Drought and Floods in India: Quick Answer
NCERT calls droughts and floods "the two accompanying features of Indian climate", because both come from the variability of the monsoon (Class 11, India: Physical Environment, Chapter 6). A drought is an extended period of water shortage caused by inadequate rainfall, excessive evaporation and over-use of stored and ground water; NCERT names four types: meteorological, agricultural, hydrological and ecological. Floods happen when surface run-off exceeds the carrying capacity of river channels and spills over the flood plains; Assam, West Bengal and Bihar are among the most flood-prone states, while western Rajasthan and Kachchh are the most drought-affected areas.
Key exam takeaway: About 30% of India's area is drought-prone and the National Flood Commission (Rashtriya Barh Ayog) identified 40 million hectares as flood-prone (NCERT). Tamil Nadu is the state that can flood in November–January, because of the retreating (northeast) monsoon.
The 2026 southwest monsoon was deficient at 87% of the Long Period Average (IMD, 30 September 2026), with the South Peninsula at 76% and East and Northeast India at 74% of normal. That is exactly the kind of year in which drought questions appear in current-affairs-linked GA papers. The monsoon background is in Indian Climate Notes for SSC.
Part 1: Drought
The 4 Types of Drought (NCERT)
| Type | What it means |
|---|---|
| Meteorological drought | A prolonged period of inadequate rainfall, badly distributed over time and space |
| Agricultural drought | Also called soil-moisture drought: soil moisture too low to support crops, leading to crop failure. An area with more than 30% of its gross cropped area under irrigation is excluded from the drought-prone category |
| Hydrological drought | Water in storages (aquifers, lakes, reservoirs) falls below what rainfall can replenish |
| Ecological drought | Productivity of a natural ecosystem fails because of water shortage, damaging the ecosystem |
Order to remember: rain fails (meteorological) → soil dries (agricultural) → reservoirs drop (hydrological) → ecosystems suffer (ecological).
Drought-Prone Areas of India (NCERT)
| Category | Areas |
|---|---|
| Extreme drought affected | Most of Rajasthan west of the Aravallis (Marusthali) and the Kachchh region of Gujarat; districts such as Jaisalmer and Barmer get less than 90 mm average annual rainfall |
| Severe drought prone | Parts of eastern Rajasthan, most of Madhya Pradesh, eastern Maharashtra, interior Andhra Pradesh and the Karnataka plateau, northern interior Tamil Nadu, southern Jharkhand and interior Odisha |
| Moderate drought affected | Northern Rajasthan, Haryana, southern districts of Uttar Pradesh, the rest of Gujarat, Maharashtra except Konkan, Jharkhand, the Coimbatore plateau of Tamil Nadu and interior Karnataka |
NCERT also gives these estimates: nearly 19% of the geographical area and 12% of the population suffer from drought every year, and about 30% of the area is drought-prone, affecting around 50 million people.
Effects of Drought
NCERT uses three local words that SSC likes: akal (scarcity of food grains), trinkal (scarcity of fodder) and jalkal (scarcity of water); a shortage of all three is trikal, the most devastating. Other effects include death of cattle, migration of people and livestock, and water-borne diseases from contaminated water.
How to Reduce Drought Impact
- Safe drinking water, medicines, fodder and shifting of people and livestock (immediate).
- Finding groundwater aquifers, transferring water from surplus to deficit basins, inter-linking of rivers, reservoirs and dams (long term).
- Drought-resistant crops and training farmers.
- Rainwater harvesting, including rooftop harvesting.
Part 2: Floods
Causes of Floods (NCERT)
- Surface run-off exceeding the carrying capacity of channels.
- Storm surges in coastal areas during cyclones.
- High-intensity rainfall over a long period.
- Melting of snow and ice.
- Lower infiltration and more silt in rivers due to soil erosion.
- Human causes: deforestation, unscientific farming, blocking natural drainage, and settling on flood plains and river beds.
Flood-Prone Areas of India (NCERT)
| Type of flooding | States / areas |
|---|---|
| River floods (most frequent) | Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh; rivers of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh occasionally |
| Cyclone and storm-surge floods | Coastal Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat |
| Flash floods (increasing in recent decades) | Rajasthan, Gujarat (north), Haryana, Punjab |
| Winter floods | Tamil Nadu, November–January, due to the retreating monsoon |
Total flood-prone area: 40 million hectares, as identified by the Rashtriya Barh Ayog (National Flood Commission).
Can Floods Be Useful?
Yes, in a limited way: floods deposit fertile silt. NCERT gives the example of Majuli in Assam, the largest riverine island in the world, where paddy grows well after the Brahmaputra's annual floods. The losses, however, far outweigh such benefits.
Flood Control Measures
Embankments in flood-prone areas, dams, afforestation in the upper catchments, removing encroachments from river channels, discouraging construction on flood plains, and cyclone shelters along coasts.
Drought vs Floods: Difference Table
| Point | Drought | Flood |
|---|---|---|
| Speed of onset | Slow, creeping | Relatively slow but can be sudden (flash floods) |
| Main climate cause | Deficient or badly distributed monsoon | Heavy, prolonged rain; cyclones; snowmelt |
| Most affected regions | West and central India, rain-shadow Deccan | East and north-east India, deltas, coasts |
| Human role | Over-use of groundwater and reservoirs | Deforestation, flood-plain settlement, blocked drainage |
| Key remedy | Rainwater harvesting, irrigation, river linking | Embankments, dams, afforestation, flood-plain zoning |
Disaster Management Facts (NCERT)
- The Disaster Management Bill, 2005 defines a disaster as a grave occurrence from natural or man-made causes that is beyond the coping capacity of the affected community.
- Management has three stages: pre-disaster (data, vulnerability maps, awareness, preparedness), during disaster (rescue, relief, shelters) and post-disaster (rehabilitation, recovery, capacity building).
- NCERT notes that about two-thirds of India's area and a similar share of its population are vulnerable to disasters.
- NCERT's four-way classification puts drought among atmospheric hazards and floods among aquatic hazards.
Drought and Floods: 10 Practice MCQs
Q1. Drought caused by low soil moisture leading to crop failure is called: (a) Meteorological (b) Agricultural (c) Hydrological (d) Ecological Answer: (b).
Q2. Which state is known to experience floods in November–January? (a) Assam (b) West Bengal (c) Kerala (d) Tamil Nadu Answer: (d). Due to the retreating monsoon.
Q3. Majuli, the largest riverine island in the world, is on the river: (a) Ganga (b) Brahmaputra (c) Godavari (d) Indus Answer: (b).
Q4. How much land did the Rashtriya Barh Ayog identify as flood-prone? (a) 10 million ha (b) 25 million ha (c) 40 million ha (d) 100 million ha Answer: (c).
Q5. "Trikal" refers to scarcity of: (a) Food only (b) Water only (c) Food, fodder and water together (d) Electricity Answer: (c).
Q6. Which region is in NCERT's "extreme drought affected" category? (a) Konkan (b) Marusthali and Kachchh (c) Brahmaputra valley (d) Malabar coast Answer: (b).
Q7. In NCERT's classification of natural disasters, droughts are: (a) Aquatic (b) Terrestrial (c) Atmospheric (d) Biological Answer: (c).
Q8. An area is excluded from the drought-prone category if more than what share of its gross cropped area is irrigated? (a) 10% (b) 20% (c) 30% (d) 50% Answer: (c).
Q9. Which of these states is listed by NCERT among the high flood-prone states? (a) Rajasthan (b) Bihar (c) Goa (d) Himachal Pradesh Answer: (b). Along with Assam and West Bengal.
Q10. The 2026 southwest monsoon rainfall for India was what share of its Long Period Average (IMD)? (a) 106% (b) 98% (c) 87% (d) 70% Answer: (c).
More practice: Indian climate MCQs, SSC CGL geography mock test 01, SSC CHSL geography mock test 01.
Drought and Floods FAQs
What are the four types of drought?
Meteorological (rainfall shortfall), agricultural (soil-moisture shortfall), hydrological (falling storage in reservoirs and aquifers) and ecological (ecosystem productivity fails).
Which states are most flood-prone in India?
Assam, West Bengal and Bihar are among the most flood-prone; eastern Uttar Pradesh and the coastal states face river and cyclone floods, and Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab have seen flash floods in recent decades.
Which part of India is most drought-prone?
Western Rajasthan (Marusthali) and Kachchh in Gujarat fall in the extreme drought category; districts like Jaisalmer and Barmer get less than 90 mm of rain a year.
Why does Tamil Nadu get floods in winter?
Because its main rainy season is the retreating/northeast monsoon of October–December, often with cyclones from the Bay of Bengal.
Was 2026 a drought year in India?
IMD classified the 2026 all-India monsoon as deficient at 87% of LPA. Official drought declarations are made district-wise by state governments, so check state notifications for specific areas.
Practice Next for Indian Geography
- Core notes: Indian Climate Notes for SSC
- Related: Rainfall distribution in India, Northeast monsoon, El Niño, La Niña and IOD
- Also read: Major dams of India, Indian rivers origin and end list
- Mocks: SSC CGL geography mock test 02, RRB NTPC geography mock test 01
Sources: NCERT Class 11, India: Physical Environment, Chapter 6 Natural Hazards and Disasters; IMD, Salient Features of the 2026 Southwest Monsoon (30.09.2026). Last checked 7 November 2026.