What happened to India’s flood management plan?
Major recommendations of the National Flood Commission such as scientific assessment of flood-prone areas and enactment of the Flood Plain Zoning Act are yet to materialize. The flood forecasting network of CWC is not sufficient to cover the country adequately.
By: Dr. Satyawan Saurabh
Since floods cause huge loss of life and property every year, it is high time that the Central and State Governments prepare a long-term plan that goes beyond piecemeal measures like the construction of embankments and dredging to control floods. In addition, there is also a need for an integrated basin management plan that brings together all river-basin-sharing countries as well as Indian states. At least 43 years after the constitution of India’s first and last commission on floods, there is still no national-level flood control authority in the country.
The National Flood Commission (RBA), or National Flood Commission, was set up in 1976 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation to study India’s flood-control measures, as projects initiated under the National Flood Control Program of 1954 were more failed to achieve success.
Recently, floods in northern states have caused devastation of life and property, which is a problem in the region. However, floods are not limited to North-East India only, rather it affects many other regions of the country. Apart from natural factors like frequent and heavy rainfall during monsoon, there are also man-made factors that contribute to floods in India. India is highly vulnerable, as most of its geographical area is prone to annual floods. The high loss and damage caused by floods reflect India’s poor adaptation and mitigation status and inadequacies in disaster management and preparedness. Therefore, there is a need for an integrated flood management system.
In 1980, the National Flood Commission made 207 recommendations and four broad observations. Firstly, it stated that there was no increase in rainfall in India and thus, the increase in floods was due to anthropogenic factors such as deforestation, drainage congestion and badly planned development works. Second, it questioned the effectiveness of methods adopted to control floods, such as embankments and reservoirs, and suggested that the construction of these structures be put on hold until their effectiveness is assessed. However, it added that embankments can be built in areas where they are effective.
Third, it said that there should be concerted efforts between the states and the Center to undertake research and policy initiatives to control floods. Fourth, it recommended a dynamic strategy to deal with the changing nature of floods. The report’s analysis found that the problem began with the methods used to assess the country’s flood-prone areas. According to the audit report “Schemes for Flood Control and Flood Forecasting” 2017 by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, key recommendations of the National Flood Commission such as scientific assessment of flood-prone areas and enactment of the Flood Plain Zoning Act are yet to materialize. The flood forecasting network of CWC is not sufficient to cover the country adequately. Furthermore, most of the existing flood forecasting stations are not operational.
A task force set up by the Central Water Commission (CWC) in 2006 did not complete the task of flood risk mapping. The flood damage assessment was not done adequately. The delay in the completion of projects under flood management programs is mainly due to a lack of assistance from the Centre. Flood management works are not carried out in an integrated manner. Most of the large dams in India do not have a disaster management plan – only 7% of the total large dams in the country have an emergency action plan/disaster management plan.
Flood warnings should be disseminated using a wide range of the latest technologies. This will help in giving real-time data when conventional systems fail.
Proper management of the drainage system is necessary so that water does not accumulate in one place. Solid waste increases hydraulic roughness, causes clogging and generally reduces flow capacity. These drains need to be cleaned regularly to allow the free flow of water. Due to urbanization, groundwater recharge has decreased and peak runoff from rainfall and resulting flooding has increased. This will serve the twin purposes of reducing peak runoff and raising groundwater levels. Urban water bodies such as lakes, tanks and ponds also play a very important role in urban flood management by reducing stormwater runoff.
