Climate crisis changing flash flood map: Study

A new study by IIT Gandhinagar has revealed a disturbing shift in India's flash flood geography, warning that climate change is driving the emergence of new flood-prone regions in areas once considered very safe.

- JITENDRA CHOUBEY @ New Delhi

Published in the journal Natural Hazards, the study, titled "Drivers of Flash Floods in the Indian Subcontinental River Basins" finds that flash flood hotspots are expanding beyond traditionally vulnerable zones into drier and semi-arid regions.

"Flash floods are sudden inundations caused by extreme rainfall events. They typically occur within a very short time frame, usually within six hours, after heavy precipitation," the researchers noted.

"Characterized by a rapid increase in water flow followed by a quick recession, flash floods are highly unpredictable and can be extremely destructive."