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FLOOD MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

2020 JUL 24

Mains   > Disaster Management   >   Disaster mitigation   >   Floods

IN NEWS:

  • Assam is reeling from another disastrous flooding that has affected over 26 lakh people.

INDIA’S VULNERABILITY TO FLOODS:

  • India’s unique geo-climatic conditions and high socio-economic vulnerability makes it extremely vulnerable to floods.
  • 40 million hectares out of a geographical area of 3290 lakh hectares is prone to floods. This accounts for 12% of total land area of the country. Floods are also occurring in areas which were earlier not considered flood prone.
  • Flood prone regions in India can be broadly divided into four regions:
    1. The Brahmaputra River Region: This region consists of the rivers Brahmaputra and Barak and their tributaries, and covers the Northeastern states and northern parts of West Bengal. Floods in this region are severe and quite frequent.
    2. The Ganga River Region: This region consists of the river Ganga and its tributaries. It covers the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkand, Bihar, south and central parts of West Bengal, Punjab, parts of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.
    3. The North-west River Region: The main rivers in this region are the Indus, Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum. This region covers the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and parts of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. Compared to the Ganga and the Brahmaputra river regions, the flood problem is relatively less in this region.
    4. The Central India and Deccan Region: Important rivers in this region are the Narmada, Tapi, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery. This region covers the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Orissa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and parts of Madhya Pradesh. The delta and coastal areas of the states on the east coast periodically face flood.
    5. In addition, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep have peculiar characteristics, which result in drainage congestion, flooding and erosion in coastal areas.

                                                         

TYPES OF FLOODS:

  1. Flash floods: They are fast-moving waters that are caused by heavy rainfall or rapid snow thaw. They usually cover a relatively small area and occur with little to no notice. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand frequently witness this type of flood.
  2. Coastal floods: They are caused by strong winds or storms that move towards a coast during high tides or cyclones. Coastal areas with fewer defences and lower elevation are the most affected. The Odisha coast is frequently affected by this type of flood.
  3. River floods: They are characterized by gradual riverbank overflows caused by extensive rainfall over an extended period of time. The drainages of Brahmaputra and Ganga witness this type of flood annually.
  4. Urban floods: They occur when the drainage system in a city or town fails to absorb the water from heavy rain. Although water levels can be just a few inches deep, urban floods can cause significant structural damage. The 2015 Chennai flood is an example of this type of flood.
  5. Pluvial floods: They form in flat areas where the terrain can’t absorb the rainwater, causing puddles and ponds to appear. It occurs mostly in rural areas.

CAUSES OF FLOOD:

  • Meteorological causes: The subcontinent of India has many of the requisite hydro-climatic conditions for large floods. The Indian subcontinent receives heavy rainfall from monsoon winds and cyclonic activities, particularly for a period of about 100 days. Large floods on most Indian rivers are a direct result of intense cyclonic storms and depressions. This results in rapid swelling of waterbodies and eventually floods.
  • Geomorphic causes: Geomorphic causes include channel migration, meandering growth, siltation in river bed and other natural changes in the channel bed. Also, surging glaciers, glacial lake outbursts and tectonic activities resulting in landslides can also lead to floods. For example, the dramatic shifts in River Kosi’s course is a major reason for recurring floods in Bihar. Topography also plays a role in floods. For instance, Guwahati’s topography is shaped like a bowl, making it susceptible to water logging.
  • Anthropogenic causes: Construction of dams, barrages, embankments and other engineering works has not only modified the natural behavior of the rivers, but has also added a new dimension to the problem of flooding. Unplanned development, encroachments in riparian zones, poor drainage infrastructure and unscientific land use strategies exacerbate floods.

MITIGATION STRATEGIES:

  • A multitude of measures are adopted to reduce or mitigate the hazards arising from floods. They can be broadly categorized into two: Structural and Non-structural measures.

                                                

EXISTING MITIGATION MEASURES:

  • Constitutional provisions: Unlike irrigation, the subject of flood control does not figure as such in the 7th schedule. However, Drainage and Embankments, are the two measures specifically mentioned in entry 17 of List II. Hence, the primary responsibility for flood control lies with the states.
  • Ministries: The nodal ministry for the disaster management is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The Ministry of Water Resources along with other department is responsible for the technical aspects flood management. The Ministries of Agriculture, Civil Aviation, Environment and Forests, Health, Space, Earth Sciences, Mines, Railways etc. also have important role in management of floods in their respective fields. Besides these, states have their own ministries and flood control boards.
  • National Disaster Management Authority: It is the agency responsible for laying down policies, plans and guidelines for disaster management, coordinating their enforcement and implementation for ensuring a timely and effective response to disasters. It has issued guidelines for management of floods. National Disaster Response Force under the NDMA is the agency responsible for specialized response to any threatening disasters in India.  
  • Central Water Commission: CWC is the apex agency in the field of water resources including flood management. Flood Managment Organisation under the CWC is responsible for techno economic appraisal of flood management projects and multipurpose projects having flood management aspects. It also prepares daily/weekly flood bulletins during flood season and development and improvement of flood forecasting techniques.
  • India Meteorological Department: The IMD, established in 1875, is the principal government agency in all matters relating to meteorology, seismology and allied subjects. It makes observations, give predictions and warn against severe weather phenomena.
  • Brahmaputra board: The Brahmaputra Board was set up as a statutory body, under the Brahmaputra Board Act, 1980. It is responsible for preparation and implementation of plans related to flood management, erosion control, drainage management and water resource development in the Brahmaputra valley.
  • Ganga Flood Control Commission (GFCC): It is a subordinate office of Ministry of Water Resources, created in 1972 to deal with floods and its management in Ganga Basin States.

ISSUES IN FLOOD MANAGEMENT:

  • Unregulated development: Unabated encroachment of flood plains, reclamation of water bodies, construction of sprawling slums alongside rivers and the shoddy management of storm water drains have led to increased flood risk to lives and properties.
  • Relief-centric approach: Flood management measures are generally planned on an ad hoc basis to give immediate relief on public demand. Policy makers have come to think of it as an annual devastation beyond human control. Hence, flood management strategies continue to be focused on post disaster relief measures than on pre-disaster planning.
  • Unscientific dam management: Operation of reservoirs in India is often carried out in an unscientific and knee jerk manner. Despite the mandate of the NDMA, most dams in India do not have any Emergency Action Plans. High reservoir storage and sudden release of water were the root cause for the devastating floods in Kerala in 2018.
  • Interstate water disputes: Most river basins in India span across various states. However, there is lack of flow of information among the basin-states resulting in gaps in preparedness on their part to face incoming floods. The same can be said in the case of India and neighbours in managing international rivers.
  • Lack of a central agency: There is no national or state level institution dealing with all facets of flood management exclusively and in a holistic and comprehensive manner.
  • Delays in completion of projects: In 2017, the CAG had highlighted the delays in completion of projects under the Flood Management Programme (FMP) due to various reasons such as non-release of funds from the Centre, delays in land acquisitions and inadequate planning.
  • Challenges to accurate forecasting: Climate change has complicated the flood forecasting and warning systems in India. Also, the network of the CWC, though developed on scientific basis, does not cover all the flood prone rivers. Most of the existing flood forecasting stations are poorly maintained.
  • Data deficiency: A task force was set up by the CWC in 2006, but it did not complete the task of flood risk mapping. There is no proper documentation about floods, their impact and the manner in which these were tackled.

WAY FORWARD:

  • Preparedness-centric approach: Flood management is yet to be seen as an essential part of good governance and integral to development planning in India. There is no national-level flood control authority in the country.
  • Integrated flood management: India needs an integrated approach to managing floods. It would mean thinking simultaneously about water management, physical planning, land use, agriculture, transport and urban development as well as nature conservation.
  • Forecasting & Early Warning Systems: India must improve its flood forecasting capability hugely to minimise loss of lives and property, through better upkeeping of existing systems and investment into new systems. Also, IT based tools must be leveraged for the dissemination of real time data and flood warnings.
  • Conservation of Water Bodies: Water bodies like lakes, tanks and ponds also play a very important role in the management of urban flooding by reducing the stormwater run-off by capturing it. Local bodies must be empowered to protect and conserve the water bodies.
  • Better cooperation: India need to coordinate with the neighbours for better information, warning and help in managing excess discharge. Also, a similar mechanism needs to be developed within the country for strong interstate flood management.
  • Develop techno-legal regime: The regulation of developmental activities in flood prone areas through an appropriate techno-legal regime is an urgent necessity. This can be in the form of specific land use policies, land zoning regulations in flood plains etc.
  • National Flood Management Institute: An Institute is required to deal with all facets of flood management and serve the purpose of imparting training to the engineers and administrators in all fields of flood management.

                                

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q. How well a country mobilizes resources to tackle disasters, natural or otherwise, is a sign of how advanced it really is’. In this light, critically examine India’s preparedness against floods?  

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