[Answered] Flood risk management strategy cannot be done just by the water management, it should include round-the-year developmental activities. Discuss.

Flood is an overflow of a large amount of water beyond its normal limits, especially over what is normally dry land. Recently, over 5.5 million people have been affected in 32 districts of Assam (out of 35) due to the devastating floods.  Hazards like floods- fluvial or pluvial are often triggered by extreme weather events, but they translate into disaster risk due to anthropogenic factors.

Issues with Flood risk management strategy:

• Delays in completion of projects under the flood management programmes primarily due to shortfall of Centre’s assistance.
• Flood forecasting network of the CWC is not sufficient to cover the country adequately. Further, most of the existing flood forecasting stations are not operational.
• A lack of coordination and inadequate training at the ground level remained the biggest challenges in flood management.
• Inter-sectoral contribution is poor. They should be encouraged by assigning some budgetary allocations towards the flood management initiatives.
• Modern infrastructures are increasingly interdependent- forming a ‘system of systems’. Neglecting or underestimating these interdependencies cause increased risks.

What can be done?

• Reducing the causes of vulnerability: address the underlying factors that drive the multiple dimensions of vulnerability.
• Convergence across multiple departments: The role of agriculture, animal husbandry, education, PHED and health departments are also important.
• Include round-the-year developmental activities: like new models of embankment management to improve the overall livelihood of rural people, access to elevated shelters, even etc.
• Warning systems: With proper training, community institutions promoted under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission could act as a response force of the community to calamities in disaster-prone areas.
• District Disaster Management fellows: A dedicated group of trained young professionals with a time-bound and goal-driven assignment, working closely with District Disaster Management Agency and district administration and coordinating with the various line departments.
• The riparian population and their lives and livelihoods should be at the centre of the planning process of flood management.

The overall aim of flood risk management strategy should be to move away from hazard prevention to the minimisation of disaster risk. The recent floods are a wake up call to enact more robust policies for flood prevention and mitigation, and keeping in mind the spirit of Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction.