Bihar Floods: Lack Of Measures, Poor Planning Structures Pose Challenges To Mitigating Damages

Bihar has not received its fair share of rain so far. The eastern state of India should have received a total of 207.3mm of rainfall from June 1 to July 4 but has recorded just 154.3 mm of rain, which is 26 per cent less than normal.  Muzaffarpur district should have received a total of 204.4 mm of rainfall by now but with 122.8mm of rainfall, it is 40 per cent below the normal. Similarly, other districts too have recorded less than normal rainfall. According to the Indian Meteorological Department data, at least 20 districts have recorded a deficit in rainfall yet Bihar, with a population of 10.40 crores (Census 2011) is staring at floods this year, as well. 

The water level of several prominent rivers inducing Kosi, Gandak, Budhi Gandak, and Bagmati has been rising following which the Central Water Commission's latest report points out that water is above the normal floor situation in at least five states. The rising water level in the Bagmati River has caused a 200 feet bamboo bridge to collapse in Muzaffarpur district's Aurai block.  

"Due to the collapse of the bamboo bridge, we have to travel 70-75 kilometres to reach the block headquarters. If the bamboo bridge was working, the distance of block headquarters would have been just 2-3 kilometres," a resident of Atrar panchayat tells Outlook. He adds that around 14 panchayats will be affected due to the bridge collapsing. 

"Ab prakhand mukhyalay jaane mein itna time lag jata hai ki hum log wahan koi kaam hota hai to taal dete hain (Now it takes so much time to go to the block headquarters that we postpone our work there until it is most urgent)," says another resident, Vicky. The situation is going to remain the same until November-December when river water will recede and the bamboo bridge will be made afresh. 

Flooded Promises And Villages 

Vicky predicts that the floods will once again wreak havoc this year but the government has taken no measures to curtail the impact of the disaster. "No flood management activities are visible on the ground either. Every year the government makes tall claims and during floods, all claims fall flat," he says.

For people living within the Kosi river embankments, the floods seem to have already reached their doorstep with the water level increasing. Locals say that water had entered many houses but it receded after a couple of days, damaging the mung bean which was yet to be plucked.  

Floods are an annual affair for Bihar. Almost every year, it wreaks havoc and damages properties, crops, and claims several lives. It displaces tens and hundreds of poor families, who have to take shelter along the embankments and roadsides.  

In the past ten years, about 2,300 people have died and crops of Rs 2,02,517.64 lakh were damaged due to floods, as per the Bihar Disaster Management data.  

However, despite these huge losses, the government lacks making any strong intervention although there is an SOP (standard operating procedure) for flood management which lays clear guidelines for three-layer actions: pre-flood preparation, during flood relief and rescue,  and after the flood action. 

The first action is undertaken before the flood. This intervention is initiated before the onset of monsoon which brings more than 80 per cent of annual rain and causes flooding across the north Bihar districts.  Initially, repair work of all embankments is done so that it doesn't breach during heavy rain. The repair work is scheduled to be completed by June 15, by all means.  

Speaking to Outlook, an official with the disaster management department says, "In between, we do mapping of probable areas which are prone to flooding. We identify the families who can be affected by floods." "Boats are arranged to bring the stranded families to relief camps, dry ration and medicine are stocked before the start of monsoon," he adds. 

The second intervention is done during floods and this is most important. "During the flood, our prime focus remains rescue work. If people are stranded in flooded areas, we ensure that they reach a safe place. We use boats and have special rescue teams. If needed we can call the army and ask for a helicopter," says another disaster management official. 

The third intervention is done after the floods. During this time, most damages are ascertained for compensation.  

Are these interventions enough?

Activists opine that these interventions are not enough, moreover, only when implemented properly, it would have helped people. 

Kosi Navnirman Manch founder, Mahendra Yadav, who works with flood victims, says, "This SOP is not followed properly. When the flood comes, boats are not available for rescue work, people don't know where the relief camps are. SOP works are merely on paper." 

He adds, "Even in damage assessment, officials don't furnish correct data and the affected families do not get their due compensation. In many cases, government officials claim no damage."

In 2022, Kosi Navnirman Manch approached the Patna High Court to instruct the state government for granting compensation to the affected families of Supaul district in the 2021 floods. 

The Disaster Management department had asked for a report from district officials. An order by the Department on December 26, (2022) claimed that no families were affected by the floods in Supaul but data available on the disaster management department's website says that in 2021, 17 villages were affected and 1,220 huts were damaged.  

Yadav also says that the responsibility of implementing the SOP remains on the circle officers of blocks who are already burdened with another kind of work. Hence, they fail to discharge their flood duties properly. "I think the government should make a separate wing of officials who would exclusively work to fight the flood fury," he adds. 

Apart from the SOP, the Bihar government always emphasises the embankments for flood control. But experts believe that embankments have not controlled the flood; instead, it has increased its intensity.  

The first embankment was built on the Kosi River in the '70s and since then embankments along hundreds of kilometres have been constructed on both sides on at least a dozen rivers in Bihar. 

"So far, about 3790 kilometres of embankments have been built across the 13 rivers in Bihar but it has only increased the flood impact. Before embankments, 2.5 million hectares of the state were flood-prone; now it has reached 6.8 million hectares. This clearly indicates that embankments have worsened the flood situation," says Anil Prakash, an activist who has so far led many movements against embankments.  

Embankments have not only increased the flood-prone areas but they have also increased its impact. "When there was no embankment, river water would spread in the large areas. It would bring fertile silt which would spread in agricultural fields making them more fertile. Now whenever the embankment breaches, the huge quantity of water suddenly spreads to the villages causing huge loss," he adds.  

He believes that the only way to minimize flood loss is to make rivers flow without any obstruction.  

"Nadi ke raste mein jahan bhi avarodh hai usko khatam Kiya Jaye. Nadi ko aviral behne do. Badh ke prabhav ko Kam karne ka yahi ek tarika hai (All the obstructions in the route of rivers must be removed. Let the rivers flow uninterrupted. This is the only way to minimize flood impact)," Anil Prakash says.