Situation Analysis on Floods and Flood Management India Country Office B 88, Neeti Bagh New Delhi - 110049, India Tel/Fax: +91 11 4605 2583, 26527742 www.iucn.org/india Situation Analysis on Floods and Flood Management Eklavya Prasad Nandan Mukherjee Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh-India Initiative The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, administration, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication are authors’ personal views and do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN. This initiative is supported by the Minister for European Affairs and International Cooperation, the Nethertands. Published by: IUCN Asia Regional Office; IUCN Bangladesh Country Office; IUCN India Country Office; IUCN Gland, Switzerland Copyright: © 2014 IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: Prasad, E. and Mukherjee, N. (2014). Situation Analysis on Floods and Flood Management, Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladeah-lndia Initiative, IUCN, Internatonal Union for Conservation of Nature, 124 pp. Coordination: Ganesh Pangare, Dr. Brian Furze, Bushra Nishat, Archana Chattarjee Design: Sheikh Asaduzzaman Cover Photo by: Eklavya Prasad/ Luisa Cortesi Cover design by: Sheikh Asaduzzaman and A.J.M. Zobaidur Rahman Available from: IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature Asia Regional Office, Bangkok Bangladesh Country Office, Dhaka India Country Office, New Delhi www.iucn.org/E4L Preface Bangladesh and India share three major river systems: the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna. Along with their tributaries, these rivers drain about 1.75 million sq km of land, with an average runoff of 1,200 cu km. The GBM system also supports over 620 million people. Thus, the need for cooperation on trans-boundary waters is crucial to the future well-being of these millions. That is precisely the motivation for the Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh- India Initiative (Dialogue for Sustainable Management of Trans-boundary Water Regimes in South Asia) project. IUCN wishes to promote a better understanding of trans-boundary ecosystems between Bangladesh and India, by involving civil society in both counries and by providing a platform to discuss issues common and germane to the region. The overall goal is an improved, integrated management of trans-boundary water regimes in South Asia. The Ecosystems for Life is guided by a Project Advisory Committee (PAC) of eminent persons from Bangladesh and India. This four-and-a-half year initiative is supported by the Minister for European Affairs and International Cooperation, the Netherlands. Ecosystems for Life has been working towards developing longer-term relationships between various stakeholder groups within and between the countries through dialogue and research. The aim is to encourage a common understanding to generate policy options on how to develop and manage natural resources sustainably so that livelihoods, water and food security improve. Inter-disciplinary research studies have been conducted by bringing together experts from various fields from both countries so that relevant issues are holistically grasped. The initiative centres around five broad thematic areas: • food security, water productivity and poverty; • impacts of climate change; • inland navigation; • environmental security; and • biodiversity conservation. The first step of dialogue and research has concentrated on creating ‘situation analyses’ on each thematic area and related issues. Each analysis set identified core issues, their significance within the India-Bangladesh geographic focus, research gaps and needs and, ultimately, priority areas for joint research. Authors discussed their points of view at a joint exercise; they shared their research. After due PAC review, the ensuing material was further circulated among multiple stakeholders in both countries. All outcomes of this dialogue process are incorporated in the final papers. 16 situation analyses related to the five thematic areas were published in 2012. Further 4 papers have been completed in 2013 and ready for publication. We will also subsequently publish summary briefs, based on these studies. The initiative, thus, has taken a big step; now, the agenda for meaningful joint research is clear. IUCN hopes these publications will be useful to academics, researchers and practitioners in the GBM region. Ecosystems for Life • Floods and Flood Management Situation Analysis 3 The Ganga/Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) Region River Ganga/Ganges Brahmaputra Meghna Length1(km) 2,510 2,900 210 Catchment2 (sq km) 10,87,300 5,52,000 82,000 Total area of GBM region:17,21,300 sq km Source:1. Average, based on various data; 2. Joint River Commission figures 4 Floods and Flood Management Situation Analysis • Ecosystems for Life Contents FLOODS AND FLOOD MANAGEMENT | INDIA Situation Analysis on Floods in East and 9 Northeast India - Eklavya Prasad FLOODS AND FLOOD MANAGEMENT | BANGLADESH Retrospective Perspective on History and 54 Climate Change - Nandan Mukherjee Ecosystems for Life • Floods and Flood Management Situation Analysis 5 Acronyms ADB Asian Development Bank AFD Armed Forces Division BDRC Bangladesh Red Crescent Society BMD Bangladesh Meteorological Department BUP Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad BWDB Bangladesh Water Development Board CCC Climate Change Cell CEARS Centre of Academic Research and Studies CEGIS Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services CPP Cyclone Preparedness Programme CRU Central Research Unit DER Disaster Emergency Response DMB Disaster Management Bureau DMIC Disaster Management Information Centre DMRD Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief DND Dhaka Narayanganj Demra DRR Directorate of Relief and Rehabilitation DTW Deep Tube Well EOC Emergency Operation Centre F0, F1, F2, F3, F4 Land type classification based on normal monsoon season flood depths (0-30cm, 30-60cm, 60-90cm, 90-180cm, >180cm respectively) FAP Flood Action Plan FCD Flood Control Drainage FFWC Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre GBM Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna GCM Global Climate Model or General Circulation Model GIS Geographic Information System GO Governmental Organization GOB Government of Bangladesh IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 6 Floods and Flood Management Situation Analysis • Ecosystems for Life ISDR International Strategy for Disaster Reduction IWFM Institute of Water and Flood Management LGED Local Government Engineering Department LLP Low Lift Pump MoFDM Ministry of Food and Disaster Management MoWR Ministry of Water Resources MPO Master Plan Organization NDMC National Disaster Management Council NGO Non-governmental organization NWMP National Water Management Plan NWPo National Water Policy RCM Regional Climate Model RENA Rapid Emergency Needs Assessment RIR Rapid Initial Report SAARC South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation SOD Standing Orders on Disaster SPARRSO Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization STW Shallow Tube Well SWC Storm Warning Center UDMC Union Disaster Management Committee UNDP United Nation Development Programme USAID United States Agency for International Development UzDMC Upazila Disaster Management Committee WAPDA Water and Power Development Authority WB World Bank Ecosystems for Life • Floods and Flood Management Situation Analysis 7 © Eklavya Prasad 8 Floods and Flood Management Situation Analysis • Ecosystems for Life FLOODS AND FLOOD MANAGEMENT | INDIA Situation analysis on floods in East and Northeast India Eklavya Prasad outh Asia is marked by a large population and high incidence of poverty. The region (with 4,482,388 square kilometers (sq km) which includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, SIndia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) is home to more than world’s one fifth of humanity, nearly half of its poor, almost half of its non-literate population and as much the malnourished. It is estimated that between 2 to 16 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of different South Asian countries get wasted every year due to natural disasters (Thakkar, 2006). The countries in this region (Thakkar, 2006) have been struggling to achieve sustainable development and economic prosperity which are often frustrated due to a number of economic and social factors, along with their high vulnerabilities to natural disasters such as floods, droughts, salinity ingress, cyclone, and storm surge. Vulnerabilities to water-related disasters are predominantly due to acute climate variability and extremes which are manifested by both spatial and temporal distribution of water resources available throughout the region. The most densely populated and the poorest areas in South Asia with the largest concentration of disaster-affected people due to high intensity floods, are located in the eastern part of the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) (Muhammed et al. 2004). Within IGP is the Ganges – Brahmaputra – Meghna riverine region also referred to as GBM river basin (Paura, 2003). The most densely populated and the poorest areas in South Asia with the