Flood Disaster Management: Causes of Flood, Prevention Methods and NDMA Guidelines!

Floods are one of the deadliest natural disasters that can cause havoc in civilisations by taking away lives and causing damage to property. India is quite prone to floods because of the erratic and long monsoon season. In light of these it is important that India develop a strong flood disaster management system to prevent loss of life and property. 

In this article, we will be doing a comprehensive analysis of flood disaster management. It includes identifying factors responsible for floods and what can be done to mitigate their impact. 

This topic is quite important for UPSC IAS exams as it is one of the most pressing problems for urban as well as rural areas. It is an important topic in both Mains GS Paper 1 and Paper 3. 

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About Floods 

Floods are a situation in which water overflows its natural course and inundates land and human settlements which are usually dry areas. India is a flood-prone country and witnesses severe cases of flooding every year. In light of this, flood disaster management becomes an integral component of the disaster management mechanism. 

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, and Odisha are some of the worst flood affected states of India. The recurrence of floods every monsoon season causes immense damage to life and property and controlling it is one of the main challenges faced by different governments. 

Some popular methods of flood control are afforestation to retain water, terrace sloping to hinder slope flow, construction dykes, and embankments to stop water coming into human settlements. In this article, we will discuss all aspects related to flood disaster management in India.

Download UPSC Disaster Management Notes here!

Flood Control and Management in India

The flood disaster management system in India consists of two stages. First is flood forecasting and the second is flood control. First, let’s see what is flood forecasting.

As the name suggests, flood forecasting is all about accurately predicting the occurrences of floods. It started way back in 1958 when the Central Water Commission established a Central Flood Forecasting Centre in New Delhi. It had a scientific and advanced flood forecasting system. The main purpose of this center was to give early flood related warnings to nearby villages of Delhi.

A flood forecasting system performs the following functions: 

• Giving out early warning signals related to floods. This will give ample time to the administration to take corrective steps and minimise the loss of lives. 
• Setting up a comprehensive data management and transmission system. 
• Collecting hydrological data and using them to give out early warning signals. 
• Carrying out analysis of this collected data for forecasting floods.

Flood management is an important component of disaster management in India. For improving administrative efficiency and mitigating the impact of floods, the Central Water Commission has categorised floods into four different categories based on intensity which are as follows: 

•  Low intensity stage 
• Medium intensity stage 
• High intensity stage 
• Unprecedented floods

Now let’s see some of the flood control measures that can be taken to reduce or mitigate the impact of floods: 

• There should be a master plan to tackle floods which should be specific to the needs of a particular area. 
• Greater emphasis should be given to floodproofing and zoning of flood plains to minimising losses. If these steps are properly implemented it can reduce by a large margin recurring expenditure on flood relief, forecasting, etc. 
• Flood control should be given first priority in the reservoir regulation policy in high flood-risk areas. This should be followed diligently even if it means compromising on power and irrigation benefits. 
• One important area in flood control is to create a flood cushion in storage systems wherever feasible for better flood management and control.
• The forecasting model in flood disaster management should be updated and modernised by incorporating all new technological systems. It will improve the efficiency and productivity of the system. 
• Afforestation and planting of vegetation will help the soil to retain and absorb excess water and in the process reduce incidences of floods.
• Government should scientifically build reservoirs and dams which will be used to store extra water during floods. However, the construction of dams should be done keeping in mind ecology of the area. 
• Construction of canals and feeder networks to channelise excess water from flood affected regions to dry areas.

Factors Influencing Floods or Disasters in India

There are two sets of factors that lead to floods in India. One is the natural factors and the other is anthropogenic factors. 

Natural Factors

let’s discuss and see the different natural factors that are responsible for flooding in India. They are as follows:

Skewed Rainfall Pattern

India receives a majority of its precipitation during June-Spetember months when south west monsoon winds bring rainfall to the entire Indian landmass. A  rainfall distribution over a region can lead to flooding.

Earthquakes

Natural disasters like earthquakes can alter or modify the course of a river and can cause flooding over an area.

Climate Change

The changes taking place in climate have increased the extreme rainfall events. The rainfall pattern is also undergoing a change due to climate change and we are seeing short but severe spells of rainfall causing floods.

Transnational Rivers

Rivers like Brahmaputra and several tributaries of Ganga originate outside India’s borders and cause damage to Indian landmass by flooding. Apart from this, a sudden change in topography over northern plains from mountainous areas to low lying surfaces cause flooding. 

Human Factors

Now that we are well aware of natural causes, let's shift our attention to the human causes of flooding. They are as follows: 

Urban flooding:

The phenomena of heavy rainfall in urban areas within a short span of time is called urban flooding. There are several reasons why more and more cities are coming under the impact of urban flooding. It includes unplanned development projects that hinder natural water flow, encroachment of wetlands, and lack of maintenance of drains. 

Ignoring Pre-Disaster Planning:

India’s urban planners do not give enough importance to pre-disaster planning as a part of flood disaster management. As a result, when disaster strikes there is a lack of coordination and the administration takes reactive steps which may further aggravate flooding.

Unplanned development: 

Another human factor that can cause flooding is unplanned development projects. Indiscriminate felling of trees in the name of development weakens natural resistance against flooding and can have devastating consequences. 

It is important that the government considers both natural and man made factors while preparing strategies as a part of flood disaster management. 

Methods of Flood Management In India

Some flood management techniques that can be incorporated into flood disaster management are as follows: 

• Diverting or redirecting excess water to canals or floodways. 
• Working with an integrated solution oriented approach with cohesion among all stakeholders. 
• Preparing a flood management plan for every flood prone area of India and engaging local civil society groups or NGOs in such an exercise. 
• There should be a system in which excess rainwater can be utilised for groundwater replenishment. 
• Proper construction and maintenance of dams, and reservoirs to control the flow of excess water. 
• Construction and maintenance of dykes and embankments on river banks which are highly vulnerable to flooding. 

Guidelines of NDMA

The National Disaster Management Agency has come out with two specific measures structural and non-structural, which can be effective in managing or controlling floods. 

Structural Measures

First, let’s discuss the various structural measures which are given below: 

• Regular construction of check dams and reservoirs to keep a check on excess water during heavy rainfall.
• There should be regular desilting and dredging of water channels to increase their carrying capacity and at the same time avoid spillover to other areas. 
• There should be an aggressive afforestation drive in catchment areas of major rivers. More the number of trees in these areas will go a long way in tackling floods by reducing surface runoff and retaining water in the soil. 
• Ensure proper maintenance and repair of embankments along river banks to ensure that water does not move into human habitation.

Non-Structural Measures 

Now, we will be discussing the non-structural guidelines enshrined by NDMA for flood management: 

• Officers of central and respective state governments can undertake floodplain zoning measures and regulate land use in these areas. There should be a complete prohibition on developing human settlements in low lying and flood risk areas. Apart from this, areas should be demarcated based on risk level and steps should be taken to evacuate people from high risk areas first.
• Another technique that will help in flood disaster management is floodproofing. It is a comprehensive strategy for providing relief during floods with utmost urgency. Under this plan, there should be flood shelters in the highlands, availability of food and medical supplies, and proper communication channels between people proving services and those availing of such services. 
• As a part of nationwide comprehensive flood management plans, the NDMA encourages community participation and in the spirit of the same, they have raised more than 200 Apda Mitras which would provide flood relief services in India’s top 30 flood prone districts.

Government Initiatives Towards Flood Disaster Management in India

Steps taken by the Government to control floods in India: are given below:

National Flood Management Commission:

• It was set up in 1957 by the Government of India as the nodal agency for flood management in India.
• It has come out with several structural and non-structural measures for providing tackling floods in urban, rural, and mountainous regions. 

Rashtriya Barh Aayog 

• It was set up in 1976 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation to solve the perennial problem of floods in India by using scientific and modern means. 
• One major objective of this body was to create an integrated, scientific and coordinated approach toward flood disaster management. 
• One of its key achievements was that it introduced a system of floodplain zoning based on the severity of floods in these areas. Once demarcation was done by assigning different levels to every floodplain, administrators would develop rules and regulations for various activities 

Regional Task Forces

• These task forces were set up by the Government of India for following up on the recommendations of Rashtriya Barh Aayog.
• Government established this task force in 1996 for reviewing the suggestions and work of Rashtriya Barh Aayog and suggest any modifications or alterations needed in its recommendations. 
• After the successful completion of floodplain zoning, the task force recommended flood moderation projects to be taken up on a large scale as a follow-up action in flood prone areas

National Water Policy 2002

• This policy for the first time introduces the system of basin wise plan for flood disaster management.
• Another major decision taken by this policy was that flood management was the priority in reservoir management. 
• The policy also advocated passing laws that would strictly regulate all developmental and economic activities in flood plains. The main aim of this recommendation was to minimise loss of lives and property in case of a flood. 
• The non-structural measures as advocated by different flood commissions and NDMA should be given greater emphasis. 

K Mittal Committee

• This committee was set up in 2003 with the aim of providing guidance for streamlining flood management actions. 
• One of the most important recommendations of this committee was that embankments should only be constructed after undergoing rigorous technical studies and expert approval. This is critical due to sedimentation load as well as related morphological changes. 
• Planting as many trees as possible in the catchment areas, and encouraging proper land use practices, especially in the agriculture sector as faulty practices can weaken the soil and aggravate the negative impact of floods. 
• In order to tap silt, the administration should undertake the construction of hydraulic structures in the river itself. 

Conclusion Of Flood Management

India faces several instances of flooding every year as climate change has influenced the pattern of rainfall. In light of this, flood disaster management becomes a critical aspect of the overall disaster management mechanism. Government should work on a war footing by preparing localised flood control plans for all risk prone areas. Controlling rainfall may not be in the hands of humans but taking action for mitigating the negative impact of such is always doable.

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