Popularly known as the desert state of India, Rajasthan is largely water deficit yet there are incidents of flood and there are flood prone areas in the state. In last 30 years, there have been multiple instances of floods in Rajasthan.
Flood Prone Areas of Rajasthan
The flood prone areas in Rajasthan include Ajmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Pali, Jalore, Sirohi, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Bundi, Kota, Jaipur, Jhalawar, Baran, Bharatpur, Alwar, Sri Ganganganagar districts. These regions spread across the Basins and Sub-Basins of the rivers Banas, Banganga, Chambal, Ghaggar, Luni, Mahi, Sabi, Shekhawati, Sukli and West Banas.
Categories of Floods
The categorization of floods is done on the basis of the average annual rainfall received at that centre as compared to the average rainfall of the observed 30 years. Accordingly, floods are classified as:
- Moderate Floods: If the excess of rainfall is 25 to 50 percent above the average rainfall of a specific region.
- Severe Floods: When the rainfall is more than 50 percent in a region.
Types of Floods in Rajasthan
Flooding of river and its catchment under the influence of excessive rainfall depending on the topography of the regions through which the rivers flows. The floods in rivers mostly occur either due to very heavy rainfall for a few
days concentrated in a specific catchment or due to the obstructions that are caused either because of human interference by bridges or embankments that restrict the flow of the river or natural choking of river bed.
In Urban areas, flooding occurs usually because lack of proper planning, choking of damage systems and unplanned growth of the settlements during monsoons.
In rare cases, flooding can also be result of cloudburst that might happen in a specific area.
Impact of Floods in Rajasthan:
- Floods deplete all the sources of clean or drinkable water in the area.
- Floods leads to submergence of crops and hence, destroys agricultural produce.
- A huge of livestock perishes because of floods.
- The biggest threat after flood is curbing the spread of diseases like Diarrhea, Dysentery, Malaria, skin infections, Jaundice, Typhoid and Cholera.
- Infrastructure like roads, electricity distribution and communication network are also damaged during floods.
Flood Management in Rajasthan
The Disaster Management and Relief Department of Government of Rajasthan handle all the disasters in the state. The department has published a Flood Manual that gives a complete description of the flood response system of the state. Among other things, it streamlines department wise responsibilities of each department in case of floods.
