Storm surge in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea : The problem and its prediction

India and its neighbourhood is threatened by the possibility of storm surge floods whenever a tropical cyclone approaches. Storm surge disasters cause heavy loss of life and property, damage to the coastal structures and agriculture which lead to annual economic losses in these countries. Thus, the real time monitoring and warning of storm surge is of great concern for this region. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of major aspects of the storm surge problem in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, the factors affecting the generation of storm surges and the present state-of-the-art in the numerical storm surge prediction.