Save the Water
Present situation:
- The monsoon has been arriving later over the past few years; most recently, it hit Mumbai and New Delhi on the same day, June 24. In these cities, the monsoon typically begins on June 10 and June 30, respectively.
- As soon as it arrived, it started to strongly to very heavily rain in various parts of India. Because the majority of flooding frequently happens in the monsoon’s later months, it is uncommon to observe flooded rivers and cities in June or the first few days of July.
In order to resolve the flood calamity, flood control is required:
- According to studies and professional judgements, India’s population, housing stock, and infrastructure cannot be completely protected from flooding.
- Many areas of the country have hot summers and droughts once the flood season ends in October.
- As a result, flood control requires less focus and effort whereas flood management demands more.
- However, India’s hydro-infrastructure is insufficient for efficient flood management. Damages would be reduced if a sizeable portion of the flood flows could be safely contained.
- Future droughts would be somewhat mitigated by the water saved. India has a strong opportunity to use storage to reduce droughts and unpredictable river flow.
Effects of flooding and resources available to control them:
- India has had at least one significant flood occurrence annually in recent years, and a pattern of the harm and suffering caused by floods is starting to develop.
- The National Disaster Management estimates that, on average, 1,600 people each year die in floods. Floods also harm homes, crops, and public services over 75 lakh hectares of land, costing a total of Rs. 1,805 crore.
- To manage floods, a variety of methods are available. These technologies can be classified as structural or non-structural.
Among the structural measures are:
- embankments, water storage reservoirs, and detours.
- These lessen the risk of floods by directing harmful floodwaters away from cities, companies, and other susceptible places.
- Storage reservoirs lower the peak of the flood by storing water during times of high flow and releasing it after those times have passed.
- They also save water for agriculture, producing energy, providing water, etc. The amount of space that is available determines how effectively they can reduce floods.
- Two other traditional water conservation methods used in India are ponds and tanks. They also support biodiversity and groundwater recharge.
- Non-structural approaches help with prompt evacuation of people and control use of floodplains, such as flood predictions, warnings, and zoning.
- A forecasting and warning system’s ability to predict impending flooding allows for the quick relocation of people and movable property to safer places.
- There are more than 5,500 large dams in India. By calculating the amount of space required for storage in reservoirs, accurate inflow estimates aid in the reduction of floods.
- Floods are caused by God, but according to a saying, humanity are to blame for the majority of the damage.
- Because they don’t require construction, non-structural approaches don’t have any negative consequences on the environment or anything else. Water is not conserved or used in other ways despite being a resource.
- Massive and moderate-sized water conservation initiatives can stop massive amounts of water from causing harm. It is crucial to improve current infrastructure or build new infrastructure to handle the growing variety.
When there is flooding, water must be stored:
- The basins of the Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, Mahanadi, Narmada, and Tapi rivers provide the majority of the country’s water. Indian rivers are very seasonal because of the monsoon season.
- Indian rivers receive around 75% of their yearly flows during the monsoon season, which lasts for four months.
- Water conservation is therefore crucial during periods of high water flows in river basins.
- However, water conservation methods come in a variety of sizes and shapes, from massive reservoirs to farm ponds, and their impacts can be felt locally or over a wide area depending on their benefits, drawbacks, prerequisites, and limitations.
The nature of flood control has changed due to climate change:
- Rainfall patterns, intensities, and durations will vary as a result of climate change, necessitating new strategies for managing floods.
- Heavy rainstorms are anticipated to occur more regularly as the earth warms, the IPCC indicated in their most recent assessment, Assessment assessment 6.
- Therefore, the future flows and fluctuations of the Indian River will be increasingly uncertain. As a result, droughts and floods will occur more frequently.
- It makes sense to update the nation’s hydro infrastructure right away so that, in time, there will be tools available to control rising variability.
Conclusion:
- In order to effectively control floods, the full range of structural and non-structural interventions, as well as a suitable blend of grey, blue, and green infrastructure, must be taken into consideration.
- A mental and behavioural transformation is also required in order to retain flood flows as a resource for use in the future and water security. Managing floods while maintaining the ecosystem will be made easier by using a river basin approach.
