Progression of flood risk assessment in India at a decadal scale: a critical review

Abstract

Floods are a recurrent natural phenomenon in India, including perennial occurrences in some parts of the country. Progressively, floods are transformed into flood hazards because of the anthropogenic activities in the flood plains and adjoining catchments, causing injuries, loss of lives, and property damage. Flood hazards, when considered in relation to vulnerability and exposure limits, result in associated risk. This article aims to discuss the progression in flood risk assessment through several government policies and actions in India at a decadal scale from 1951 to 2020. While doing this, some important extreme flood events witnessed in those decades that shaped the perspectives, measures, action plans, and policies in the subsequent years are discussed. The review confirms that with the changing patterns of floods, associated hazards, and risks over the years, improvements in risk assessment approaches are noticeable on dual fronts. Technical advancements in flood risk assessment have corroborated the policy reforms. Albeit these developments, the issues related to the scale of study, data sources and resolutions, climatic variability, urban development, complex population dynamics, and their interrelationships in the context of flood risk need to be resolved with serious efforts. Addressing these issues through multidimensional strategies is imperative to aver robust flood risk assessment.