The Hindu Business Line : Coping with floods

Indifference towards what has now become an annual catastrophe is inexcusable. In these times of climate change, India should be prepared for floods, droughts and cyclones of increasing severity.

Floods in the States of Bihar, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand have claimed about 300 lives and affected five million people. These States are ravaged by floods of increasing severity every year, yet no steps have been taken to check the loss of lives and disruption of economic activity. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 59 per cent of India’s land area is prone to floods, which claim 1,600 live s every year and inflict damage worth Rs 820 crore on public utilities. Floods have become all the more dangerous in the North and East due to heavy discharge of water upstream from Nepal and Tibet and rise in water levels as a result of deforestation. Rivers such as Brahmaputra and Kosi wreak havoc, breaching embankments and inundating villages. Kosi changed course after breaching an embankment near the Nepal border, flooding 671 villages that lie along its new path. Even if this is an unusual development, the fact remains that Bihar is one of India’s most flood-prone states, with 24 of its 37 districts having been affected over the last seven years.

Indifference towards what has now become an annual catastrophe is inexcusable. A more serious attempt should be made to engage Nepal in this matter. If years of talks with Nepal on constructing check dams have made no headway, it is because Nepal sees no benefit from the exercise. A dam would entail massive maintenance cost which would appear worthwhile to Nepal only if it were to get substantial electricity from it. The Indian Government and power sector should urgently apply themselves to the task of cobbling together an acceptable proposal. The main impediment here is the absence of political will in moving towards a solution. Disaster relief has spawned a rentier economy of politicians, contractors and other intermediaries. Their interest in restricting flood control to embankments that are built only to be breached should come under scrutiny.

In these times of climate change, India should be prepared for floods, droughts and cyclones of increasing severity. The NDMA, set up in the wake of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and headed by the Prime Minister, rightly says that “the frequency of major floods is more than once in five years”. Besides, floods occur in areas that were earlier not flood-prone, and this includes urban spaces. NDMA calls for a “shift from a relief-centric approach” to one of “proactive prevention, mitigation and preparedness”. However, this can be achieved only through proper application of technology and community participation in decision-making. The southern States have a better record in this respect.

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