A Decade of Floods in Vidarbha: Repeated Disasters and Gaps in Preparedness

thenewsdirt
May 29
5 min read

Floods have become a regular occurrence in parts of Vidarbha over the last ten years. They have left behind widespread destruction, displacing families, damaging farmland, and exposing gaps in the systems meant to prevent such disasters.

The impact has been especially severe in districts where rivers flow in from Madhya Pradesh, leaving downstream towns and villages in Maharashtra vulnerable each year.

This pattern has repeated itself across multiple districts and years. From loss of life in urban centres to widespread agricultural damage in rural talukas, the scale of the problem has grown.

Several flood events between 2015 and 2023 reveal the strain placed on local governance, emergency response systems, and infrastructure.

Behind the data are stories of evacuation, disruption, and uncertainty that continue to affect thousands of people in the region.

Recorded Flood Events and Their Impact

In August 2015, Nagpur faced intense flooding that resulted in the deaths of five individuals. Two people drowned in the Jaripatka locality while three others were washed away in the surrounding rural areas. The region recorded 140 mm of rain in just 24 hours, followed by 116 mm more in the next 12 hours on August 14.

This downpour pushed the Nag and Pivli rivers to dangerous levels, prompting rescue teams to evacuate approximately 1,500 people.

The situation in Pipli village became critical, requiring the Indian Air Force to conduct rooftop rescues. Roads were blocked and railway lines submerged, causing severe transport disruption across the city.

The situation worsened in 2020, when over 92,000 people were affected across five districts of Nagpur, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, and Gondia. Heavy rainfall in Madhya Pradesh led to the release of water from the Chaurai dam in Chhindwara district.

The Central Water Commission issued a flood warning on August 28, but within two days, rivers such as the Pench, Kanhan, Bagh, and Wainganga overflowed, causing flooding in their surrounding areas.

Eleven joint rescue teams from the NDRF, SDRF, and the Indian Army evacuated more than 53,000 people. Around 23,000 homes were damaged.

Food packets had to be air-dropped in stranded villages like Shingardeep in Parseoni Taluka. Bhandara town was almost entirely submerged. The agricultural toll was extensive.

88,864 hectares of farmland across 34 talukas in the Nagpur division were reported to be under water.

In July 2023, floods struck again. Eleven people lost their lives due to floodwaters and lightning. Chandrapur was the worst-hit district, with 853.74 hectares of agricultural land damaged out of the 875.84 hectares affected across the Nagpur division.

Wardha accounted for 22.1 hectares. In total, 1,601 houses and huts were damaged in six districts. Rainfall levels in Akola stood at 107.9 mm in 24 hours, the highest in the region during the episode.

Barriers in Coordination and Infrastructure

One of the primary challenges in managing these recurring disasters is the inter-state nature of water flow in Vidarbha. Most of the river catchments and several major dams lie in Madhya Pradesh, while the downstream impact is felt in Maharashtra.

During high rainfall events, the opening of dam gates in Madhya Pradesh leads to sudden surges in river levels in Vidarbha, causing widespread flooding with little time for local authorities to respond.

The 2020 floods highlighted this issue clearly. The Chaurai dam was forced to release water, which led to downstream flooding.

Similar conditions apply to other reservoirs including Sanjay Sagar and Gosekhurd on the Wainganga, Totladoh-Pench, Rajeev Sagar on Bawanthadi, and the Upper Wardha dam. Management of these dams involves multiple agencies and cross-state coordination, but current mechanisms have shown delays or breakdowns during critical moments.

The warning systems in place also fall short when time is limited. Although the Central Water Commission had issued alerts in 2020, the scale of the rainfall and water release overwhelmed existing communication and planning frameworks.

This has raised ongoing concerns about the speed and effectiveness of early warnings, especially in rural areas where access to official updates can be limited.

Climatological studies show that Vidarbha, while having the most stable rainfall patterns in Maharashtra, is particularly sensitive to larger climate events such as El Nino and La Nina.

The region has a rainfall variability coefficient of 19.9%, which is lower than other sub-divisions in the state. However, there is a 25% chance of excess rainfall during La Nina years and a 33% chance of deficient rainfall during El Nino years.

This indicates that while the region is less prone to annual fluctuations, it is still vulnerable to extreme weather events. These events, when they occur, are often intense and capable of triggering severe floods. The 2020 and 2023 floods are consistent with this pattern, following unusually heavy rainfall across central India.

Long-Term Strain Without Structural Change

When floodwaters rise in Vidarbha, the reaction is immediate. Phone calls to control rooms spike. Local officials scramble to arrange boats. School buildings and gram panchayat offices turn into temporary shelters.

Emergency crews work late into the night, guided by handheld megaphones and torches in places where electricity cuts off.

In Chandrapur’s Ladaj village, when water surrounded the settlement, people climbed onto rooftops, waving cloth pieces to attract attention. Helicopters hovered overhead but couldn’t land. Teams on boats tried to reach them, but the currents were too strong.

For hours, there was no movement, only the sound of rushing water and the uncertainty of how to get people out. This wasn’t an isolated lapse. It happened while hundreds of others across the region were being moved to safer ground, often with no prior warning.

In Bhandara town, floodwater came up to the knees in some residential areas. People carried whatever they could such as medicines, school bags, dry grain. Plastic sheets were tied to bamboo poles as makeshift cover from the rain. Waterlogged lanes made it impossible for ambulances to enter. Small children were lifted into tractors or makeshift carts pulled by ropes across water stretches.

At the same time, control rooms were overwhelmed. Local officials coordinated with disaster teams, but the information moved slower than the flood.

People relied more on word-of-mouth updates than official warnings. Many received evacuation messages only after water had already entered their homes.

In places like Parseoni, helicopter drops became the only way to send food. Parcels were lowered using ropes, guided by villagers standing knee-deep in water.

In rescue centres, families waited on tarpaulin sheets for updates, many of them without change of clothes for days. Relief distribution involved long queues, limited supplies, and uncertainty about who would be shifted next.

These events did not happen years apart. They occurred in quick succession. In one district, families were still rebuilding homes when the next flood arrived.

The weight of these repeated events is visible in small details. School exams are postponed. Markets stay shut for days. Local transport routes collapse, affecting daily wage workers who rely on predictable access. In health centres, staff shortages become severe as facilities struggle with both patient inflow and building damage.

Each flood tests the same weak points, communication lags, overcrowded relief shelters, and gaps in coordination. Every time, the region responds with what it has at hand. But the next flood doesn’t wait for the system to recover. It arrives before the previous strain has faded.