The draft advisory encourages states to adopt a balanced mix of structural and non-structural measures to achieve a reasonable degree of protection against flood damage at an economic cost.A team of senior officers will initially visit Northeast India, the region most prone to flooding, to assess the situation. Each year, the Brahmaputra River basin causes significant havoc in the region.IMD has predicted a high probability of above-normal southwest monsoon seasonal rainfall across the country. It forecasts that the southwest monsoon will likely exceed 105% of the long-period average (LPA), with a model error margin of ±5%.Private weather forecasting firm Skymet, too, has predicted a normal monsoon for this year, estimating rainfall at 103% of the Long Period Average.According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the country’s recent estimate on flood-prone areas is 49.15 Mha. The annual average cropped area affected by flood is approximately 3.7 million hectares. Brahmaputra and Ganga River basins in North and Northeast India are mostly affected by floods.Flood controlStates urged to review capacity of dams, barragesAddress siltation to augment water storage capacity ahead of monsoon seasonCentre to release detailed guidelines to States on steps to mitigate floods
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