Floods: In India, out of the total geographical area of 329 m ha., the flood prone area has been estimated as 45.64 m.ha. Heavy flood damages were experienced in the country during the monsoon of 1955, 1971, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1998, 2001 & 2004. CWC has has calculated yearly average loss to life to be equal to 1590 with damage to public utilities Rs. 806.78 crore. Apart from the above, there are many other impacts.
Droughts: Of the total geographical area of the country (329 M. ha) about 1/6th is drought prone. Drought is officially defined as a situation occurring in an area:
- When the annual rainfall is less than 75% of the normal in 20% of the years examined.
- Less than 30% of the cultivated area is irrigated.
The following is a link to some drought-related initiatives of the government
/articles/information-droughts-and-floods-india-ministry-water-resources