Marjadi village in Pashchim Champaran is surrounded by rivers o all four sides. It faced unprecedented flash flood in the intervening night of Aug 12-13.

 
There are over 350 families living in Marjadi and they are quite used to the rise and fall in the waters of these pahadi [hill] rivers that come from Nepal.
 
However, the ferocity of the floods that nearly drowned the village in the intervening night of August 12 and August 13 this year left even disaster-prone Marjadi stunned.
 
At around 6pm on August 12, it started to rain heavily and the downpour continued till the next morning. “By 11 pm, there was chest-high water gushing fast through the village,” said Narendra Ram, a Marjadi resident. “People panicked and ran to the roofs of pucca houses and spent the night there.”
 
The water level in the village had crossed six feet.
 
“All our stored grains, cattle, clothes, everything had been washed away,” said Chanda Devi, who had to be rescued by her fellow villagers as the waters rose outside her home.
 

Chanda Devi of Marjadi was caught in the rising flood water along with her two young children. They were rescued by fellow villagers as water level crossed 6-feet (mark on the wall of the house) in the village.
 
“I am over 80-years-old and have seen many floods, but the night of August 12 was nothing but pralay [apocalyptic deluge]. Had the downstream Triveni canal not breached, our entire village would have washed away,” said Jagan Ram, an old resident. “Pran ke ilawa gaon main kuch nahi bacha hai [Only human beings are left in the village].”
 
Last month, Bihar faced massive floods, as all the major rivers of north Bihar – including the Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, and Kosi — rose due to heavy rainfall in the Terai region. The floods affected 17.1 million people in 19 districts of north Bihar, killing 514.
 
More than 73% of Bihar’s 94,163 sq km area is flood-prone. The problem is particularly acute in north Bihar, where almost 76% of the population–about 50 million people–lives under the constant threat of floods. Of these, those who live along the India-Nepal border deal with an additional danger — unpredictable flash floods originating from the rivers that flow down from the Himalayas across the border.
 
These flash floods that routinely affect the districts of Pashchim and Poorvi Champaran, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Araria and Kishanganj are ancient affairs. But, local villagers and the state government officials claim that these floods are becoming more frequent because of climate change.
 
“Bihar is facing  the impact of climate change, rainfall patterns here are getting disturbed. Rains come in bouts followed by long dry spells. We not only face more floods, but also have rising incidence of droughts in the state,” said Vyas Ji, vice-chairperson of Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA).
 
Flash floods in Bihar escape national attention because the focus of flood control and management is limited to big rivers such as Kosi, Gandak, Bagmati, and so on. But they need immediate attention because those affected by these flash floods are among India’s poorest.
 
The per capita income (2011-12) in north Bihar’s six flash-flood affected districts is less than Rs 10,000, as per the ‘Economic Survey 2015-16’ of the government of Bihar. In contrast, the per capita income of Patna district is Rs 63,063.
 
The infant mortality rate (number of deaths of children under one year age per 1,000 live births) of these six districts ranges between 48 and 60, as per the Annual Health Survey 2012-13; Factsheet Bihar. The under-five mortality rate (probability of children dying between birth and five years age per 1,000 live births) in Sitamarhi is as high as 97 followed by 84 in Kishanganj, 76 in Araia and 72 in Pashchim Champaran. India’s average under five mortality rate is 50 per 1,000 li, ve births.
 
These frequent disasters trap people in a seemingly endless cycle of floods, poverty, indebtedness, low living standards and more floods, IndiaSpend investigations showed.
 
Why flash floods need a different plan of action
 
Flash floods and their aftermath need to be dealt with differently from riverine floods. Their character, behaviour, impact, occurrence and frequency are distinct from the big, riverine floods for which the government has an established protocol for rescue, relief and compensation.
 
For one, flash floods are not driven only by the monsoon; a heavy and steady downpour can unleash a torrent from the mountain rivers. Five Terai villages in Bihar visited by this reporter endure between 15 to 60 flash floods every year.
 
The waters tear in at high velocity with little warning, causing widespread destruction, wrecking houses, sweeping away cattle, damaging both standing and stored crops, eroding the soil and destroying farm bunds.
 

Triveni Canal breached due to the high velocity floodwater of Harbora river, providing respite to Marjadi village which would have otherwise washed away due to the rising waters.
 
The waters recede fairly quickly–within four to eight hours –unlike riverine deluges, but the destruction is as much.
 
Since they occur frequently, the damage caused needs to be assessed quickly and compensation packages disbursed fast, so people can resume their lives.
 
However, IndiaSpend’s extensive conversations with villagers across the Terai showed that this is rarely the case.
 
Small rivers, big havoc
 
The only thing separating Bhiknathori, a village on the border of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, from Nepal is Pandai, a hill river that comes from across the international border. It flows along Bhiknathori to meet the Sikrana river, also known as the Burhi Gandak. The night of August 12 also brought unprecedented floods to Bhiknathori, a village of 165 households.
 

The Pandai, a hilly river, comes from Nepal and flows along the India-Nepal border to later join the Burhi Gandak River. The Pandai brought massive flash flood to Bhikhnathori village and eroded 31 households.
 
“Minutes before the flood, we heard gargarahat [loud thunderous noise] of large stones coming along with the flood waters,” said Kalan Khan, 82. “The river water had turned yellowish brown and we could see the Pandai jumping high and coming towards our village. We ran for our lives.”
 
Pandai’s waters eroded over 50-70 square feet of land, including 31 houses, an ancient temple and two government guest houses. A substantive part of Bhiknathori’s market was also washed away, said Dayanand Sahni, 60, a former mukhiya (head) of Dhamaura panchayat.
 
Nilesh Deore, the district magistrate of Pashchim Champaran, admitted that the floods caused unexpected devastation this year. “Our district is flood-prone and we had stationed rescue boats along the main Gandak river. But, this year the pahadi rivers, the tributaries of Gandak and Burhi Gandak, brought massive flash floods in areas we had never imagined to be affected.”
 
The state chief minister, Nitish Kumar, too said the recent disaster was “akin to flash floods”.
 
No one notices unseasonal floods, allege villagers
 
Whereas the government believes that the recent flash floods are a one-off event, the villagers living along the India-Nepal border told IndiaSpend that they have been dealing with them for years, and multiple times in a year.
 
“We face floods some 15-20 times in a year, but these are localised flash floods and never make it to the official records,” said Vinita Kumari, a resident of Poorvi Tola Rupwaliya village in Gaunaha block.
 
“Flash floods are directly proportional to the rainfall in the upper catchment area,” said Eklavya Prasad, managing trustee of Megh Pyne Abhiyan (MPA), a non-profit working on water and sanitation issues in the north Bihar. “Mostly flash floods go unreported because they do not always occur during the flood season.”
 
Last December, MPA carried out a study titled ‘Post Disaster Recovery: Assessment of Needs in Moderate Flood Conditions’ in Pashchim Champaran, Khagaria and Saharsa districts of north Bihar. It found that the small, pahadi rivers report flash floods up to 50-60 times in a year, causing extensive damage to property and crops destruction.
 
Take the case of Chegraha River that regularly brings floods Harkatwa village in Rupwaliya panchayat of Gaunaha between January and October. The normal width of the river is approximately 60 meters but this increases to 500-700m during monsoon and on days of heavy precipitation.
 
Harkatwa’s grief: 60 floods a year
 

Heavily silted paddy fields in Gaunaha block of Pashchim Champaran.
 
Last year, Harkatwa faced 60 instances of flash floods. In the last 10 years, it has had 450 flash floods. Annually, the villagers lose over 50 acres of standing paddy crop, which amounts to a loss of Rs 720,000 per year. Sugarcane worth Rs 262,500 too is lost to flash floods every year.
 

Standing sugarcane crop destroyed due to floodwaters in Pashchim Champaran.
 
Floods annually wash away stored foodgrains in Harkatwa – it has lost paddy worth Rs 540,000, wheat worth Rs 225,000 and pulses worth Rs 56,000 every year in this manner, according to the MPA study.
 
To deal with recurring crop losses, villagers regularly take private loans. The annual collective indebtedness caused by flash floods in Pashchimi Tola Rupwaliya village in Gaunaha block is estimated at Rs 10,08,000. For Naya Tola Manguraha, Poorvi Tola Rupwaliya and Manguraha villages, this figure is Rs 240,000, Rs 560,000, and Rs 720,000 respectively.
 
The total annual average financial loss due to recurring flash floods in Pashchimi Tola Rupwaliya village is estimated to be Rs 12,16,000. For Naya Tola Manguraha village, Poorvi Tola Rupwaliya and Manguraha village, the total annual losses are pegged at Rs 4,79,610, Rs 6,16,675 and Rs 13,89,050, respectively.
 
These losses are neither officially recorded nor compensated, said Prasad.
 
Source: Based on data in Post Disaster Recovery: Assessment of needs in moderate flood conditions in Pashchim Champaran, Megh Pyne Abhiyan, December 2016.
 
Source: Based on data in Post Disaster Recovery: Assessment of needs in moderate flood conditions in Pashchim Champaran, Megh Pyne Abhiyan, December 2016.
 
Source: Based on data in Post Disaster Recovery: Assessment of needs in moderate flood conditions in Pashchim Champaran, Megh Pyne Abhiyan, December 2016.
 
Source: Based on data in Post Disaster Recovery: Assessment of needs in moderate flood conditions in Pashchim Champaran, Megh Pyne Abhiyan, December 2016.
 
Source: Based on data in Post Disaster Recovery: Assessment of needs in moderate flood conditions in Pashchim Champaran, Megh Pyne Abhiyan, December 2016.
 
Source: Based on data in Post Disaster Recovery: Assessment of needs in moderate flood conditions in Pashchim Champaran, Megh Pyne Abhiyan, December 2016.
 
600 kg of paddy, 1 quintal of wheat — what Sushila Devi lost to the last flood
 
Villagers along the India-Nepal border alleged that they do not receive any compensation for their recurring losses. “In the 1986 flood, five houses were washed away in our village, and then in 2010, another seven. But, no one has received any compensation,” said Puna Singh, secretary of the village forest rights committee, Bhiknathori.
 
Ramsheela Devi, ward member of Bhiknathori, claimed she lost her kuccha house in the 2010 flood. “How long can we wait for government assistance? We rebuild and move on,” said Madhu Devi, who too lost her house in the 2010 flood.
 

Ramsheela Devi of Bhiknathori village, with her husband and Madhu Devi.
 
Residents of Poorvi Tola Rupwaliya claimed that they have suffered huge losses in the recent floods. “So far this year, we have had 11 flash floods, but haven’t received a paisa of compensation,” said Sushila Devi who lost about 600 kg of paddy, 60-70 kg of rice and 1 quintal of wheat in the recent floods.
 
Bihar government officials claim the state has an elaborate compensation package that goes beyond the Centre’s assistance. “The Centre does not provide gratuitous relief if flood-affected people are moved to shelter homes. But, we give Rs 9,800 gratuitous relief per family if the house is lost and even if the family is in shelter home,” said Vyas Ji.
 

Vyas ji, Vice Chairman of Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA)
 
“If a pucca house is fully damaged there is compensation of Rs 95,100 and if 15% of it is damaged we pay Rs 5,200. For a kucha jhonpdi (shack) we pay a compensation of Rs 41,000,” said Deore.
 
The compensation requires photographic evidence — of how a damaged house looked before the flood or of dead cattle — that villagers said is hard to procure. “How do we photograph washed away, dead cattle?” asked Kishore Paswan of Marjadi.
 

Residents of Marjadi claim that the flooded rivers brought huge amounts of silt (sand) and have deposited 2-feet sand on their paddy and sugarcane fields.
 
“We have recently received a compensation of Rs 6,000 per household in our tola for house damage during the recent floods. This is the first time we have received any money from the government,” said Vinita Kumari of Poorvi Tola Rupwaliya. Her tola [hamlet] has faced 394 flash floods in the last 10 years, excluding the 11 this year.
 
Compensation for crop damage for maximum two hectares ranges between Rs 6,800 per hectare (ha) and Rs 18,000 per ha. “On paper, the government has a nice compensation package, but we never benefit from it. We have lost 200 cattle and over 150 goats in the recent floods,” said Kishore Paswan of Marjadi.
 
Why Bihar needs to act fast
 
What can be done? First, it is important to recognise flash floods as a distinct phenomenon requiring different relief and compensation strategy.
 
Secondly, there is need for effective weather warning. For instance, between August 12 and August 13, Gaunaha block received 367 mm of rain within 24 hours. But villages along the India-Nepal border were not aware of the forecast.
Last, the habitat needs to be made flash-flood resilient given how often the waters swamp the villages. “Such a habitat should have various life-supporting systems for an early recovery from recurring phenomena that include health securities, safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation, flash-flood resilient housing, crop insurance schemes, skill development for flash-flood preparedness, and so on,” said Prasad.
 
Dealing with terrains like north Bihar requires alternate thinking on issues that connect ecology to lifestyle. A good example of this is the flood-resilient ecological sanitation toilet, phaydemand shauchalayas, built by MPA in the villages of Pashchim Champaran. Excreta and urine are separated in this system for use in fields as fertilisers and the water required is minimal. Unlike the soak-pit toilets with underground septic tanks being promoted by the government, these eco-toilets are built on a raised platform so these can be used even during the floods.
 
Climate change is leading to erratic rains and floods to Bihar, deputy chief minister of the state, Sushil Modi said recently and the cycle of frequent disasters is likely to worsen in coming years. Several districts, including flood-affected districts, are at present facing rainfall deficit.
 
The Bihar government cannot afford not to act.
 
(Jamwal is an independent journalist based in Mumbai.)

Courtesy: India Spend
 
 

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Floods fueled by climate change and unplanned urbanisation have wreaked havoc in India, but authorities are failing to take notice.

This year has seen the highest recorded rainfall in quite some time. Rainfall records have broken in different regions of the country, and all over the world. The year has seen a spate of extreme climate events, and their toll on life and property has been devastating. India, particularly, has witnessed floods in nine states. Monsoons this year have been heavy, and the damage caused by flooding unprecedented.

India has seen massive flooding in Bihar, West Bengal, Gujarat, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Odisha, and Jharkhand. The city of Mumbai is still under torrential rain, and floods there had claimed 14 lives till the end of August. 
Climate scientists all over the world have attributed the cause of this heavy flooding to both climate change as well as rapid and unplanned urbanisation. Floods have affected neighbouring countries of Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan as well, and the death toll in South Asia is currently estimated to be about 1,200, with 40 million people affected.

In Bihar, one of the worst affected states, rainfall patterns have seen a dramatic shift. The month of August saw very high rainfall this year. Last year, however, rainfall in August was much lower than expected. The departure in rainfall from the expected amount is quite different this year and last year in the 19 flood hit districts of Bihar.

Global warming leads to a rise in temperature, which causes sea surfaces to be hotter. This results in more moisture in the atmosphere, and thus causes heavier rainfall. The ability of the atmosphere to hold moisture is directly impacted from an increase in temperature. For every half a degree celsius in warming, there is about a 3% increase in atmospheric moisture content. This phenomenon is defined in the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. So while all of this causes heavier rains, the poor infrastructure and planning of rapidly expanding urban spaces leads to wide scale loss of life and property. Cities lack proper drainage facilities. They have expanded into marshes, and wetlands, and other such areas which absorb water.

Rising temperatures also lead to melting of glaciers, such as the ones in the Himalayas. This causes an increase in the water levels, and consequently an increase in the risk of flooding.

The worst affected by these climate change fuelled disasters are the poor. Informal settlements often develop in sites which are under greater threat of flooding. These settlements also have weaker stability and no proper drainage facilities.

In Gujarat, the floods impacted 6.44 lakh farmers in 17 districts. The crop damage is estimated to be worth Rs 867 crore. In Assam, at least 160 people died, and 61,923 people had to be displaced.  In West Bengal, 1.67 lakh people had to be accommodated in relief camps, and at least 48 people lost their lives.

Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Dhaka, Bangladesh, was quoted by The Guardian saying flooding will worsen.  “This is what we can see happening already, with rainfall patterns becoming more erratic and unpredictable. The scientific consensus seems to be that while the overall precipitation across the entire year is not likely to go either up or down significantly due to climate change, the pattern of rainfall will change significantly with greater precipitation in the monsoon season and less in the dry season. Paradoxically, this will probably lead to more flooding in the wet season and more droughts in the dry season, even if the overall amount of rainfall across the year does not change very much.

“The bottom line seems to be that we have already entered the Anthropocene era, in which human activities have cumulatively resulted in changing global weather patterns as well as other global phenomenon such as forest fires and sea level rises.”

Third world countries, which are responsible for a fraction of the CO2 emissions causing global warming, face the brunt of its consequences as extreme climate events are seen largely in the tropics. So while the leaders of the free world continue debating weather global warming is even real, people continue losing their lives. Some scientists say it may already be too late to reverse the impact of global warming. Very few, however, seem to be bothered to even try.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

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Image: Times of India

While the government is trying to restore traffic within 45 days in places where bridges have been damaged, while reconstruction work will begin on war footing after Chhath.”Altogether 203 state highways and major district roads that come under our department have been damaged,” road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav said.

The most damage to roads has been in Purnea, Katihar, Araria, Kishanganj, East Champaran and West Champaran districts.National Highways 31, 28, 57A and 28A – part of the 3,300km East-West Corridor from Porbandar in Gujarat to Silchar in Assam – have been damaged. Floodwater has washed away approach roads to bridges at six places on NH 31, and the other national highways damaged are 327E, 104, 105, 106, 107 and 28B.

The monetary assessment of the damage does not take into account national highways as they are under the Centre’s purview.

Nand Kishore blamed the ferocious current of the floodwaters this time for the damage. “We managed to repair the damaged places on national highways that are part of the East-West Corridor, which is the lifeline to the Northeast, within 48 hours (after the floodwaters receded) and restore traffic. Other national highways have also been repaired, except three places on NH 327E,” Nand Kishore added.

Help from the army is being taken to restore traffic on the damaged bridges. Army engineers have already assessed the damaged bridge at Bairgachhi in Araria district on NH 327E.

“We have also contacted Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited, Calcutta, a central government unit, for reconstruction of the damaged bridges. A team from it has already reached and is touring the flood-affected areas,” Nand Kishore said.

Principal secretary, road construction, Amrit Lal Meena said bailey bridges – temporary bridges constructed by assembling pre-fabricated steel parts, used mostly in military operations – will be built at six places, including the Bairgachchi bridge.

The department hopes to finish total reconstruction work of roads and bridges by March 2018.
 
 

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