Working paper Strengthening the Institutional Framework for Flood and Water Management in Bihar Developing a Strategy for Reform (Phase I) Ranu Sinha Martin Burton Ghanshyam Tiwari May 2012 Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................. 2 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 5 1.1 Purpose of study ......................................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Structure of Report ..................................................................................................................... 5 2 Background ............................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 River Systems in Bihar ................................................................................................................. 7 2.2 History of Flooding in Bihar ......................................................................................................... 8 2.3 Impact of Flooding on Growth .................................................................................................. 12 3 Approach & Methodology ................................................................................................... 15 3.1 Approach ................................................................................................................................... 15 3.2 Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 15 4 Organisations Engaged in Flood Management ............................................................ 19 4.1 Water Resources Department .................................................................................................. 19 4.2 Flood Management Information Systems Cell.......................................................................... 22 4.3 Water and Land Management Institute ................................................................................... 24 4.4 Bihar State Disaster Management Authority & Disaster Management Department ............... 26 4.5 State Administration (District Magistrates Office) ................................................................... 26 4.6 State Administration (Police) .................................................................................................... 27 4.7 Panchayat Raj Institutions and Elected Representatives .......................................................... 27 5 Surveys & Interviews ........................................................................................................... 28 5.1 Selection of Target Basins ......................................................................................................... 28 5.2 Scoping Visit .............................................................................................................................. 30 5.3 WRD Surveys ............................................................................................................................. 31 5.4 Community Surveys .................................................................................................................. 32 5.5 Community Focus Group Discussions ....................................................................................... 33 5.6 Additional Consultations ........................................................................................................... 34 6 Results & Analysis ................................................................................................................. 35 6.1 Community Survey Results ....................................................................................................... 35 6.1.1 Individual Surveys (Households, PRIs and Businesses) ...................................................... 35 6.1.2 Focus Group Discussions ................................................................................................... 38 6.2 WRD Leadership Survey Results ............................................................................................... 39 6.2.1 People Gap ........................................................................................................................ 41 6.2.2 Process Gap ....................................................................................................................... 42 6.2.3 Technology Gap ................................................................................................................. 43 6.2.4 Resources and Funding Gap .............................................................................................. 44 6.2.5 Support System Gap .......................................................................................................... 44 6.2.6 Ecosystem Gap .................................................................................................................. 45 6.2.7 Coordination Gap .............................................................................................................. 45 6.3 WRD Field Officer Survey Results ............................................................................................. 45 6.3.1 Skills ................................................................................................................................... 46 2 6.3.2 Staff ................................................................................................................................... 47 6.3.3 Style ................................................................................................................................... 49 6.3.4 Strategy ............................................................................................................................. 52 6.3.5 Systems ............................................................................................................................. 53 6.4 FMISC Focus Discussion Findings .............................................................................................. 57 7 Experience from Other Countries and Projects .......................................................... 60 7.1 Mapping and assessing flood hazard in Rate Watershed, Nepal .............................................. 60 7.2 Community Flood Information System (CFIS), Bangladesh ...................................................... 61 7.3 United Kingdom Environment Agency, United Kingdom .......................................................... 62 7.4 World Bank Bihar Kosi Flood Recovery Project, Bihar .............................................................. 67 8 Conclusions and Next Steps ............................................................................................... 69 8.1 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 69 8.2 Next Steps ................................................................................................................................. 72 References ....................................................................................................................................... 74 Acronyms & Abbreviations ........................................................................................................ 76 Annexes ............................................................................................................................................ 78 Annex A: Questionnaire for WRD Division & Sub-Division ................................................................... 79 Annex B: WRD Leadership Survey Questionnaire ................................................................................. 91 Annex C: Questionnaire for Householders & Businesses ................................................................... 107 Annex D: Bagmati Basin Village Profiles ............................................................................................. 128 Annex E: Kosi Basin Village Profiles..................................................................................................... 132 Annex F: Mahananda Basin Village Profiles ........................................................................................ 136 Annex G: Focus Group Discussion Questions ..................................................................................... 140 Annex H: FMIS Questionnaire ............................................................................................................. 141 Annex I: List of Participants for WRD Introductory Workshop ........................................................... 144 Tables Table 1. Summary of the reported damages and needs by sector ....................................................... 13 Table 2: Total numbers affected and damaged in Bihar due to flooding, 1979-2006 .......................... 14 Table 3: Structuring the Study .............................................................................................................. 15 Table 4. Staff Strength of WALMI ......................................................................................................... 25 Table 5: Total Number of Households Surveyed in Community Survey ..............................................