Till June end this year, the government was
worried about how to cope with back-to-back drought. But by the second half of
August, the scene changed dramatically and several states were in the spate of
floods. In Bihar, more than five million people have been affected and 6,50,000
displaced from their homes; in Assam 1.8 million people were affected with
2,40,000 displaced, and in UP 8,70,000 were affected. Floods also occurred in
areas that were earlier not considered flood prone, such as the cities of Jaipur,
Jodhpur and the southern districts of arid Rajasthan. Even in Madhya Pradesh,
300,000 people were affected.
There is a growing concern that floods
cause large-scale damage to crops, cattle, property and even human lives, and
this trend is increasing over time. As per the estimates of the Central Water
Commission (CWC), the cumulative damage from floods during the period
2000-2013, converted at 2014-15 constant prices, stood at a whopping Rs
2,63,848 crore. While in 2003 alone the damage was Rs 23,045 crore, the same escalated(increase,बढ़कर)
to Rs 46,802 crore in the 2009 floods (both at 2014-15 prices).
Most of the floods in India occur in the
Ganga-Brahmaputra-Barak basin as the distance between the world’s highest peaks
in the Himalayas and the outlet at the Bay of Bengal is short and the
contributing tributaries like Kosi, Gandak, Ghaghara and others disgorge large
volumes and devastate(destroy,विनाश) the fertile plains of eastern Uttar Pradesh, northern
Bihar, West Bengal and Assam. For these states, flood control is a developmental
as well as humanitarian issue. The options are limited but need to be given a
fair trial with adequate(enough,पर्याप्त) resources.
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The key question, therefore, is: How best
can the problem of floods and droughts be addressed so that the losses are
minimal and the system becomes more resilient? In this context, one important
point that needs to be noted is that India gets “too much” water (about 75 per
cent of annual precipitation) during 120 days of the monsoon season (June to
September) and “too little” for the remaining 245 days. This skewed water
availability has to be managed and regulated for its consumption throughout the
year. No wonder, leaders of independent India quickly embarked(entered,प्रवेश) upon a number of large
multi-purpose river valley projects such as Bhakra-Nangal, Hirakud, Nagarjuna
Sagar, Rihand etc to store water for smoothening its supplies throughout the
year. But, unfortunately, they lost interest in further developing such river
valley projects very soon, partly due to changed priorities towards heavy industrialisation
since 1956 and partly due to widespread inefficiencies and corruption in large
irrigation projects. Later on, the issue of resettlement of displaced people
became a rallying point for many NGOs to oppose these projects, leading to
drying up of funds from the World Bank.
As a result, in 2015, India’s per capita
water storage capacity through dams was abysmally(depressing,निराशाजनक) low at 194 cubic metre
(m3). In contrast, China’s per capita water storage capacity was three times
that of India at 590 m3 (2013). Amongst other BRICS countries, Brazil was at
3,370 m3, Russia at 5,587 m3 , and South Africa at 569 m3, all in 2015 (FAO).
Further, USA was at 2,254 m3 and Australia at 3,395 m3 (see chart). So, it is amply(sufficiently,पर्याप्तता) clear that India is way
below in storing water when it falls in abundance(excessive,बहुतायत), resulting in floods
during monsoons and deficiency of water later. This also lowers cropping
intensity (less than 140), meaning less than 40 per cent of India’s farm land
is double cropped.
So, what are the policy options now? Nitish
Kumar, in his meeting with the prime minister on the flood situation in Bihar,
asked for de-silting of the Ganga and removal of the Farakka barrage, as it was
causing accumulation of silt flowing from the Himalayan rivers and making the
flood situation in Bihar grim. He had a point, but this seems to be only a
partial and temporary solution.
The more lasting solution lies in a “buffer
stocking of water” during the monsoon months and releasing it during lean
seasons. This “buffer stocking of water” can be done over ground through dams,
or underground, by recharging aquifers. Recent studies by the World Bank
indicate that about 18 per cent of the peak flood volumes can be safely stored
in the existing and planned dams along the Indo-Nepal border. A holistic approach
at basin level, encompassing credible resettlement policy for displaced people,
and supported by pro-active hydro-diplomacy amongst riparian(onshore,तटवर्ती) countries can render(give,देना) rich dividends.
The time is also ripe to crank up the
Ganges Water Machine through Underground Taming of Floods for Irrigation
(UTFI), where surplus flood water is directed to aquifers through well-designed
structures placed in ponds and other depression areas and evacuated through
large-scale pump irrigation during the dry season. Flood control strategies
also need to include the use of smart geo-spatial techniques for flood
forecasting and construction and strengthening of embankments at critical
locations. The Modi government is also talking of inter-linking of rivers. A
beginning can be made at intra-state level, particularly within Bihar and
Madhya Pradesh.
Further, on the demand side, there is a
need to promote flood-tolerant “scuba rice”, sugarcane, jute and high-value
aquatic crops in this region; access to affordable crop, livestock and asset
insurance products; and education and preparedness to live with the floods.
Finally, with increasing urbanisation, agriculture will have to shed its
current share of 78 per cent in water to, say, 70 per cent by 2030. This calls
for focus on “more crop per drop”. Research indicates that rainfed areas
covering pulses, oilseeds and nutri-cereals can give high productivity if they
get even two irrigations.
Cascading(flow,व्यापक) check dams, drips and
sprinkler irrigation can help. PM’s Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) talks of
all this, but with paltry(small.तुच्छ) resources (Rs 5,767
crore), one wonders how many years one will have to wait to see the objectives
of “har khet ko paani” being met.
courtesy:indian express
