Managing the rivers

Delhi floods show need for investment and preparation

The recent flooding in Delhi deserves careful investigation. Areas that had never before been flooded — even during periods of considerably heavier rainfall than has been the case this year — saw extensive property damage due to waterlogging. How did this come about? The government of Delhi has blamed the government of the neighbouring state of Haryana, and there appears to be some justification in this complaint. The Hathnikund barrage on the Yamuna, the upstream of where it flows through Delhi, is controlled by the Haryana government, and the decision was taken to release 350,000 cusecs of water after heavy rain further north. This water should have flowed through the three more barrages on the section of the river that adjoins Delhi, and through to Uttar Pradesh. But, it appears several gates of one of the three barrages — the ITO barrage, which is also operated by the Haryana government — had been silted up and could not be opened. As a consequence, the water spread out into various areas of the city that are normally not subject to such severe flooding. The Haryana government’s only response to this accusation has been to point out that Haryana also suffered from floods.

Once again, as with the apparently intractable problem of air pollution, the existence of multiple authorities with responsibilities for Delhi and its environs has caused a disaster for its people. Preparedness for floods has undoubtedly suffered, and so has establishing proper accountability for errors. There are, however, additional questions to be asked. The 350,000 cusecs of water took some time to travel downstream as far as Delhi — no alarm was raised or emergency preparations made. While many areas that were flooded on this occasion were long settled, others have been built on the floodplains of the Yamuna and are dangerously prone to flooding and to subsidence. The spread of concrete in built-up parts of the city with no regard to the ability of the earth to soak up excess water might also be a problem.

Overall, however, the fact of urban development is not so much the problem as is the quality of urbanism and its administration. Solutions must be found, for the growth of Delhi can hardly be stopped. The possibility of subsuming barrages along the Yamuna and other major rivers under one integrated authority should be examined. State governments can, as constitutionally mandated, retain their authority over the flow of water through their territory; but they clearly need assistance in maintaining and managing riverine infrastructure. The Union government should commission a broader examination of the Yamuna flood plan to ensure that building and infrastructure development are created in such a way that excess water is harvested, absorbed, or allowed to flow downstream. Finally, additional infrastructure — new channels, de-sedimentation facilities, and firmer embankments — needs to be planned to enable the identification of storm surges and their diversion in a timely manner. The Yamuna can neither be ignored nor avoided. Nor can other major Indian rivers. As India’s megacities grow, better ways of dealing with flash floods — increasingly common in the era of global warming — must be developed.