Rainfall in India: How expanding forest cover can reduce flood damage

Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh have lesser forest cover and recorded most damage from floods

More forest cover can reduce the damage that floods cause in India, a new study by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-K) has reported.

The study analysed government data across states for the period 1998-2011 to examine the impact of forest cover on flood-related destruction.

It finds that the states that have recorded the most damage from floods are Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh. These states have lesser forest cover compared with states that recorded less damage.

The study’s