Centre's decades-old Flood Plain Zoning directive ignored: Gujarat, other states may face Kerala-type devastation

By BN Navalawala*
Incessant rainfall and heavy flooding have caused devastation in large parts of Kerala which now faces the ravages of the worst monsoon floods in 94 years, with 373 dead and more than 1.2 million in relief camps after 2,378 millimetre (mm) of rain over 81 days between June 1 and August 20, 2018 – 42% above normal or three times more than the Indian average for that period, according to data from the India Meteorological Department(IMD).
Now many theories, on such unprecedented flood fury in Kerala, have started being discussed. Amongst the major reasons for such catastrophic incident are: Near absence of Flood Plain Zoning and failure of maintaining the natural drainage system are the two critically important factors.
The basic concept of Flood Plain Zoning is to regulate the land use in the flood plains to restrict the damage caused by floods, which are bound to occur from time to time. Flood Plain Zoning, therefore, aims at determining the locations and the extent of areas likely to be affected by floods of different magnitude/ frequencies and to develop those areas in such a fashion that the damage is reduced to the minimum.
It, therefore, envisages limitations on indiscriminate development of both the unprotected as well as protected areas. In the former case, boundaries of forbidden areas are to be established to prevent indiscriminate growth while in the protected areas development can be allowed which will not involve unduly heavy damage in case the protective measures fail. Although zoning cannot remedy existing situations, it nevertheless can definitely help in minimising flood damage in new developments.
A Model Bill for Flood Plain Zoning was prepared by Central Water Commission (CWC, an apex technical body for water resources in Government of India) way back in 1975 and circulated to all States/Union Territories. The Bill was again circulated in October 1996. In view of lukewarm response from the State Governments towards enactment of Flood Plain Zoning legislation, the Ministry of Water Resources has time and again been impressing upon the State / Union Territory Governments to enact the legislation.
However, the response is quite dismal, as much as only three states, Manipur, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, have enacted legislations for the Bill and other States are yet to respond. Strangely enough, States of UP and Bihar, which are amongst the worst flood affected states almost every year, have conveyed that Flood Plain Zoning Bill is neither practicable nor implementable.
Further, in a related development, the CWC initiated a programme through Survey of India for carrying out surveys for preparation of flood risk maps to a scale of 1:15,000 with a contour interval of 25 cm for the areas/reaches, identified in a few flood-prone river basins. The work was taken up in a phased manner as per the priorities indicated by the States.
With the available data, the State Governments could then take up preparation of flood risk maps and demarcate areas corresponding to different flood frequencies, for effective implementation of regulations after the enactment of Flood Plain Zoning legislation. The progress on preparation of Flood Plain Zoning/flood risk maps by the State Governments was, however, not satisfactory and the programme of surveys had been discontinued during the Eighth Plan (1992-97). Unfortunately, not much progress was achieved by the State Governments in this respect also.
Another major reason for Kerala situation is the lack of effective implementation to maintain the original carrying capacity of our rivers as well as all natural drainage systems by not ensuring, through adequate legislation, that they are free from any encroachment, siltation and obstructions. With this kind of situation, practically everywhere and more in urban areas, Kerala like situation can happen in any state, including Gujarat.
In this context, it is worthwhile to mention that Flood Plain Zoning is not only necessary in the case of floods by rivers but is also useful in reducing the damage caused by drainage congestion, particularly in urban areas where on grounds of economy and other considerations, urban drainage is not designed for the worst conditions and presupposes some damage during storms, whose magnitude exceeds that for which the drainage system is designed.
Let us take the case of Surat city. Twenty years ago, the safe carrying capacity of flood waters in Tapi River, passing through the city, was 6.5 to 7 lakh cusecs, which is now reduced to 2.5 lakh cusecs only due to man-made interventions, haphazard urbanisation and encroachments in flood plains of the river. More or less similar situation is with Gujarat's other rivers like Sabarmati (in Ahmedabad) and Vishwamitri (in Vadodara).
---
*Former Secretary to Government of India, Ministry of Water Resources

Comments

Anonymous said…

The Sabarmati River Front can become a cause to meander the river course causing un imaginable disaster and irreversible damages.

August 28, 2018

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

Dalit woman student’s death sparks allegations of institutional neglect in Himachal college

By A Representative A Dalit rights organisation has alleged severe caste- and gender-based institutional violence leading to the death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman student at Government Degree College, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, and has demanded arrests, resignations, and an independent inquiry into the case.

Domestic vote-bank politics 'behind official solidarity' with Bangladeshi Hindus

By Sandeep Pandey, Faisal Khan The Indian government has registered a protest with Bangladesh over the mob lynching of two Hindus—Deepu Chandra Das in Mymensingh and Amrit Mandal in Rajbari. In its communication, the government cited a report by the Association of Hindus, Buddhists and Christian Unity Council, which claims that more than 2,900 incidents of killings, arson, and land encroachments targeting minorities have taken place since the interim government assumed power in Bangladesh.

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

By Rajiv Shah Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.

Gig workers’ strike halts platforms, union submits demands to Labour Ministry

By A Representative India’s gig economy witnessed an partial disruption on December 31, 2025, as a large number of delivery workers, app-based service providers, and freelancers across the country participated in a nationwide strike called by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). The strike, which followed days of coordinated protests, shut down major platforms including Zomato , Swiggy , Blinkit , Zepto , Flipkart , and BigBasket in several areas.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

2025 was not just a bad year—it was a moral failure, it normalised crisis

By Atanu Roy* The clock has struck midnight. 2025 has passed, and 2026 has arrived. Firecrackers were already bursting in celebration. If this is merely a ritual, like Deepavali, there is little to comment on. Otherwise, I find 2025 to have been a dismal year, weighed down by relentless odds—perhaps the worst year I have personally witnessed.

Search This Blog