no official bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with peaks in May and November. These dates conventionally determine the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the basin. There are two main seas in the North Indian Ocean—the Bay of Bengal to the east of the Indian subcontinent, and the Arabian Sea to the west of India. The official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in this basin is the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center releases unofficial advisories. An average of four to six storms form in the North Indian Ocean every season. Cyclones occurring between the meridians 45°E and 100°E are included in the season by the IMD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Vadodara flood</span>

Due to heavy rain in July–August 2019, the city of Vadodara and its administrative district in the Indian state of Gujarat were affected by severe flooding. On 31 July 2019, nearly 50 cm of rain fell on Vadodara within 12 hours, with 424mm recorded in one 6 hour period. As a result, the nearby Vishwamitri River rose to 1 metre below the danger line and the Ajwa dam overflowed, flooding the city.

The 2019 Indian floods were a series of floods that affected over thirteen states in late July and early August 2019, due to excessive rains. At least 200 people died and about a million people were displaced. Karnataka and Maharashtra were the most severely affected states. People died but many were rescued with the help of the Indian Navy.

Beginning in May 2022, deadly floods hit north eastern India and Bangladesh. Over 9 million people in both countries have been affected, and around 300 people have been killed.

From January to October 2022, excessive rainfall and widespread monsoon flooding occurred in the South Asian countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It has become the region's deadliest floods since 2020, with over 3,700 people dead.

The 2022 Odisha floods were a series of floods in Odisha, which lasted from 14 August 2022 to 7 September 2022.

Heavy rainfall during the 2023 monsoon season resulted in severe flooding and landslides across Northern India, primarily affecting residents in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.

Lucknow is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located on the banks of the Gomti River, which is a tributary of the Ganges River. Lucknow has a history of being affected by floods due to heavy rainfall, river overflow, and breaches in the embankments.

References

↑ "MemoriesUP Flood: पहली बार नहीं डूब रहा Lucknow, 1960 की बाढ़ ने बढ़ा दी थी सबकी धड़कन". News 18. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
↑ Frederick, Prince (22 November 2011). "Memories of Madras: Story of a submerged city". The Hindu . Retrieved 28 May 2015.
↑ "MemoriesINDIA: HEAVY FLOODS IN LUCKNOW". 19 November 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
↑ "INDIA: LUCKNOW FLOODED BY GOMATI RIVER". Screen Ocean. 8 September 1971. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
↑ Noorani, A. G. (25 August 1979). "The Inundation of Morvi". Economic and Political Weekly. 14 (34): 1454. JSTOR 4367866.
↑ Noorani, A. G. (21 April 1984). "Dissolving Commissions of Inquiry". Economic and Political Weekly. 19 (16): 667–668. JSTOR 4373178.
↑ World Bank. Environment Dept (1991). Environmental assessment sourcebook. World Bank Publications. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-8213-1845-4 . Retrieved 10 January 2012.
↑ S.B. Easwaran (27 August 2012). "The Loudest Crash Of '79". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
↑ "Indian monsoon floods leave a million homeless". The Guardian. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
↑ "Mayawati alarmed by flood situation". Hindustan Times. 27 August 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2008.
↑ "India raises flood death toll reaches 5,700 as all missing persons now presumed dead". CBS News. July 16, 2013. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
↑ Sonawane, Vishakha (26 June 2015). "Heavy Rains In India: 70 Dead in Gujarat, Flood Alert In Jammu And Kashmir". International Business Times. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
↑ "5 Lions Found Dead in Gujarat After Heavy Rain Leads to Flooding". NDTV. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
↑ "Gujarat floods: 72 people dead, over 81,000 cattle perished due to heavy rains". Firstpost. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
↑ Jayesh Phadtare (2018). "Role of Eastern Ghats Orography and Cold Pool in an Extreme Rainfall Event over Chennai on 1 December 2015". Monthly Weather Review. 146 (4): 943–965. Bibcode:2018MWRv..146..943P. doi: 10.1175/MWR-D-16-0473.1 .
↑ Doshi, Vidhi (27 July 2016). "Flooding in India affects 1.6m people and submerges national park". Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
↑ "PM rushes to Gujarat, announces relief package of Rs 500 crore". The Times of India . Retrieved 2017-07-26.
↑ Reuters and Esha Mitra. "Floods and landslides kill 10 in northeast India after heavy rain". CNN. Retrieved 2022-06-03.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
↑ Mehrotra, Vani (2022-10-12). "UP: Six killed in rain-related incidents; over 1300 villages affected by floods". indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
↑ "India floods: monsoon rains leave 22 dead in north as Delhi sees wettest July day in decades". The Guardian. 2023-07-10. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-07-13.
↑ Patel, Shivam (2023-08-14). "Over 50 killed in Indian Himalayas as rain triggers landslides". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
↑ "Chennai Flooded, 2015 All Over Again! Cyclonic Storm Michaung to blame or infrastructure". Times Now. 4 December 2023.
↑ "T.N. floods - Intense relief and rescue operations underway in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi districts". The Hindu. 20 December 2023.
1 2 Roxy, M. K.; Ghosh, Subimal; Pathak, Amey; Athulya, R.; Mujumdar, Milind; Murtugudde, Raghu; Terray, Pascal; Rajeevan, M. (2017-10-03). "A threefold rise in widespread extreme rain events over central India". Nature Communications. 8 (1): 708. Bibcode:2017NatCo...8..708R. doi:10.1038/s41467-017-00744-9. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 5626780 . PMID 28974680.
↑ Simpkins, Graham (2017). "Hydroclimate: Extreme rain in India". Nature Climate Change. 7 (11): 760. Bibcode:2017NatCC...7..760S. doi: 10.1038/nclimate3429 .

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[1] "MemoriesUP Flood: पहली बार नहीं डूब रहा Lucknow, 1960 की बाढ़ ने बढ़ा दी थी सबकी धड़कन". News 18. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2023.

[2] Frederick, Prince (22 November 2011). "Memories of Madras: Story of a submerged city". The Hindu . Retrieved 28 May 2015.

[3] "MemoriesINDIA: HEAVY FLOODS IN LUCKNOW". 19 November 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2023.

[4] "INDIA: LUCKNOW FLOODED BY GOMATI RIVER". Screen Ocean. 8 September 1971. Retrieved 28 May 2015.

[Noorani1979-5] Noorani, A. G. (25 August 1979). "The Inundation of Morvi". Economic and Political Weekly. 14 (34): 1454. JSTOR 4367866.

[Noorani1984-6] Noorani, A. G. (21 April 1984). "Dissolving Commissions of Inquiry". Economic and Political Weekly. 19 (16): 667–668. JSTOR 4373178.

[Dept-7] World Bank. Environment Dept (1991). Environmental assessment sourcebook. World Bank Publications. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-8213-1845-4 . Retrieved 10 January 2012.

[ol-8] S.B. Easwaran (27 August 2012). "The Loudest Crash Of '79". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2015.

[9] "Indian monsoon floods leave a million homeless". The Guardian. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2008.

[10] "Mayawati alarmed by flood situation". Hindustan Times. 27 August 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2008.

[11] "India raises flood death toll reaches 5,700 as all missing persons now presumed dead". CBS News. July 16, 2013. Retrieved 2018-08-26.

[Sonawane_2015-12] Sonawane, Vishakha (26 June 2015). "Heavy Rains In India: 70 Dead in Gujarat, Flood Alert In Jammu And Kashmir". International Business Times. Retrieved 26 June 2015.

[NDTV2015-13] "5 Lions Found Dead in Gujarat After Heavy Rain Leads to Flooding". NDTV. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.

[Firstpostv2015-14] "Gujarat floods: 72 people dead, over 81,000 cattle perished due to heavy rains". Firstpost. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.

[15] Jayesh Phadtare (2018). "Role of Eastern Ghats Orography and Cold Pool in an Extreme Rainfall Event over Chennai on 1 December 2015". Monthly Weather Review. 146 (4): 943–965. Bibcode:2018MWRv..146..943P. doi: 10.1175/MWR-D-16-0473.1 .

[Guardian-16] Doshi, Vidhi (27 July 2016). "Flooding in India affects 1.6m people and submerges national park". Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2016.

[:0-17] "PM rushes to Gujarat, announces relief package of Rs 500 crore". The Times of India . Retrieved 2017-07-26.

[18] Reuters and Esha Mitra. "Floods and landslides kill 10 in northeast India after heavy rain". CNN. Retrieved 2022-06-03.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)

[19] Mehrotra, Vani (2022-10-12). "UP: Six killed in rain-related incidents; over 1300 villages affected by floods". indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 2022-11-27.

[20] "India floods: monsoon rains leave 22 dead in north as Delhi sees wettest July day in decades". The Guardian. 2023-07-10. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-07-13.

[21] Patel, Shivam (2023-08-14). "Over 50 killed in Indian Himalayas as rain triggers landslides". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-08-15.

[ChennaiFlood-22] "Chennai Flooded, 2015 All Over Again! Cyclonic Storm Michaung to blame or infrastructure". Times Now. 4 December 2023.

[23] "T.N. floods - Intense relief and rescue operations underway in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi districts". The Hindu. 20 December 2023.

[:1-24] 1 2 Roxy, M. K.; Ghosh, Subimal; Pathak, Amey; Athulya, R.; Mujumdar, Milind; Murtugudde, Raghu; Terray, Pascal; Rajeevan, M. (2017-10-03). "A threefold rise in widespread extreme rain events over central India". Nature Communications. 8 (1): 708. Bibcode:2017NatCo...8..708R. doi:10.1038/s41467-017-00744-9. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 5626780 . PMID 28974680.

[25] Simpkins, Graham (2017). "Hydroclimate: Extreme rain in India". Nature Climate Change. 7 (11): 760. Bibcode:2017NatCC...7..760S. doi: 10.1038/nclimate3429 .

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