Cyclone & Flood Management
Disaster Management · चक्रवात और बाढ़ प्रबंधन · 18 facts
Cyclone naming in India: WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones; 8 countries provide names: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Oman.
Bay of Bengal experiences more cyclones: Approximately 70% of India's cyclones originate here; shallow, warm waters intensify cyclones.
Cyclone Amphan 2020: Super cyclonic storm; landfall May 20, 2020 in West Bengal; Rs 1 lakh crore damage; strongest in Bay of Bengal since 1999 Odisha cyclone.
Cyclone Fani 2019: Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm; hit Puri, Odisha on May 3, 2019; 1.2 million people evacuated before landfall; 64 deaths — model evacuation.
IMD cyclone categories: Depression (≤17 knots), Cyclonic Storm (28-33 knots), Severe Cyclonic Storm (48-63 knots), Very Severe (64-89 knots), Extremely Severe (90-119 knots), Super Cyclonic (≥120 knots).
INCOIS (Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, HQ Hyderabad): Issues tsunami warnings and storm surge alerts for Indian coastline.
Storm surge: Most deadly aspect of cyclones; abnormal rise of sea water along coastline due to cyclone winds; kills more people than wind or rain.
Coastal shelter belts: Mangrove forests act as natural barriers against cyclones and storm surges; Odisha, AP, Tamil Nadu have them.
India's annual flood losses: Approximately Rs 1805 crore per year on average; includes crop losses, infrastructure damage, and human casualties.
India's flood-prone states: Bihar, Assam, UP, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha — most severely affected every year.
Brahmaputra and Ganga basin: India's most flood-prone river basins; Brahmaputra floods affect Assam every year; causes massive agricultural damage.
NDMA Cyclone Management Guidelines: Recommend pre-disaster preparedness, multi-hazard early warning, cyclone shelters, evacuation planning.
Odisha Cyclone Management: Considered best practice globally; Odisha went from 10,000 deaths (1999) to 64 deaths (Fani 2019) through better preparedness.
Cyclone Biparjoy 2023: Hit Gujarat coast near Jakhau, June 15, 2023; 94,000 people evacuated; zero deaths — India's best cyclone management ever.
Cloud burst: Sudden, intense rainfall exceeding 100mm per hour in a short time; triggers flash floods and landslides; common in Uttarakhand, HP, J&K.
Flood Management Programme (FMP): Central scheme for states to undertake flood management works; focuses on embankments, drainage, desilting.
Dam break flooding: Failure of dams during heavy rain causes catastrophic downstream floods; Machhu Dam failure 1979 (Gujarat, 2000+ deaths).
India has 5700+ km of cyclone-prone coastline; 8 states and 2 UTs are vulnerable to cyclones; East coast more vulnerable than West coast.