By Heli Shah
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“Embankments cannot mitigate floods in the long-term,” said Partha J Das, programme head at the Water, Climate and Hazard Programme of Guwahati based non-profit Aranyak. Such bunds were proposed as temporary solutions when India first proposed a flood-mitigation policy in the 1950s, he added.
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“There were fewer flash floods in the ’80s; embankments were enough to stop water from entering cities. Today huge volumes of water gush due to extreme rainfall in small spells of rain,” [Dinesh Kumar] Mishra, considered an authority on the river network of North Bihar, added.
The problem, according to him, is the lack of drainage facilities. He said his suggestions on drainage received a diplomatic nod two-three years ago, but are yet to be implemented.
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