JOIN USThe recent flood that devastated Assam was the worst natural catastrophe in several years, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority. The mighty Brahmaputra, a trans-boundary river, is braided and unstable in its entire reach in Assam and annually floods the state. These floods also affect the neighbouring states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur.
The Brahmaputra Board, established in 1980, is a central government body that is tasked to carry out surveys and investigations in the Brahmaputra Valley and prepare a masterplan for the control of floods, bank erosion and improvement of drainage. Its responsibilities are related to the development and management of the Brahmaputra and Barak basins, but the implementation of all programmes is still far from satisfactory. But is the government’s responsibility solely limited to constructing embankments to prevent floods?
Assam is a classic case of such a piecemeal, temporary solution through a lengthy chain of embankments. Assam has 423 embankments with a total length of 4,474.42 km and 295 embankments which, along 3,998 km, have outlived their lifespan. Clearly, this increases the scope for breaches, resulting in floods that affect almost 40% of Assam in terms of territory and population.
In July 2017, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India submitted its report to Parliament on “Schemes for Flood Control and Flood Forecasting”. It highlighted a huge discrepancy in the execution of work and grant of funds for flood-affected areas both by the central and state governments. Flood management programmes were not taken up in an integrated manner. Even recommendations of the National Flood Commission, New Delhi, related to ‘Identification of Area affected by Flood in Country’ remains “unfulfilled,” according to the CAG report.
Therefore, a clear identification of flood-prone areas, periodic maintenance of embankments, and proper and accurate flood forecasting data is the need of hour. Rather than a temporary solution, the government should look into a comprehensive and holistic approach to flood management. Integrated Flood Management, within the framework of Integrated Water Resource Management, is a paradigm shift from flood control to flood management. It has its genesis in the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa. Its main aim is to maximise the net benefits of flood plain and at the same time reduce loss of life. It also looks at the river basin as a dynamic system, where there is continuous interaction between land and water resources.
While natural topography and heavy rainfall are obvious causes, floods also result from human interventions like encroachments in flood plain areas, lack of drainage, faulty agricultural practices and hill-cutting, which further increase flood frequency and intensity. Central and state government strategy involving flood control measures, based on engineering solutions such as construction of embankments, are ad hoc in nature and provide only uni-dimensional solutions.
Such structural measures have only heightened the level of ecological imbalance, which limits the spread of river water, and in turn increases the thickness of the river bed. Over time, with continuous flow of water, embankments are weakened which eventually get breached and result in heavy floods along adjoining areas. To some extent, such an engineering approach, which amounts to flood control only, prolongs the next round of floods. But it is not flood management in the true sense.
Flood control is a short-term approach to ensure that day–to-day living of people resident along the river are not affected; on the other hand, flood management is a comprehensive strategy that involves management of the ecology. There are many plans and programmes to reduce flood hazards. So, the main concern is to prepare a time-bound action plan to accelerate the completion of all the long-term river management projects. Strong political will at both national and state level, besides active participation of all stakeholders, is necessary to accomplish these objectives.
Floods always have a severe impact on the lower basin. Brahmaputra floods have a devastating effect on the lower river streams, particularly in Bangladesh, which is highly vulnerable to flood hazards, being a lower riparian state. Uncoordinated flood management policies in an identical and geographically integrated region are not effective solutions. Therefore, along with the national and regional action plan, India should also play the role of a responsible upper riparian neighbour.
Civilisations have historically prospered on flood plains that support agriculture and allied livelihood activities for which rivers provide the water for human settlements. Floods are therefore an integral part of nature, which is essential for creation and maintenance of an ecosystem. It helps to reinvigorate the farm lands, enhance fertility and increase agricultural productivity. Also, flooded areas ensure maintenance of ground water levels. How have such natural phenomena come to be perceived as natural disasters in most parts of the country?
(The writer is an Assistant Professor with the Department of International Studies and History at Christ University, Bengaluru)