Space based disaster management of 2008 Kosi floods, North Bihar, India

One of the most important elements in flood disaster management is the availability of timely information for taking decisions and actions by the authorities. During the August 18, 2008 Kosi floods which impacted India and Nepal and affected more than three million people, aero-space technology proved to be a critical input for providing vital information on flood inundation. The satellite based flood inundation maps were extensively used for identifying marooned villages, submerged roads and railway tracks and carrying out the relief and rescue operations by the state agencies. Decision Support Centre (DSC) at National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) kept a constant watch on the flood situation. More than 200 flood inundation maps, using about 30 satellite datasets were generated and provided in near real time mode to the state agencies during August to October, 2008. DSC efforts were primarily focused in providing an overall picture of the flood situation in a short span of time to the state agencies. The present paper discusses about the operational use of remote sensing technology for near real time flood mapping, monitoring of Kosi floods and the satellite based observations made for the Kosi river breach.