Responding to floods

India needs a holistic approach

At the beginning of his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief on the loss of lives because of floods in various parts of the country and acknowledged the hardship being faced by people in those regions. He also highlighted that all efforts were being made by government agencies to bring normalcy. So far at least 225 people have died in states such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Kerala, and millions have been displaced. Floods have affected over 8.8 million people in Bihar. About 300,000 people are reported to have been taken to relief camps in Kerala. The state had suffered substantial damage even last year in what was termed as once in a century calamity.

While the intensity of floods may differ in various regions in different years, the broader story is repeated almost every year. First, parts of the country struggle for survival with a severe shortage of water in the summer months. For instance, Chennai made headlines this year because of water shortages and it could be just a matter of time before other cities face a similar fate. But, as the calendar shifts to monsoon months, large parts of the country are exposed to floods. The government does its bit before moving on to some other pressing issue. The same story is repeated every year with unfailing regularity. In fact, things could get worse in coming years if corrective measures are not taken straightaway.

There are two broad reasons for the recurrence of natural disasters such as floods. First, the changing weather pattern is affecting the quantity and distribution of rain. Even this year, the rainfall was in deficit in the initial period before recovering significantly in recent weeks. Second, unplanned development is putting enormous stress on the ecosystem. The encroachment on water bodies and deforestation for de velopment not only affect the natural carrying capacity of the system but also reduce the possibility of groundwater recharge. India needs to work on improving the system of water management, so that the excess in some period and deficit in others can be addressed. Mr Modi in his speech rightly highlighted the need for grassroots level involvement in the conservation of water. Better management of water will reduce instances of floods to a large extent and help accomplish the mission of providing water to all households.

At a broader level, India will need to work with a holistic approach to minimise the impact of extreme weather conditions. Among other things, agriculture would be severely affected because of changing weather patterns. Therefore, it is important to revisit the nature of development in both urban and rural areas and find ways to protect the environment. Since this will take a long time to yield results, in the short run, it is important to improve the state capacity to fight extreme weather challenges like floods. The silting of riverbeds and the reduction in the carrying capacity of river channels need focused policy attention. The forecasting system has improved significantly in recent years and should be used more effectively to save human lives. Naturally, this will require better coordination between the Centre and state governments along with adequate allocation of resources.