Question : FLOOD CONTROL

(a) whether the perennial problem of floods, erosion and water logging in the country has made life difficult especially in West Bengal, Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh;

(b) if so, the year-wise and area-wise details of loss of life, property and crops destroyed in floods during the last three years and the current year;

(c) whether any expert committee has been constituted to suggest ways and means to reduce the impact of flood;

(d) if so, the details thereof alongwith the key recommendations of the said Committee; and

(e) the reaction of the Government thereto alongwith the measures taken/ proposed by the Government for a permanent solution to the problem of floods alongwith the compensation paid to the victims?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES & MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI VINCENT H. PALA)

(a) Yes, Sir.

(b) The year-wise details of loss of life, property and crops destroyed in floods during 2008 to 2011 in the states of West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are given at Annexure-I.

(c) Yes, Sir. The Government of India has constituted several expert committees in the past which studied the causes of floods and recommended appropriate remedial measures. Recently, the Government of India constituted a Task Force on Flood Management/ Erosion Control in August 2004

d) The Task Force on Flood Management/ Erosion Control was constituted to look into the problem of recurring floods in Assam and other neighbouring States as well as Bihar, West Bengal and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Task Force suggested Immediate, Short-Term and Long- Term measures for flood management. The important recommendations of Task Force included flood management schemes/works to be taken up, funding modalities, international dimension and institutional set up.

e) The flood management schemes are planned, investigated and implemented by the concerned state governments as per the priority within the state. Government of India has assisted the flood prone states in flood management and anti-erosion works for critical reaches, by providing financial assistance to the state Governments through a number of centrally sponsored schemes. During XI Plan period, central assistance is being provided to all the flood affected states for undertaking flood control and river management works in critical areas under a state sector scheme, namely, “Flood Management Programme (FMP).

The Government of India set up a Ganga Flood Control Commission (GFCC) in 1972 for preparation of comprehensive master plans for flood control measures in Ganga basin States. Detailed Comprehensive Plans for all the 23 river systems constituting the Ganga basin had been prepared by GFCC and circulated to the concerned State Governments. Thereafter, Brahmaputra Board was set up by an Act of Parliament in 1980 to prepare comprehensive master plans for flood control in Brahmaputra and Barak Valley. The Brahmaputra Board has prepared the Master Plans of the main stem of the Brahmaputra and Barak along with 52 major tributaries of the region.

The Government of India is also having continued dialogue with Nepal on matters related to construction of storage dams to check floods in Indian territory due to rivers flowing from Nepal.