India: Dams were built to control floods; they are now triggers

By Shagun Kapil

This may sound ironic: a semi-arid, drought-prone district of Karnataka lost 71 human lives this year due to floods. Belagavi, geographically a dry district, received 652 per cent above normal rainfall between August 1 and 7 this year, the maximum in the state. Karnataka itself received 128 per cent more than normal rainfall during this time.

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THERE IS NO coordination between officials at the reservoir and those in the basin area, says Shripad Dharmadhikary of Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, a non-profit in Madhya Pradesh. “Also, the operators don’t work with the IMD officials to understand rainfall patterns. Fearing little rains, they only focus on stocking water,” he adds.

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THE CRUX OF the problem is that the Rule Curve was prepared in the 1950s based on the rainfall patterns then. Over the years, rainfall became erratic, leaving the dam operators in the lurch. “We need to review the rule keeping climate change in mind. It must be made more dynamic and flexible,” says K J Joy, senior fellow at the Pune-based Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management.

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DAMS ARE JUST an outdated and counter-productive way to manage floods, thinks Joy. They induce a false sense of security. Instead, they leave behind a long trail of destruction. In Punjab, the Amarinder Singh government has announced to canalise all its rivers for a permanent solution to floods.

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