Lok Sabha Question No. 60 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-20
Subject: Flash Floods
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Reddeppa Nallakonda Gari, Kuruva Gorantla Madhav

## 60.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 60

## ANSWERED ON 20.07.2023

## FLASH FLOODS

## SHRI N. REDDEPPA SHRI KURUVA GORANTLA MADHAV

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of flash floods occurred in the country during the last three years;

(b) whether the Government has undertaken any comprehensive study for understanding the reasons of increasing flash floods in the country;

- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(d) whether the Government has taken any steps towards prevention and mitigation of flash floods in the country; and

(e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI ( SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU )

(a) Central  Water  Commission  (CWC)  is  the  nodal  Organisation  entrusted  with  the  task  of  flood forecasting  &  early  flood  warnings  in  the  country.  Presently,  CWC  issues  flood  forecasts  for  338 forecasting  stations  (200  river  level  forecast  stations  &  138  dam/  barrage  inflow  forecast  stations). These stations cover 20 major river basins in 23 States & 2 Union Territories. In order to provide more lead time to the local authorities to plan evacuation of people & take other remedial measures, Central Water Commission (CWC) has developed basin wise flood forecasting model based on rainfall-runoff mathematical  modelling  for  5  days  advance  flood  forecast  advisory  at  its  forecasting  stations.  The extreme  and  severe  flooding  situation  which  has  occurred  during  last  three  years  (State-wise)  is  at Annexure .

(b) & (c) There has been a significant increase in extreme weather events including intense rainfall activity  due  to  global  warming.  The  frequency  of  localised  heavy  rainfall  activity  has  also  increased significantly, due to which occurrence of landslide, flash flood etc. have also increased especially over hilly region. Warmer temperature leads to increased evaporation, which in turn leads to more moisture in the atmosphere. This extra moisture leads to intense convection and intense rainfall. A Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that these trends will continue in future.

(d) & (e) Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has informed that  IMD in joint collaboration with the US National Weather Service, the US Hydrologic Research Center (HRC) and USAID/OFDA has developed  a  Flash  Flood  Guidance  System  (FFGS)  for  South  Asian  region.  The  FFGS  has  been  in operational mode since October 2020. FFGS provides warnings for flash floods about 6-24 hours in advance  at  the  watershed  level  with  resolution  of  4kmx4km  for  the  Flash  Flood  prone  South  Asian countries viz. India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, covering most of the Himalayan region. The flash flood guidance value is a diagnostic value that estimates the amount of rainfall of a given duration  within  a  watershed  that  is  required  to  produce  flooding  at  the  outlet  of  the  catchment/ watershed. Guidance for flash floods in the form of Threats (6 hours in advance) and Risks (24 hours in advance) is provided by Regional Centre to National Meteorological & Hydrological Services, National and State Disaster Management Authorities and all other stake holders for taking necessary mitigation measures to reduce the loss of life and property in the Himalayan Region countries and Sri-Lanka. This enables all the member countries for issuing impact-based flash flood forecasting at watershed and also city level.

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 60 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 20.07.2023 REGARDING 'FLASH FLOODS'.

## Detail of Flood Forecasting Stations of Central Water Commission  stations flowed in Extreme and Severe Flood during last 3 years (Statewise)

| Sl No.   | State             | 2020          | 2020         | 2021          | 2021         | 2022          | 2022         |
|----------|-------------------|---------------|--------------|---------------|--------------|---------------|--------------|
|          |                   | Extreme Flood | Severe Flood | Extreme Flood | Severe Flood | Extreme Flood | Severe Flood |
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    | 3             | 2            | 5             | 2            | 2             | 4            |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh |               | 1            |               | 1            | 1             |              |
| 3        | Assam             | 2             | 23           |               | 11           | 4             | 20           |
| 4        | Bihar             | 9             | 28           | 4             | 33           | 4             | 21           |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh      | 4             | 1            |               |              | 3             | 1            |
| 6        | Gujarat           |               | 2            | 1             |              |               | 1            |
| 7        | Haryana           |               |              |               |              |               |              |
| 8        | Himachal Pradesh  |               |              |               |              |               |              |
| 9        | Jammu &Kashmir    |               |              |               |              |               | 3            |
| 10       | Jharkhand         |               | 1            |               | 1            |               | 2            |
| 11       | Karnataka         | 6             |              | 3             |              | 8             |              |
| 12       | Kerala            |               | 2            | 3             | 1            |               |              |
| 13       | MadhyaPradesh     | 5             | 2            | 2             |              | 22            | 2            |
| 14       | Maharashtra       | 4             | 2            | 9             | 1            | 4             | 2            |
| 15       | Odisha            | 4             | 7            | 1             | 3            | 7             | 7            |
| 16       | Rajasthan         |               | 1            | 2             | 3            | 7             | 1            |
| 17       | Sikkim            |               |              |               |              |               |              |
| 18       | Tamil Nadu        | 4             |              | 15            |              | 4             | 2            |
| 19       | Telangana         | 2             | 2            | 2             | 1            | 4             | 3            |
| 20       | Tripura           |               |              |               |              |               |              |
| 21       | Uttar Pradesh     | 4             | 8            | 5             | 21           | 17            | 20           |
| 22       | Uttarakhand       | 1             | 1            | 3             | 3            | 2             | 1            |
| 23       | West Bengal       |               | 5            | 1             | 5            |               | 4            |
| 24       | Daman &Diu        |               |              |               |              |               |              |
| 25       | NCT of Delhi      |               |              |               | 1            |               | 1            |
| 26       | Goa               |               |              | 1             |              |               |              |
| 27       | Puducherry        |               |              | 1             |              |               |              |
|          | Total             | 48            | 88           | 58            | 87           | 89            | 95           |

*****