Page 84 - ICSE GEOGRAPHY
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Paschim Champaran
Purba Champaran Sitamarhi
Gopalganj
Madhubani
Kishanganj
Supaul
Siwan Muzaffarpur Darbhanga Araria
Madhepura
Saran
Samastipur Purnia
Vaishali Saharsa
Khagaria
Begusarai Katihar
Buxar Patna
Bhojpur
Nalanda Lakhisarai Munger Bhagalpur
Jehanabad Sheikhpura
Kaimur Rohtas
Jamui Banka
Aurangabad Gaya Nawada
Area liable to flood
No flood zone or protected area
A map showing the fl ood zones in Bihar
Bihar is surrounded by Nepal in the north, their base and this becomes a major cause
West Bengal in the east, Uttar Pradesh in of recurring fl oods in Bihar.
the west and Jharkhand in the south. Th ere • Th e river Ganga is considered the lifeline
are several rivers that run through the state. of Bihar, as it enters the state from the
Some of these rivers are Ganga, Son, Punpun, west and fl ows towards the east. A large
Falgu, Karmanasa, Durgavati, Kosi, Gandak number of rivers join the Ganga from
and the Ghaghara. Bihar also receives heavy the north and south. Ghaghara, Gandak
and Kosi are its main tributaries. Kosi,
rainfall from June to October.
called ‘the sorrow of Bihar’, is the widest
Causes of Floods in Bihar river in the state and frequently changes
its course causing great devastation.
• Th e northern plains of the state are
• Deforestation of the catchment area
severely prone to fl oods. Th is is because
(Nepal) oft en causes fl oods in Bihar
almost all the major rivers in the state
through the deposition of large amounts
enter from Nepal through this region. of silt.
Th e bed slopes of these rivers are very sharp • Dams are constructed over rivers but when
in Nepal and they usually become fl at in the intake of water from the catchment
the plains, once they reach Bihar. Due to a area or the rainfall increases, then there is
sudden drop in the bed slope, silt brought a need to open the gates, which then leads to
by the fl ow of these rivers gets deposited at an overfl ow as the river fl ows downwards.
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