9. Flood Losses – A Socio-economic Impact Study in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal

Although, the impact of flood and associated loss in human and cattle lives, agricultural production and structural/public utility damages have shown decreasing trend in the meteorological subdivision of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Uttaranchal mostly due to effective early flood warning issued by IMD and proper and timely administrative measures taken by the state authority, yet this disastrous weather and associated loss need macro-level socio-economic impact study as they remain an important functional component in the disastrous management. Floods in Uttar Pradesh caused losses in food production, damages to the public utility/structure and homes to the tune of hundreds of crores of rupees, affecting large numbers of people both in rural and urban areas. Thus, economy suffered set back every year. Since independence there have been all round development in controlling the ravages of flood by constructing dams in the river basin and bandharas in the river tributaries in villages, but still lot more needs to be done as floods cause havoc in some parts or other every year. This means that attention will have to be focused on the management of flood and its impact on the people. The major agricultural production loss is due to erosion of standing crop due to strong water current or due to standing water for a long time causing rotting. At the micro-level loss due to such factors need to be considered at village level and measures to be adapted for minimizing losses. However, such studies require large resources. The present study aims to analyse the effect of flood in causing loss of life, damage of structure and agricultural production loss in different meteorological sub-divisions of Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. This will be helpful in resource allocation for macro-level planning by the state government for saving lives and reducing the other losses. The state of UP suffered the maximum losses in agricultural production due to severe flood in the entire state. Entire state of UP was affected due to severe flood in 1988 when 611 persons lost their lives and hundreds of cattle heads perished, 2.05 million people in 3441 villages affected. Similarly in 1990 and 1995 severe floods in Ganga and its tributaries caused havoc when 280 and 242 people died and thousands of cattle heads perished and crop worth Rs. 481.8 crores damaged in 1990. Maximum loss of cattle lives was reported in the year 1983 when 3116 cattles lost their lives in UP. In UP losses of food grain production to the tune of Rs. 482 and 340 crores due to flood in the entire state in 1990 and 1992 respectively were the maximum losses reported in recent years. In east UP the maximum loss in human lives was observed in 1998 when 383 persons died due to flood followed by 382 and 212 persons in the year 1988 and 2001 respectively. The losses of human and cattle lives were also considerably high in west and central UP. Uttaranchal reported the minimum loss both in human and cattle lives due to flood. The total loss in human lives during the study period from east, west, central UP and Uttaranchal were 2485, 911, 416 and 966 respectively. Trends in losses of human/cattle lives, agricultural production and structure/public utility due to flood in different meteorological subdivisions of UP are worked out and presented. It is observed that though loss of human lives have declined gradually in all the meteorological subdivisions of UP, however, loss of cattle lives showed gradual increasing trend in all the sub-divisions of UP. Inspite of the efforts of the flood meteorological offices (FMO) of IMD and flood control units in keeping the round-the-clock watch during Flood Alert situations and also providing meteorological and flood control supports to the Central Flood Forecasting Divisions of Central Water Commission and to the administrative authority by issuing Hydromet Bulletins and providing other necessary support to control the floods in flood prone regions and also in other regions where flood occurrence is infrequent, some constraints stand in the way of minimization of losses of human/cattle lives, loss in production of food grains and damages of structure/public utility. The identified constraints are lack of planning for flood control and timely action for fighting the flood situation for regions of infrequent flood occurrence, lack of facilities such as telecommunications, transport and stock of depots with tool, equipment etc. and patrols and watches along the embankments etc. The decreasing/no trends observed in losses of human and cattle lives, agricultural production and damages of structure and public utility have made us believe that onward march of improved flood forecasting techniques and timely measures by the administrative authority of the states will help in reducing the losses. However, meeting the challenges on flood control through construction of dams and canals in the coming decades will depend on the quantum and direction in investment made today. Therefore, minimizing losses from the flood prone and other regions are the task that will call for the integration of the best in flood forecasting technology with adequate infrastructural facilities at micro level. In Uttar Pradesh accurate and timely precipitation input supplied from FMO, Lucknow and the same issued by CWC (Central Water Commission), timely and appropriate measures taken by the administrative authority have played important role in minimizing the losses due to flood.