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Indian Express
a day ago
- Climate
- Indian Express
How flash floods are affecting India
More than 100 people dead in Himachal Pradesh this month. At least 373 killed in Kerala's Wayanad in late July 2024. Five soldiers lost their lives in Ladakh in June 2024. Dozens dead in Sikkim in October 2023. Although these events took place in different parts of the country, they had one common trigger: flash floods. Every year, more than 5,000 people die, and significant damage is sustained by infrastructure, agricultural land, and the environment due to these sudden floods, which are caused by extreme rainfall. To make matters worse, with rising global temperatures, there has been an increase in the frequency of flash floods. For instance, between 2020 and 2022, the number of flash flood events increased from 132 to 184, according to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti's written reply in the Lok Sabha in 2023. Despite the increasing threat posed by flash floods, there has been insufficient research to identify areas that are most vulnerable to this extreme weather event. This has posed a challenge in implementing adaptation strategies such as early warning systems. A new study by researchers based at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)- Gandhinagar has tried to address this gap. Published in the journal Nature Hazards on July 13, the study, 'Drivers of flash floods in the Indian sub-continental river basins', has found that flash floods are mainly centred in the Himalayas, the west coast, and Central India (see box). It has also revealed that several regions in the country have become more vulnerable to flash floods than before, due to soaring temperatures. What factors are driving flash floods? How is the warming climate making flash floods more frequent and intense? How can authorities prepare to limit the impact of flash floods in India? Here is a look. According to the study, only 25% of the flash floods that occur in India are directly caused by extreme precipitation. The rest of them are a result of a combination of extreme rainfall and the condition of the soil before precipitation. Vismal Misra, who co-authored the study with Nandana Dilip K and Urmin Vegad, told The Indian Express, 'If the ground is already wet before a heavy rainfall event, chances are the soil would be saturated or near saturated, which can lead to instant runoff. This increases the risk of flash floods.' The study also notes that an extreme rainfall event leads to immediate flash floods (within six hours) only 23% of the time. Usually, it is the prolonged (multi-day) low-intensity and high-intensity rainfall which results in these floods. At the most vulnerable regions, other factors also contribute to flash flood events. For instance, in the west coast and Central India, flash floods are driven by the high flashiness of sub-basins (part of large river basins). This means that their water levels quickly reach the peak after a heavy rainfall event. Prevailing soil conditions play a crucial role in how rapidly water infiltrates a sub-basin. In the Himalayas, geomorphological factors — such as steep slopes, and high relief (when a landscape has a significant difference between a high point and a low point) — contribute to flash floods. 'Flash flood susceptibility varies widely within the major river basins. For instance, the sub-basins located in the Himalayan regions and the southern parts of the Ganga River basin are highly prone to flash floods, whereas the sub-basins in the central regions of the Ganga River basin exhibit low flash flood susceptibility. This variation in flash flood susceptibility underscores the influence of terrain and climatic factors on flood risk within different parts of the same river basin,' the study said. With rising global temperatures, extreme weather events such as flash floods are increasing in frequency and intensity across the world. That is because for every 1 degree Celsius rise in average temperature, the atmosphere can hold about 7% more moisture, leading to more intense precipitation, which exacerbates the risk of flash floods. In India, between 1981 and 2020, the yearly frequency of extreme precipitation events doubled during the pre-monsoon season. Extreme rainfall during the monsoon, post-monsoon, and winter seasons has increased by 56%, 40%, and 12.5% respectively, according to the study. Note that more than 75% of the total flash flood events that occurred between 1980 and 2018 took place during the monsoon season (June-September). There has been a notable increase in flash flood events since 1995, with most of them occurring in the Brahmaputra River basin, followed by the Ganga and Krishna River basins, the study said. Misra and his colleagues have also found that rising temperatures are leading to more wet hours in most of the sub-basins, which are not currently flash flood-prone. 'Across all the Indian river basins, 51% and 66.5% of the non-flash flood-prone sub-basins show an increase in precipitation and streamflow, respectively. On the contrary, we observed that a few flash flood-prone basins show a decline in the wet hours,' the study said. The findings indicate that authorities need to adopt region-specific adaptation strategies, which are based on factors such as topography and soil conditions, and not just extreme rainfall events. This can help in developing better early warning systems, targeted disaster preparedness, and long-term adaptation plans, according to the researchers. Authorities also need to identify new potential flash flood hotspots and take measures like building climate-resilient infrastructure to limit the impact of the extreme weather event. With rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns, there is a requirement to enhance land-use and flood planning as well.
The Hindu
22-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Quality concerns continue to haunt Polavaram project, despite foreign experts' recommendations
Despite repeated recommendations from a team of international experts, it appears no significant steps have been taken to implement quality control measures in the execution of the Polavaram irrigation project. The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti has been persistent in pushing for action, but progress on this front remains sluggish. Six months after the work began on the reconstruction of the diaphragm wall, only 30% of the structure has been completed, and critical quality control mechanisms are yet to be fully operationalised. According to information, the manual and guidelines relating to quality control are yet to be published. A draft manual prepared by the Andhra Pradesh Engineering Research Institute (AFRI) is still awaiting approval from several Central and State-level agencies, including the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, Central Water Commission (CWC), Polavaram Project Authority (PPA), and the A.P. Water Resources Department. The delay in approval of the draft manual is due to objections raised by some agencies, sources say. Structural setbacks During the construction of the Polavaram project, serious structural setbacks have occurred, with the old diaphragm wall—built at a cost of hundreds of crores—having been damaged. Additionally, the 'guide-bund', valued at nearly ₹100 crore, suffered damage. Uncontrolled seepage through both the upper and lower cofferdams has caused substantial losses, forcing the government to spend more to manage the excess water discharge. Although work on the new diaphragm wall began six months ago, only 30% of the construction has been completed so far. After much delay, a third-party quality control agency has been selected. Until now, quality inspections were handled internally by the contractor and the State's engineering departments. However, the foreign expert committee, after reviewing the project, emphasised the need for an independent monitoring mechanism, citing the central role being played by the contractor not only in executing but also in designing and reviewing the works. Third-party quality assurance The experts also recommended that a robust third-party quality assurance mechanism should be in place to ensure neutrality and transparency. It took the government nearly six months to finalise the appointment of the third party. Consultations were initially held with reputed institutions like IIT, Tirupati and the National Institute of Building Construction. However, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti did not approve the proposed arrangements, prompting the government to issue tenders. 'Eventually, a Delhi-based firm with over 45 years of experience—ADCO—was selected. This firm will be entrusted with the responsibility of setting up a dedicated laboratory at the Polavaram project site to conduct material and construction quality tests,' sources say. At this juncture, the absence of a finalised manual that defines clear quality standards for various components of the project is a key bottleneck. Experts believe that the roles and responsibilities of each agency, particularly in terms of quality control, must be specified clearly. The manual should lay down unambiguous protocols for testing procedures and assign accountability for each segment of the work, along with the authority responsible. The third-party agency is also expected to set up an independent laboratory with the necessary equipment and resources to conduct real-time quality checks at the site. Until such systems are put firmly in place, concerns about structural integrity and long-term reliability will continue to overshadow the state's most ambitious irrigation project, sources say.
Deccan Herald
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
IWT with Pakistan suspended, India plans to transfer surplus water from J&K to other states
Two and a half months after suspending the India-Pakistan Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in the wake of the April 22 terrorist attack near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, New Delhi has quietly set in motion an ambitious plan — one that could change water resource management in the Union Territory and other northern states, reignite interstate tensions, and escalate geopolitical tension with Islamabad.A 113-kilometre-long canal is at the centre of the plan for the inter-basin transfer of water – a project that aims to divert surplus flows from J&K to Punjab, Haryana and even parched Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, working on what officials describe as a 'war footing', has reportedly initiated pre-construction assessments, including a detailed feasibility study. This includes exploring the engineering, ecological, and legal viability of carving a canal through the geologically fragile Himalayan suspended, path now cleared for inter-basin water transfer in India.'Water will not go anywhere': Jal Shakti minister says India is not afraid of Pak's empty proposed canal aims to divert water from the Chenab river to the Ravi-Beas-Sutlej system and is expected to be completed within three years. There is also a proposal to eventually link the canal to the Yamuna, which would extend its total length to nearly 200 kilometres, sources told viewsBut even before a shovel has hit the ground, the project has triggered concerns among scientists and environmentalists and triggered a war of words among politicians.'This is not just a canal – it's a political project dressed up as infrastructure,' says Prof. G M Bhat, renowned geologist and former Head of the Department of Geology at the University of Jammu. 'They may talk about diverting water, but the real challenge is storage – and in this region, that's an engineering nightmare. It's more about optics than outcomes,' he told project came to the public domain a few weeks after India suspended its 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan – a World Bank-brokered agreement seen as one of the world's most resilient water-sharing frameworks. While New Delhi cites export of terror from Islamabad to justify its action, critics say unilateral moves on water risk upending fragile regional stability.'You can't revoke the IWT in isolation. It opens a Pandora's box,' said Bhat. 'If we do it with Pakistan, what stops China from blocking the Brahmaputra? Water diplomacy isn't one-way.'Ajaz Rasool, a noted hydraulic engineer and environmental consultant, said that the project for inter-basin transfer of water undermined both J&K's ecological fabric and its constitutional safeguards. 'Inter-basin transfers aren't just about pipes and pumps. They dry wetlands, alter aquifers, and devastate downstream ecosystems. J&K's waters support glaciers, springs, and fragile seasonal flows. Declaring it surplus without a full hydrological audit is ecological malpractice,' he Bhutto says Pakistan will go to war if India denies water under Indus falloutThe proposal stirred political waters across state lines. J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has bluntly stated that the Union Territory's waters 'would not be allowed to be siphoned off' to Punjab or in Punjab reacted angrily. Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring accused Abdullah of 'doing politics over patriotism,' suggesting that opposing the canal was akin to 'equating Punjab with Pakistan.' Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the transfer of water from Chenab could resolve the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute between his state and red linePakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has declared water a 'red line' and vowed to defend the Indus as a 'basic right of 240 million people'. The canal proposal is already being portrayed in Pakistani media as evidence of India's intent to 'weaponise water'.However, New Delhi's move, backed by strong political will, signals India's strategic shift to reclaim control over its resources in response to cross-border terror. While noise around the issue brews, New Delhi's message is clear: no treaty can survive if it benefits those who sponsor urge cautionProf. Shakil Romshoo, Vice Chancellor of the Islamic University of Science and Technology and a leading glaciologist, said that the canal's impact would be slow but deep. 'In the short term, water flows may not be disrupted. But if India starts regulating flows over the next decade, the effects on Pakistan could be severe, especially as climate variability increases.'He added that while renegotiating the IWT to include China and Afghanistan might be unrealistic, strengthening it to factor in climate change, groundwater depletion, and pollution would be a far more practical watersWith both nationalist and environmental narratives hardening, the fate of the 113-km canal and the water politics it symbolises hang in the J&K, which is reeling under conflict and ecological stress, the question isn't just about water transfer but also about territorial rights, environmental justice, and political agency.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Swachh Survekshan Grameen Survey (SSG) in Karnataka's DK from today; focus on rural sanitation progress, officials & villagers urged to cooperate
MANGALURU: The Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) 2025 survey, a nationwide rural sanitation assessment undertaken by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti through the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, will begin in Dakshina Kannada district on July 7. Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat CEO Dr Anandh K has appealed to residents and officials in villages to extend their cooperation to ensure the survey's success. The survey aims to evaluate the progress of villages and districts based on sanitation indicators laid out under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G) Phase II guidelines. It will be carried out in Dakshina Kannada district from Monday. For this exercise, the Central Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has appointed the Academy of Management Studies (AMS), Lucknow, as the survey agency, Dr Anandh said. AMS team members will visit Gram Panchayats to assess sanitation sustainability, focusing on the use of individual and community/public toilets, as well as the management of liquid and solid waste and overall cleanliness. The survey team will inspect Gram Panchayat offices, schools, Anganwadis, public spaces, markets, and bus stops. They will also hold discussions with Gram Panchayat officials, members of Self Help Groups (SHGs), and Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC) members. The team may visit any Gram Panchayat in the district, and all concerned officials and staff are required to be present with complete records and relevant information to assist the team, the CEO added.
The Hindu
28-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
‘Anti-farmer schemes should not be implemented in Tamil Nadu'
The Thamizhdesiya Periyakkam has called upon the State government not to implement anti-farmer schemes in the State. In a statement here on Saturday, periyakkam's general secretary K. Venkatraman said the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti had taken up a pilot project of modernisation of irrigation network and had proposed to levy tax on farmers for usage of water for irrigation. Objecting to the move to levy tax on water used by farmers, Mr. Venkatraman said that already farmers were aware of the disadvantages of continuous operation of bore wells for irrigation. Such being the case, it would not be fair to tax farmers for using water for irrigation. He called upon the State government not to encourage or implement schemes proposed by the Union government that might affect farmers and declare categorically that the proposal would not be implemented in the State. Meanwhile, official sources said the proposal, being implemented as pilot project in select States, was aimed at modernisation of the irrigation network in a designated cluster. The objective was to create a robust back-end infrastructure for micro irrigation by farmers from established source to the farm gate up to one hectare with underground pressured piped irrigation. The use of SCADA, Internet of Things technology will be adopted for water accounting and water management and increase water usage efficiency at the farm level. Regarding the issue of levy of tax, sources added that Union Minister of Jal Shakti C.R. Patil had clarified that there was absolutely no provision under this pilot project nor any directive from the Government of India to impose user charges on farmers for water usage. Further, it was emphasised that both 'agriculture' and 'water' were State subjects and any decision regarding the collection of user charges, if to be collected, from water user associations or beneficiaries of this scheme, shall rest solely with the respective State governments implementing the scheme, sources added.
