disastrous floods

To prevent disastrous floods, avoid hydropolitics

The Centre must play a proactive role in coordinating all river and flood management agencies, writes MS Menon

Incessant rains and resulting floods this year have wreaked havoc in many parts of the country. When the flooded Kosi river unleashed by a bund breach in Nepal ravaged north Bihar and the Mahanadi in spate inundated many areas of Orissa, almost at the same time torrential rains caused water levels rising above danger marks in the Ganga and its tributaries, including the Yamuna, flooding many parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and New Delhi.

As the flood waters continued to inflict misery on millions of people, blame game among the power mongers started, opening the floodgates of hydropolitics, thereby affecting relief and rehabilitation efforts. Activists pursuing the fixed agenda of 'no dams, no embankments' also jumped into the fray to remain in the limelight.

The war of words would continue but there is a need to examine why various studies and flood control measures carried out in the past failed to deliver.

In 1980, the Rashtriya Barh Ayog had assessed the area prone to floods at 34 million hectares and reasonable protection available to about 10 mha. RBA had advised many actions including enactment of laws to regulate man-made activities in the flood plains. But most of its recommendations were not acted upon.

In 1999 the National Commission for Water Resources had observed that storage dams and embankments did provide effective protection to large flood-prone areas and prevent the loss of standing crops. It recommended performance review of selected embankments and stressed the need for associating the beneficiaries in the upkeep of the embankments. The commission also suggested adoption of nonstructural measures like flood forecasting to minimise flood impacts.

In 2004, unprecedented floods in the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers necessitated the Centre to constitute a Task Force (TF) to suggest remedial measures. The Task Force recommended more involvement by the Centre to make flood management efforts effective. The Working Group of the 11th Planning Commission had also emphasised the need for Central involvement and for setting up a Central Flood Management Organisation.

But the Centre's response remained lukewarm like before.

In the meanwhile, the much-hyped River Linking Project to divert flood waters to water deficit areas is progressing at snail's pace and not even a single link has been executed so far. The Centre does not appear to be serious about this project also.

Recently, as an aftermath of the Kosi floods, another 'dream' project has been announced by declaring the river Ganga as a national river. As per reports, this step is to ensure an integrated approach in the sustainable use of Ganga waters, flood management and pollution management, instead of the current piecemeal efforts taken up in a fragmented manner by different agencies in this regard.

What is required is a coordination among the concerned authorities and not pious words and hollow promises. Rather than taking shelter on the plea that 'water' is a state subject, the Centre should take proactive action on the recommendations made by the various committees and focus on the River Linking Project.

(The Pioneer, dated 20th november, 2008)