Get alerts about floods in India on Google Public Alerts

Google has announced that its public emergency alerts in India will even information on floods now.

Public Alerts shares relevant timely information on weather updates, public safety and earthquake so that people can make informed decisions in times of crisis, said Google.

Users can browse all active alerts on Google.org/publicalerts.However, relevant alerts will also appear on normal Google Maps searches if you search for anything related. If you spot an alert on the map, clicking on it will take you to all the corresponding information.

"For India, you can find 'flood alerts' along with 'river level' information for more than 170 areas in which the Central Water Commission (CWC) has active observation stations. The alerts will be created and shared using data provided by the CWC," added Google.

The alerts are available through searches on Google, Google Now cards, Google Maps, and on the Google Public Alerts, and can be accessed on desktop and mobile devices.

Google already has 'cyclone alerts' for India. Clicking on the alert provides information with details about the hazard, a map, estimated timeline and even assistance on stay safe during the crisis.

"Floods are one of the most common natural disasters in India. Chronic floods during the monsoon season on an average affect more than 30 million Indians annually. According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), on an average 7.21 million hectares (roughly 72,000 sq km) go under floodwater annually. This water typically ravages 3.78 million hectares of agricultural land, damaging crops worth ₹1,118 crore annually. Heavy rains and floods also account for nearly 1,700 lives lost annually. Apart from this, 1.25 lakh houses are annually damaged by torrential rains that also wipe out nearly 96,000 livestock. Ironically, 60% of India's farmland, 66% of its livestock and its entire forest area depend on rains for survival," said Google to emphasise the importance of their new feature.