Contents preface (VII) introduction 1—37

Table 12.3 Average annual flood losses in India during 1953-63 (11)

Population affected	11.68 million
Total area affected	64.4	million hectares
Cropped area affected	20.2	million hectares
Human lives lost	518
Total damage to crops and utilities	Rs. 684.0 million

During the years of large floods, damage is likely to be several times more. Flood control measures for thickly-populated flood plains, therefore, become essential, even if these measures do not assure complete protection under all conditions. River training for flood protection, also known as ‘high water training’ or ‘training for discharge,’ is achieved by one or more of the following four methods :

(a) Construction of levees or embankments to confine water in a narrower channel,
(b) Increasing the discharge capacity of natural channels by some means such as straight-ening, widening or deepening,
(c) Provision of escapes or diversion from the main channel into an auxiliary channel for water in excess of the carrying capacity of the main channel, and
(d) Construction of reservoirs.