1. Flood and Watershed Management: Dealing
with Natural Disasters
(Building Resilience for Food and Nutrition Security)
Alok K Sikka
DDG (NRM)
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
&
Technical Expert (Watershed Development),
National Rainfed Area Authority,
Planning Commission, Government of India
New Delhi

2. Natural Disaster Occurrence
Estimated economic damages (US$ X 1,000)
 National Flood Commission (1980): 40 m ha
 Current Estimate (XII Plan): 49.814 m ha
 Annual average area and population affected due
to flood : 7.2 M ha and 3.19 million respectively.
 Brahmputra-Meghna, Ganga and Indus most
affected basins
 39 districts chronically flood prone
Flood Affected Area Annually
 Average 7.2 M Ha
 Maximum 17.5 M Ha (1978)
 Minimum 1.096 M Ha (2006)
24%
19%
12%
11%
6%
5%
23%
Uttar pradesh Bihar
Assam West Bengal
Orissa Andhra Pradesh
Other States
source: prevention web.net

3. 0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
1953
1956
1959
1962
1965
1968
1971
1974
1977
1980
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
2010
CattlelostNos.(thousand)
Year
Cattle lost Nos.
Flood Damages 1953 - 2011 Maximum Average
Area affected (M ha) 17.50 (1978) 7.2
Crop affected (M ha) 12.29 (2005) 3.79
Damage to crops value (million $) 1217.9 (2003) 186.5
Cattle lost (Nos) 618248 (1979) 96593
Damage to public utilities (million $) 2918.2 (2009) 316.3
Total damaged (million $) (crop, cattle,
public utilities)
5425.8 (2009) 602.0
Affecting Food & Nutritional Security
Major Flood Events in Recent Periods
1998 Assam has been suffering floods regularly
since 1998.
2004 Bihar Flood
2005 Flooding in Maharshtra & Gujarat
2008 Kosi Flood in Bihar
2009 Flooding occurred across many parts of
South India in Oct 2009
2010 The Leh floods occurred on 6 August 2010
2012 Brahmaputra Flood
2013 2013 North India floods in Uttarakhand
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1953
1956
1959
1962
1965
1968
1971
1974
1977
1980
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
2010
Damagetocropsarea(Mha)
Damagetocropsvalue(million$)
Year
Damage to crops value, Million $
Damage to crops area in, M ha

4. 2008 Flood -Shifted Course of Kosi River after Breach
 Unlike earlier floods, in 2008 river changed its
path by several kilometres
 More than 2.5 lakh houses destroyed.
 Much higher submerged area (crops in 1.06 lakh
hectares were destroyed)
Sand casting in agricultural field
at Bishanpur, Patharghat block

5. DAMAGE TO AGRICULTURE LANDS: Uttarakhand Flood
Asan river shifted to about 200 m at
some places
Encroachment of riverine lands
Washing away agricultural field adjoining River and stream: Uttarakhand
Affected paddy fields (50 ha)
Ganjam, Orissa
Submerged paddy field Kendrapara,
Orissa
Submerged sugarcane field Kendrapara,
Orissa
Flood Damages during Tropical Cyclone Phailin-2013-Orissa

6. Government’s Initiatives, Programs and Policies
 Policy Statement - 1954
 High Level Committee On Floods – 1957 & Policy Statement of 1958
 National Flood Commission (Rashtriya Barh Ayog) – 1980
 Committee on flood management North- Eastern States- 1988
 Committee on flood management Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, U. P.-1988
 National Commission for Integrated Water Resource Development - 1999
 Expert Committee to Review the Implementation of the RBA-2003
 Committee to identify critical Anti-erosion scheme of Ganga Basin states – 2003
 Task Force on flood Management /Erosion Control-2004
 National Water Policy ( 1987/ 2002/2012)
Projects/Schemes:
 Centrally sponsored schemes for soil conservation/Watershed Management in
the catchments of River Valley Projects & Flood Prone Areas
 Critical flood control, river management, anti erosion, drainage development
 Flood Forecasting, flood plain zoning
 ISRO Disaster Management Support Program : Flood Hazard Zonation
 National Flood Risk Mitigation Projects- Mitigation or reduction in risk

7. Engineering/ Structural Measures
 Dams & Reservoirs
 Embankment
 Flood walls
 Channel Improvement
 River Diversion
 Anti Erosion Works
Non Structural Measures
 Flood Forecasting & Warning
 Flood Plain Zoning
 Flood Proofing
Catchment Area Treatment
 Watershed Management
 Channel Treatment
Present Status of Flood Management Activities
87
27
5 9 4
18
9 15
1
0
20
40
60
80
100 COVERS MAJOR AND INTER
STATE RIVER BASINS.
175 STATIONS
INFLOW 28
STAGE 147
 National Guidelines on Disaster Management – Flood
Disasters
Flood risk and vulnerability
Early warning mechanism
Catchment protection and river‐basin approach

8. Contingency crop planning for in-season and post flood period.
District level Contingency Plans of 500 districts developed for floods,
drought, cyclone, etc.
Flood management in flood planes: community nurseries of rice,
cultivation of submergence/flood tolerant rice varieties (eg. Swarna-
sub 1), direct seeding of sprouted seeds of short duration rice cultivars,
sowing of kharif pulses where rice cultivation is no more possible,
promotion of raised and sunken bed techniques, tillage management
techniques
Swamp taro Colocasia esculenta: Duration:10 months; Feb-Dec, water
chest nut, Gorgon nut, etc.
Crop Planning for Flood Prone Areas
Waterchestnut as
flood resilient crop
Makhana
(Euryale ferox Salisb)

9. RAINY SEASON :
DEEP WATER
RICE
(cv. Hangseswari)
Multiple use of water in seasonaly flooded areas
Grain yield 2.0-2.8 t/ha depending upon the time, depth and duration of flooding
Water productivity enhanced from nil to about Rs. 7.0 /m3
Post-monsoonMonsoon
3.5m
9.5 m9.5
m
3.5m
3.0
m
3.0 m
Dugout
Area 1-1.5 m wide berm
in between bunds
and trenches
Side
Slope-
1:1)
2.5 M
Pond based farming
(Annual/Perennial)

10. Rice-fish
Secondary Reservoir for Multiple us
Fishery, Irrigation,
Horticultre/Vegetable, duck
Fish Trenches – cum- Raised beds
Duck
Fish Hatchery
28.0 29.7
81.0
132.6
93.6
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Rice+wheat
Rice-
fish+wheat
Fish
Trench+Raised
beds
Secondary
Reservoir
(Fish+Hort)
Fishin
Reservoir
NetProfit('000Rs/ha/yr)
Multiple use based IFS in Waterlogged areas
Vermi Compost

11. Coping strategies in Phallin affected
Areas
 In paddy, staking for the lodged crop & application
of urea (25 kg) & MOP (10-15 kg) after drainage
 Spray of streptocycline @ 0.1 g/l for protection
against the incidence of bacterial leaf blight.
 Promotion of submergence tolerant varieties of
paddy in next season
 In sugarcane, drainage of excess water and
propping of plants followed by a booster application
of fertilizer.
 In coconut, application of COC 3g/l in after
clearing the broken/drooped leaves for young trees
while fresh planting in place of uprooted older
trees.
 In banana, lodged plants be removed leaving
good suckers.
 Earthing up and staking of affected plantation
crops and application of nutrients to minimize loss
in productivity.

12.  Integrated watershed management focused on natural, animal and social resources has
emerged as a powerful concept in development planning-a major program of agriculture
and rural development
 Has multiple objectives with multiple functions, with silt reduction and flood risk
reduction as one of the objectives.
 In the RVPs and catchment of flood prone rivers, it has helped in reducing peak runoff
from 46.6 to 1.6% and sediment production rate in the range of 17-94%.
Integrated Watershed Management
Example of Sahastradhara - Watershed Area: 64 ha
(slope stabilization measures, diversion drains, contour trenches, crib structures,
retaining walls, bench terracing, geo textiles, live check dams, gabion check dams and
spurs)
Debris outflow was brought down to 6 t/ha, as against 550t/ha
Monsoon runoff, reduced from 57 to 37%.
Flood peaks got attenuated and ground water recharge increased
Treated Watershed
Untreated watershed in the
vicinity of Sahastradhara 12

13. Key Lessons
 Emphasis on non-structural measures in conjunction with structural
measures
 Importance of integrated flood management with coordinated
planning and development of land, water and other related resources
in the basin.
 Integrated watershed management in catchment areas to reduce silt,
attenuate flood peaks and enhance pereniallity of flow down-
stream.
 Disaster preparedness and time bound Contingency planning.
 Emphasis on crop/agriculture contingency plans.
 More investments for better flood forecasting and timely action,
flood insurance, diversion of flood water and repair of
embankments.
 Broaden flood management strategy including rehabilitation of
traditional drainage systems and productive use of flood waters.
 Involving and empowering local community based institutions.

14. National Disaster Management Structure
Central Government Mechanism
 Central Water Commission (CWC)
 Brahmaputra Board
 Ganga Flood Control Commission
 National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
State Level Mechanism
Water Resources Departments
Flood Control Board
State Disaster Management Authority

15. Challenges:
• Addressing climate variability and climate change
• Upstream –downstream implications
• Preserving ecosystems
• Trans-boundary and interstate sources of risk
• Coordination and converge: a major challenge
Opportunities:
• Productive use of flood water /low lying areas
• Breeding of submergence tolerant deep water rice varieties and aquatic
crops,
• Intra-basin and Inter-basin water transfer /river linking
• Diversion of flood water for groundwater recharge
• Using advances in modeling and geo-informatics
Challenges and Opportunities
Areas of improvements & cooperation
• Approach to ‘reducing risk at source’ rather than on ‘end‐of‐ pipe’ mitigation
• Sharing of knowledge and experience and data products
• Regional cooperation in trans‐boundary & interstate context
• Scientific basis of understanding /academic research

16. Reflections & Way Forward
 Combination of large, medium and small storage options
 Emphasis on information management, and strengthening of flood forecasting &
early warning systems using satellite based information with hydraulic and
hydrologic models
 Integrated flood management plans with greater focus on non-structural options
 Paradigm shift to emphasize on rehabilitation of natural drainage systems and water
bodies in participatory approach for improved carrying capacity.
 Transform adversity into opportunity by productive use of flood waters/flood prone
low lying areas adopting multiple flood water use based integrated farming systems.
 Development of tool kits for Community Based Disaster Risk Management
(CBDRM)
 Guidelines on Agriculture Disaster Management for Floods including Best Practices.
 Promote more use of groundwater in flood plain areas and allow flood water for
groundwater recharge
 Regional Dialogues for enhanced cooperation for flood risk reduction
 River Basin Authorities/Organizations for integrated planning and management.