Very very thought provoking

The more the money spent on embankments, more is the increase in
flood prone area!!



--- In biharchintan@..., Gopal Krishna
<mediavigil@...> wrote:
>
> Press Release
>
> 8 March, 2008
>
> Unprecedented human migration and misery due to manmade floods
>
> Preliminary findings of the Fact Finding Team
>
> Nearly 73.06 per cent of the area of Bihar is prone to flooding.
It is
> estimated that about half a million have migrated from the
embanked Kosi
> region alone. In the face of mass exodus from the state, the
resumption of
> flood control embankments aggravates the situation of countrywide
> condemnation and humiliation that migrant Biharis face. These
structures
> have compelled them to migrate in search of livelihood.
>
> A multidisciplinary 14 member Fact Finding Team has concluded its 8
> daylong
> travel of the flood affected regions of North Bihar wherein it
traversed
> along the embanked parts of Kosi, Kamala, Bhutahi Balan and
Baghmati
> rivers.
> The visit from March 1-8, 2008, entailed visiting Khagaria,
Saharsa,
> Supaul,
> Saptari, Kunauli, Kamalpur, Mahadeo Math, Nirmali, Ghoghardiha,
Kosi
> barrage, Runni Saidpur, Sitamarhi, Vaishali and other places.
>
> The manner in which floods have been amazingly sustained in this
region
> despite over five decades of relentless efforts have been the core
idea
> behind this voluntary mission.
>
> Backed by volume of secondary literature but limited primary
exposure of
> ground realities, this team is anguished to conclude that not only
are
> these
> floods manmade but that the worse is yet to come should the
political
> economy of flood control continue to pivot itself around `temporary
> embankment' as the only solution to the scourge of floods. The
state
> pretends that it is afflicted by the colossal ignorance regarding
the
> primary function of floodwater--draining out excess water and the
fact
> that
> no embankment has yet been built or can be built in future that
will not
> breach.
>
> The team is outraged to report that the government's investment of
over Rs
> 1600 crores since the early 1950's has helped increase the flood
prone
> area
> from 25 lakh hectare during the pre-plan era to over 68.8 lakh
hectare
> today, an unprecedented three-fold increase. Proposed as temporary
measure
> to control floods in the 1950s and having had failed on all fronts,
> the team
> is bewildered to note that the business of embankment construction
has
> resumed after a lapse of 17 years with a Rs 792 crores package to
tame the
> Bagmati. There is another proposal to embank the tributaries of
> Mahananda at
> an estimated cost of Rs 850 crores. Clearly, the lessons in human
misery
> have not been learnt.
>
> That over 2 million people are permanently trapped between the
flood
> control
> embankments and an equal number of people faced with acute water
> logging in
> the so-called flood protected areas, only exposes the stark
failure of the
> state's democratic governance. The team observed the inevitability
of
> migration due to loss of livelihood that is a consequence of
state's
> benign
> intervention and its callousness. This exposes the migrant Bihari
> population
> to the wrath of perverted political monsters in Assam, Maharasthra,
> Punjab,
> and Delhi. Sporadic incidents across the country demonstrate
state's
> collusive inaction. The team is astounded to observe that the state
> remains
> a mute spectator to the denial of basic rights of livelihood and
> instead it
> accentuates their misery by pretending ignorance about the
outdated,
> tried,
> tested and failed technology of embankments as if it is caught in
a time
> warp.
>
> The team observed state's arrogance and misplaced faith in
engineering
> that
> has stopped the natural process of `landbuilding' by these rivers,
a
> process
> that had ushered in necessary socio-cultural conditions for
emergence of
> `civilisation'. Need it be said that the marriage of natural
capital and
> social capital had made Bihar the apex knowledge center. The total
> collapse
> of this knowledge culture within the state is a result of
embankment
> of this
> capital.
>
>
> The team notes that 8.36 lakh hectare of land in North Bihar is
> permanently
> waterlogged, which is nearly 16 per cent of the North Bihar's
total area.
> Some 8 million people have been directly hit by water logging,
earning the
> state the dubious distinction of being the leading claimant of this
> kind of
> manmade submergence. Draining vast stretches of waterlogged land is
> technologically and financially unfeasible. Can any welfare state
> afford to
> keep its most fertile lands under water?
>
> The team witnessed how the poor and the powerless are obviously
the main
> victims. It emerged from the narratives of the villagers that
embankments
> are for the benefit of the contractor politicians and the
technocratic
> development ideology to deal with flood suits them unmindful of the
> environmental and social mess.
>
> As the embankment lobby has gained momentum once again, the fact
that such
> interventions will raise river levels by several meters, making
the land
> between the embankments uninhabitable for millions of people
> displacing them
> for good. The bitter experience of flood control embankments has
given
> birth
> to a strong sentiment against it.
>
> The team shockingly wondered about the land use change that has
adversely
> affected the ecosystem of the region contributing to the rupture
of its
> carrying capacity. It makes a classic case requiring urgent
measures
> to undo
> the damages that appear beyond redemption.
>
> The team examined the impact of flood control measures and the
trends in
> consequent losses in the region. The team has inferred that
migration
> is an
> indicator of the enormity of glaring state failure. Embankments
remain the
> main loss-determining factor. The team calls for a white paper on
the
> impact
> of existing embankments.
>
> Those living today in the flood-affected region are promised other
> ecologically disastrous projects like Barahkshethra Dam and
> Interlinking of
> Rivers is like proposing one catastrophe to solve another a la
devil
> and the
> deep sea.
>
> The observations made by the team are its preliminary findings.
The final
> and detailed report of the Fact Finding Team would be shared in due
> course.
>
> For details contact:
>
> Dr Dinesh Kumar Mishra, 0919431303360,E-mail:dineshkmishra@...
>
> Dr Sudhirendar Sharma, 9868384744, E-mail: sudhirendar@...
>
> Gopal Krishna, 9818089660, E-mail: krishnagreen@...
>
>
>
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