Karunesh Kumar Shukla et al. 2015, Volume 3 Issue 6 International Journal of Science, ISSN (Online): 2348-4098 Engineering and Technology ISSN (Print): 2395-4752 An Open Access Journal Integrated Action Plan for Improvement of Drainage Congested Areas and Mitigation of Flood and Waterlogged areas using Geoinformatics: a Case Study of Gonda District, Uttar Pradesh 1Karunesh Kumar Shukla, 2Purnima Sharma, 3A. K. Agarwal Abstract Floods are the most commonly occurring disaster in Uttar Pradesh, affecting almost every year some part of the state or the other. In 2013, 65 districts of Uttar Pradesh were affected by floods and water logging covering an area of 549524 ha and a total of 15132 villages. Gonda district has been affected by severe flood and water logging every year. A total of 237 villages in 10 blocks were affected by river flood and water logging in 2013 covering an area of 77965 ha (Technical Report, RSAC-UP: SWRD: 2014:01, 2013-14). This flood situation interrupted over all development of the district. The present study is an attempt to identify the causing factors and some suitable remedial measures for overall improvement in the flood and water logging problems of Gonda district with the help of Geoinformatics. Keywords: Flood, Water logging, Monsoon, Run-off, Geoinformatics. Introduction and their tributaries are flood prone in Uttar Pradesh. Ganga River basin of Uttar Pradesh experiences India is highly vulnerable to floods and out of the normal rainfall in the region from 60 cm to 190 cm, total geographical area of 329 m.ha, more than 40 of which more than 80% occurs during the southwest mha is flood prone. Floods are recurrent monsoon. The rainfall increases from west to east phenomenon, which cause huge loss of lives and and from south to north similarly. The problem of damage to livelihood systems, property, flood increases from west to east and from south to infrastructure and public utilities. It is a cause of north. Out of the 240.93 lakh hectares geographical concern that flood related damages are showing an area of the State about 73.06 lakh hectares is flood increasing trend. The average annual flood damage prone (http:\\rahat.up.nic.in) (Figure-1). during the last 10 years (1996-2005) was Rs. 4745 crore, as compared to Rs. 1805 crore, the Uttar Pradesh has experienced massive flooding in corresponding average for the last 53years. This can 1998, 2000, 2001, and2008. At least 2000 people be attributed to many reasons including rapid were killed in Utter Pradesh in 1998, what authorities increase in population and urbanization coupled with call the worstflooding in memory. It is estimated that growing developmental and economic activities in 30 districts of the state are seriously prone to the flood plains and global warming (NDMA, 2008). flooding. The incidence of flood is frequent mainly in the eastern Ganga Plain regions. This is broadly the Flooding in the Ganga river basin is more or less an result of spilling of rivers like Sharada, Rapti, Chhoti annual feature which is aggravated by drainage Gandak, Ghaghara, Great Gandak, BurhiGandak and congestion, comprising states of Uttar Pradesh Kosi. Flooding is a hazard which operates during 1 (Talwar and Juneja, 2009). Ganga, Yamuna, high discharge periods. Thetributaries of the Ganga Ramganga, Sharda, Ghaghra, Rapti and Gandak rivers River has witnessed 20 to 115 times facing problem of flood during 1975 to 2000 as measured at various gauging sites (Singh, 2009). 1Corresponding Author’s Email: [email protected] © 2015 Karunesh Kumar Shukla et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. 152 Karunesh Kumar Shukla et al. International Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology, 2015, Volume 3 Issue 6 ISSN (Online): 2348-4098 , ISSN (Print): 2395-4752 The main causes of flood and waterlogging in the Therefore the present study suggests the integrated Gonda district are heavy rainfall/flash floods, siltation action plan for improvement and management of of waterbodies /drains, unplanned urbanization, flood prone areas in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh deforestation and poor drainage management for with the use of Geoinformatics (Figure-2). dewatering. Drainage systems are the major source of conducting waste water and also rain water. But, Study Area due to sedimentation, siltation and poor Gonda district lies between latitudes 26046' and management, these systems fail. Therefore, in the 27027' north and longitude 81031' and 82037' east monsoon period, drainage system overflows and the and falls in Survey of India Toposheet No. 63E & 63I. surrounding areas become flooded (Sharma and The total geographical area of the district is Shukla, 2015). Although, there are many 3,404sq.km. There are four numbers of tehsils and improvements and mitigation measures such as seventeen blocks in Gonda district. The district embankments, bundings and spur etc. has been built population is 3,431,386 (Census, 2011). for protection of flood in the district, yet the problem exists and creates havoc for the living beings in The general slope of the district is from west to east, Gonda district. except north to south in the western part. The average slope of Gonda district is 30-50 derived from Advancements in the remote sensing technology and CARTODEM (Figure-3). the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) help in real time monitoring, early warning and quick Geomorphology damage assessment of flood disasters. In the context of flood hazard management, GIS can be used to Physiographically, Gonda district is divided into two create interactive map overlays, which clearly and units, the upland plains underlain by older alluvium quickly illustrate which areas of a community are in and the low level plains underlain by newer alluvium. danger of flooding. Such maps can then be used to Flood plain (alluvium) areas are extensive and low coordinate mitigation efforts before an event and lying flat areas laying adjacent to Ghaghra river. The recovery after (Noah Raford, 1999 as cited in Awal, deposit is thickest near the river margins and 2003). thinning outward the valley slopes and composed of unconsolidated alluvial materials of varying lithology. Sanyal and Xi Xi (2005) have designed a Flood Ravines, younger alluvial plain and older alluvial plain Hazard Mapping which has vital component for are also occurs in the district (Ground Water appropriate land use planning in flood-prone areas. Brochure of Gonda District, U.P., 2008-2009). It creates easily-read, rapidly accessible charts and maps which facilitates the administrators and Rainfall and Climate planners to identify areas of risk and prioritize their mitigation/ response efforts. An efficient The average annual rainfall is 1152 mm. The climate methodology is used to accurately delineate the is sub-humid and it is characterised by good rainfall flood-hazard areas in the Kosi River. mainly during southwest monsoon season and a dry hot summer (Ground Water Brochure of Gonda Bapalu Venkata and Sinha (2005) has tried to identify District, U.P., 2008-2009). areas of risk and prioritize their mitigation/ response efforts in the flood-hazard areas in the Kosi River Drainage and Waterbodies Basin, North Bihar, India in a GIS environment. The area chiefly drained by the river Ghaghra which Kumar (2005) has applied GIS techniques in Flood forms the southern and south western boundary of Hazard Management in North Indian Plain. This the district. Kuwano river forms the north eastern system constitutes of the Ganga, and its largest boundary of the district. The area also drained by the tributary the Yamuna, other Himalayan rivers- Tirhi Nadi and Monwar Nadi (Ground Water Ramganga, Gomati, Ghaghara, Gandak, Rapti, Brochure of Gonda District, U.P., 2008-2009) (Figure - Gandak and Kosi, and some peninsular rivers, like 4). Chambal, Son and Punpun. It is also examines the Data Used and Methodology potential of GIS to meet the purpose. 153 Karunesh Kumar Shukla et al. International Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology, 2015, Volume 3 Issue 6 ISSN (Online): 2348-4098 , ISSN (Print): 2395-4752 Wetland data, drainage, and flood layers (Radarsat mapped from this flood layer. The flood affected data) of 2008-2013 were used for suggesting areas categorised into four categories extreme integrated and comprehensive flood and drainage vulnerable areas, high vulnerable areas, moderate improvement plan for Gonda District. Cartosat- vulnerable areas and low vulnerable areas on the 1+LISS IV merged product of 2008, data were used basis of repetition of flood. The lowlying areas were for identification of drainage, settlement, waterbodie, identified on basis of relative height extracted from road or railway etc. networks, LISS III data of 2006 CARTODEM. Changes in waterbodies and drainage and 2013 were used for rivers and wetland, were demarcated in different time period. The Toposheet were used for demarcation of old causative factors of flood and waterlogging are well drainage and nomenclature. Flood layer from 2008 determined for analysing all data. Using all spatial to 2013 were used for demarcation of inundation and non-spatial data finally prepared detailed maps and waterlogged areas. and statistics. These statistics were used to prepared an action plan for mitigation of flood and Flood layers of different dates and years from 2008 waterlogging. The flow chart of the steps taken is to 2013 were combined to generate a union flood given below:- layer. Flood affected areas were identified and Results and Discussions the time of flood, the building, settlements etc. built around it gets severely affected. The silted drains The observed in Belsar, Nawabganj, Paraspur and also increase the severity of the problem. The main Tarabganj block of Gonda district (Figure-5).