Recurring Impact of North Indian Flood Disasters on Agri-Masses: Benchmarking Remedial Strategies for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Floods are the most devastating hazards that occur frequently almost every year in most parts of the Northern India. In the present research paper an attempt has been made to analyse and highlight the impact of recurring floods on various anthropogenic activities mainly on agri-masses and their livelihood security. Apart, from that such types of natural calamities reflect their impacts on various other important phenomena as well, like agriculture, human and live stock wealth including the local existing environment. Almost all parts of northern India are intensively affected by severe floods with high to moderate intensity, i.e. Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu & Kashmir followed by Delhi the capital city of India. The estimated area affected by the floods is 40 million hectares. The estimated annual loss due to the most destructive floods is Rs. 2,104 million, while the average affected area by floods during 1953–1996 was about 7.52 million hectares. In the same duration nearly 32.35 million people were affected. The mitigation of the flood hazards would require identification and mapping of flood-prone areas, advance warning system through satellite, planning and action, as well as integration of local and traditional knowledge with existing scientific knowledge system, to save the precious lives of millions of people including the cattle wealth