Floods in Bihar: A Devastating

Natural Disaster
Floods are a serious recurring problem in the
northern state of Bihar, India. This
presentation explores the causes, impacts,
and efforts made to manage and reduce the
effects of flooding in Bihar.
Outline
1. Introduction – Floods in Bihar 2. Major causes of floods in Bihar
Introduction – floods in Bihar
• Bihar is surrounded by Nepal in the North, West
Bengal in the East, Uttar Pradesh in the West,
Jharkhand towards the South.
• Several rivers run through the state.
• Bihar receives heavy rainfall all through June to
October.
• Bihar accounts for almost half of India average
annual flood losses.
• Frequency of flood has become higher in recent
years, there has been flood every year from 1979.
• Flood caused extensive damage, the state faced
infrastructural losses worth cores of rupees, lakhs
of people lost their lives and their homes.
• In 2008 more than half of Bihar submerged under
water.
Introduction – floods in Bihar
• Bihar faced draught for two years and again in 2011,
nearly 100 villagers were flooded.
• Much of Bihar misery has been caused by the Kosi
river, which is a major tributary of Ganga.
• The Kosi system drains about 60,000 km2 of eastern
Nepal and Southern Tibet before it enters Bihar.
• North of India-Nepal border is knows as the Sapt Koshi
or Seven Rivers.
• Three main Tributaries, i.e. Sunkosi, Arun and Tamur
join the river at Tribeni.
• Down stream of Tribeni, the Sapt Kosi flows through a
narrow guage of 11 km, before spreading over the
Gangetic plains.
• as a result sudden decrease in slope below the mouth
of gorge and inland delta is formed and the river has
shifted more than 100 km westward in the past 200
years.
Major causes of Floods in Bihar
• Increased conversion of forests to agricultural and
pastural land in the middle hills of Nepal
significantly contribute to the flood.
• Increase in the annual run off in Sapt Kosi from
1950s until the 1980s but rain fall also increased
correspondingly.
• Another reason of Flood is that people increasingly
occupying the flood plains.
• Government has built about 3000 km of
embarkments, but the flow of the river has grown
2.5 times resulting in the failure of embarkments
in every flood.
• Government of Bihar has come out with number of
schemes like – State Disaster Response Force
(NDRF), Emergency Operation center (EOC), etc.
Thank You