Cyclone & Flood Management
Disaster Management · चक्रवात और बाढ़ प्रबंधन
📋Quick Overview
India has the longest tropical coastline exposed to cyclones, with 80% of tropical cyclones in India forming in the Bay of Bengal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) classifies and names cyclones and provides early warnings. Since the 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone, India has dramatically improved cyclone preparedness, reducing deaths from 10,000+ to near-zero in Cyclone Phailin (2013) and subsequent cyclones.
⭐
Bay of Bengal accounts for 80% of India's cyclones — because it is shallower, warmer, and receives more moisture. The Arabian Sea side has fewer cyclones but they are intensifying due to climate change (e.g., Cyclone Biparjoy 2023).
📖IMD Cyclone Classification Scale
| Category | Wind Speed (km/h) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Low Pressure Area | < 31 | Pre-depression stage |
| Depression | 31–49 | Common during monsoon |
| Deep Depression | 50–61 | May intensify further |
| Cyclonic Storm | 62–88 | Gulab, Jawad |
| Severe Cyclonic Storm | 89–117 | Many Bay of Bengal storms |
| Very Severe Cyclonic Storm | 118–167 | Amphan (2020), Yaas (2021) |
| Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm | 168–221 | Tauktae (2021) |
| Super Cyclonic Storm | ≥ 222 | Odisha Super Cyclone (1999) |
📖Cyclone Naming & Recent Major Cyclones
- •Cyclone Naming: Named by WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones; 13 member nations (India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Yemen) each contribute names in rotation
- •Amphan (2020): Super Cyclonic Storm; struck West Bengal coast; named by Thailand; 100+ deaths; ₹1 lakh crore damage
- •Tauktae (2021): Extremely Severe; hit Gujarat coast; named by Myanmar; affected Mumbai; oil rig P305 sank — 86 dead
- •Yaas (2021): Very Severe; hit Odisha coast; named by Oman; coincided with high tide — caused severe flooding in Odisha+WB
- •Biparjoy (2023): Extremely Severe; hit Kutch (Gujarat) coast; named by Bangladesh; longest-lived cyclone in Arabian Sea; good evacuation — minimal casualties
📖Flood Management in India
| Body/Scheme | Role |
|---|---|
| CWC (Central Water Commission) | Flood forecasting and warning; monitors river water levels; under MoJS |
| NFAP (National Flood Action Plan) | Embankments, drainage, flood shelters, flood forecasting network |
| Flood Zoning Act | Restricts construction in flood-prone areas; still not enacted in most states |
| INCOIS | Tsunami and storm surge early warning — under MoES, Hyderabad |
- •Flood-prone states: Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha — these 5 states account for ~80% of India's flood damage annually
- •Assam floods: Brahmaputra river; annual monsoon phenomenon; Kaziranga NP loses animals every year to floods