Charting a path from policy to practice for Indian cities

Floods are a recurrent phenomenon in many parts of India, and human and economic losses are consistently rising with increased exposure to the hazard. These losses can be significantly reduced by eliminating the encroachment on floodplains and regulating the land use within it through floodplain zoning, a widely accepted and effective non-structural policy measure.

Flooding is also a natural event vital for geomorphological process and ecology of rivers. Flood fury has caused massive damage to livelihoods and property in the last six decades in India.
Over the years, floodplains have become sites of development due to their economic potential. Increasing human presence in the floodplains has hampered the normal pathway for floods. An active floodplain signifies the replenishment of soil and nutrients. The fertile floodplains have always been ideal agricultural sites since the periodic flooding has ensured a fresh supply of nutrient-rich fine-grained sediment. Several government agencies and experts have attributed the increasing frequency and damages caused by floods to the encroachments in the floodplains of Indian rivers.
“Rivers do not always flow in a fixed line but have the virtue of expanding on both sides of the rivers, several times in a year. Here, the floodplains allow them a comfortable zone to accommodate the excess water and prevent flooding of human settlements. However, with the passage of time, these floodplains have become victims of illegal as well as planned legal invasion by governments across the country,” said Jayshree Vencatesan of Care Earth Trust, Chennai (reported by Prevention Web, July 13, 2021).

Impact of encroachments on floodplains

In India, we have seen devastating floods in Uttarakhand (2021), Srinagar (2014) and Madhya Pradesh (2021), in addition to frequent events in Bihar and elsewhere to bring home to us the ill effects of invaded river flood plains. However, since then, all concerned have failed to learn any lessons and adopt corrective measures..
Increasing encroachments on floodplains of Yamuna and Brahmaputra have strangled the rivers. The large-scale damage caused by floods in western Maharashtra and Konkan has put the spotlight back on massive encroachment of floodplains and the lack of regulations in the state. A report submitted in May 2020 mentioned that “a cursory analysis of these floods revealed that it was not just the fury of nature that wreaked havoc, but the large problem can be attributed to human interventions in the riverine and stream ecosystem.” Its recommendations have not been acted upon yet either.
The 2021 report of a NITI Aayog Committee for the formulation of strategy for flood management works in the country also recommended floodplain zoning as an important non-structural measure to counter flood damages. The report also urged the Jal Shakti Ministry to impress upon the states on the need to take measures to ensure floodplain zoning.

Examining India’s Floodplain Zoning Policies

Regulating floodplain use in India has largely been a flawed exercise. The constitutional provision of flood management falls under the purview of the state governments, while central government organisations such as the Ganga Flood Control Commission, Brahmaputra Board and the Central Water Commission, can only provide technical support to the states. It is up to the states to weigh the costs and benefits of floodplain zoning as a viable flood management option.
The Model Bill for Flood Plain Zoning (MBFPZ) and the National Disaster Management Guidelines for floods (NDMG) are two key policy documents that reflect the central government’s position on floodplain zoning and capture the governance mechanism that it has tried to impress upon the states. But these instruments will remain ineffective unless the state governments can muster enough political will to
pass legislations.
The policies will have to be contextualized according to the existing socio-political and economic realities in each state. This is important for customising the ‘model bill’ and the guidelines to fit the needs and constrains of the region where it is to be implemented.
Despite the crucial need for floodplain zoning, several states have resisted such efforts, including the enactment of a law. There could be two reasons for their reticence: the constraints arising from evacuating people who occupy the floodplains, and resettling these people elsewhere given the paucity of land. Removing these bottlenecks is crucial for successful realisation of floodplain zoning and to put in place an integrated approach for flood management. The West Bengal government has prepared a draft bill on floodplain zoning and the Madhya Pradesh government has demarcated 36 towns affected by floods and continues to carry out necessary administrative work towards demarcation of flood zones.

Resolution

Scientific studies have concluded that in India, complete protection against floods cannot be provided to all and people need to learn to live with floods. Clearly, a shift in approach from disaster control to disaster management is needed. We have some available measures to control floods and they can be broadly categorised into two groups:
Structural measures like storage reservoirs, embankments and levees, flood plain zoning, and river training works. These measures aim to keep floodwaters away from the damage centres
Non-structural measures that include flood forecasting, warning systems, and flood insurance. These techniques typically aim to temporarily move people from damage centres to safe locations or risk-sharing
India has successfully set up systems for forecasting cyclones, which has resulted in almost zero loss of lives in recent cyclones. Similar success stories need to be replicated for inland flooding. India is slowly beginning to realise that floodplains are an integral part of a river area; a river with a complete floodplain is not just in equilibrium but also in good health.

Conserving floodwater

Ironically, just a few months after the flood season, many parts of the country start to witness droughts. Thus, the practice of passing flood water to the ocean at the earliest is not a good approach. If we view flood flows as a resource, a better approach would be to conserve floodwaters for subsequent use and pass only that water which cannot be conserved and may cause harm.

Regular monitoring

Intense rain events are one of the main causes of (flash) floods—such events are likely to become more common in a warming climate. Concerned agencies have to remain vigilant around the year and regularly monitor surface water bodies, hill slopes and snow or glacier cover for early detection of changes that could cause harm. Timely alerts can save numerous lives while minimising damage to property.
Significant reduction in damages by riverine floods is possible in India by implementing flood plain zoning. In fact, many floodplains can be used to temporarily hold floodwaters, thereby helping in controlling floods and simultaneously recharging groundwater. This step would, of course, require political and administrative determination. In the ‘sponge city’ concept, paved surfaces in the cities are converted to porous surfaces that absorb some of the floodwaters and check falling water tables.
Flood management is likely to become more challenging in the changing climate. Therefore, creating awareness among the people and educating them about the ways to survive in a flood is also the need of the hour.