In this era of climate change, when flood incidents are increasing, Microsoft’s new AI-operated flood dataset is an important for India. This not only helps in understanding the flood pattern, but can also improve disaster management and agricultural schemes. States like India, especially Punjab, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and West Bengal are facing growing threat of floods.
On this dataset CSE Studied From the paddy fields of Punjab to the river of Bihar, there has been a devastating flood. This dataset exposes the dangerous pattern of floods. Flood affected areas are 71% higher than earlier estimates. The scope of floods is increasing by 5% every year.
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India: Largest hotspot of floods
AI for Good Lab of Microsoft has designed a global flood mapping dataset using Sentinel-1 radar satellite imagery and deep learning models. The dataset analyzed 10 years of satellite data from 2014 to 2024. This not only gives a record of previous floods but also shows risky areas in future. Its specialty is that this dataset and its codebase is available online to the public.
According to this, more than 10% of the land in India has been affected by floods at least once in the last decade. The most affected states are Punjab, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal. 68% area in Punjab, 51% in Bihar, 25% in Uttar Pradesh, 30% in Assam and 37% in West Bengal were flooded. 38% area was also affected in Haryana.
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Washed Away! A new AI-Powered Global Flood Dataset by @MSFTRESERCH Shows India as the World’s Biggest Hotspot. One in every 10 sq km of the country has been underwater at least on the past decade.
From Punjab’s Paddy Fields to Bihar’s Devastating River Floods, The… pic.twitter.com/7yfdcs0igo
– Cseindia (@cseindia) August 19, 2025
Punjab deliberately brought flood
The flood figure in Punjab is shocking, where 68% of the land (about 34,000 sq km) was affected by the floods. But researchers say that this is mostly controlled floods, which is deliberately done for paddy cultivation. Paddy fields are immersed in water during farming, which increases this figure.
Bihar rivers wreak havoc
The story of Bihar is completely different. Here 51% of the area (more than 48,000 sq km) was affected by floods, mostly due to rivers like Kosi and Gandak. These floods are destructive, which displaced thousands of people. Crops, roads and houses damage. The geographical location of Bihar makes it susceptible to floods during the monsoon every year.
Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India. 25% area (about 60,000 sq km) was affected by floods, the highest in terms of total area. The area of 23,000 sq km in Assam and 31,000 sq km in West Bengal were hit by floods. The area of 17,000 sq km was also affected in Haryana.
How was this dataset ready?
Researchers at Microsoft used Sentinel-1 radar satellite imagery, which works day and night by penetrating clouds. This technique is especially useful in the season like monsoon, when cloudy. With the help of deep learning models, this dataset mapped the flood pattern from 2014 to 2024. This dataset not only reflects the history of floods, but also marks areas where future is at risk.
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Global picture: flood risk is increasing
This dataset is not limited to India only. Globally, it showed that flood -affected areas are 71% higher than earlier estimates. The scope of floods in Africa has almost doubled. It has increased three times in Ethiopia. In 2024, the emergency teams could expect 75,000 hectares of agricultural land to be affected by using this dataset in the deadly floods of Kenya, which was almost equal to the data found from the ground.
Researchers analyzed data from 2014 to 2024 and found that the scope of flood is increasing by 5% every year. If this trend continues, the flood area may increase by 60% in the next decade. The region from Nigeria to Ethiopia and Eastern Australia are facing a growing threat of floods.
Floods in states like Bihar, Assam and West Bengal in India have caused heavy damage to crops. These areas depend on the production of major grains like rice and wheat. Flood is a major threat to food security and rural livelihood.
Challenges and future
This dataset is a big step, but challenges remain. In a country like India, where floods affect thousands of people every year, dataset will have to be used for effective policies and disaster management. Local administration should use this data to improve flood warnings and relief operations in states like Bihar and Assam.
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