Question

How much land area in India is prone to floods ?
A. 20 Million hectare
B. 25 Million hectare
C. 40 Million hectare
D. 24 Million hectare

Answer 1

Hint: North Indian rivers such as Damodar, Kosi and Brahmaputra are known for their proneness to floods. Nearly 12 % of the total land area is affected by floods. Mostly natural floods occur when the ground becomes too saturated to absorb excess water quickly enough. This may also occur if the soil becomes too dry and hardened to absorb water.

Complete answer:
A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land that is usually dry.

Major causes that lead to severe flooding -
-Occurrence of Heavy Rainfall.
-Ocean waves coming on to shores such as storm surge.
-Snow and ice melting as well as ice jams.
-Breaking of dams or levees.

Heavy Siltation of the river beds which reduces the water carrying capacity of rivers leading to floods.
Flash flooding occurs within 6 hours of the rain event. Over 40 Million hectares which is nearly 12 % of the total land area is prone to floods and river erosions.

Flood predictions require data like amount of rainfall occurring on a real time basis, type of storm producing the moisture, duration, intensity and areal extent can determine the severity of flooding.
Introducing better flood warning systems, constructing buildings above flood levels, introducing water storage areas, protecting wetlands and introducing tree plantations strategically.

Hence the correct answer is option ‘C’.

Note: 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.According to a global estimate made by Strauss, 28000 people living in 127 square miles of low-lying land are at risk of being flooded. According to the statistics, 68% of India's land is prone to droughts, 60% to earthquakes, 12% to floods and 8% to cyclones making India one of the most disaster prone countries in the world affecting more than 50 million people.