बाढ़ में बहती जिंदगी

बिहार में बाढ़ अपने साथ केवल पानी, गाद और मिट्टी ही नहीं लाती वह विस्थापन और पलायन भी लाती है. बहुत कम लोग इस बारे में सोचते हैं किबिहार के विस्थापन में वहां की नदियों का सबसे अधिक योगदान है. तो क्या ऋषिकेश और काशी में मोक्ष प्रदान करती गंगा बिहार में आकर इतनी क्रूर हो जाती है कि लोगों को उनके घरों से विस्थापित कर देती है. नदियां तो बसाती हैं. उजाड़ने का धंधा उन्होंने कब से शुरू कर दिया? अगर यह सवाल आप पूछते हैं तो आपको थोड़ा इतिहास, भूगोल समझना होगा. उससे भी ज्यादा बिहार की राजनीति और अर्थशास्त्र समझना होगा. फिर आपकी समझ में आ जाएगा कि बसानेवाली नदी उजाड़ने का धंधा कैसे शुरू कर देती है.















1 से 8 मार्च तक हम 15 लोग कोसी के किनारे-किनारे उसे समझने गये थे. खगड़िया, सुपौल, कमलापुर, महादेव मठ होते हुए सीतामढ़ी और वैशाली की यह यात्रा थी. कहने को तो इसे अध्ययन और फैक्ट फाईंडिंग कमेटी जैसी भारी-भरकम उपमा दे सकते हैं लेकिन असल में हम सब बाढ़ के उस अर्थशास्त्र को समझने की कोशिश कर रहे थे जो यहां की रीढ़ बन चुका है. यह अर्थशास्त्र यहां की राजनीति भी तय करता है और समाजनीति भी. बाढ़ से उबरने के नाम पर आजादी के बाद अब तक 1600 करोड़ रूपया खर्च किया जा चुका है. यह पैसा पानी में बह गया हो ऐसा नहीं है. इस पैसे ने यहां बाढ़ को बढ़ाया है. ठेकेदारों की एक चाक-चौबंद जमात पैदा की है. उन ठेकेदारों की पीठ पर राजनीतिक दलों और योजनाकारों की एक भारी-भरकम फौज पलती है. जो साल दर साल बाढ़ को बिहार की नियति बनाने का पक्का इंतजाम करती जाती है.









इन योजनाओं की ही प्रभुता है कि 1950 के दशक में जहां 25 लाख हेक्टेयर जमीन पानी में डूबी रहती थी वहीं अब 68.8 लाख हेक्टेयर जमीन पर स्थाई रूप से पानी का डेरा है. कोई भी पूछेगा कि यह कैसी योजना हुई कि दवा करते गये और मर्ज बढ़ता गया. ब्रह्मदेव चौधरी बाढ़ से भले ही तबाह हों फिर भी वे कोसी को नहीं कोसते. हमारे एक साथी ने उनसे पूछा कि अगर प्रधानमंत्री राहत योजना के तहत आपको पैसा मिले तो क्या आप बाढ़ से निपटने के लिए तटबंध बनाएंगे? ब्रह्मदेव ने समझा हम सरकार के नुमाइंदे हैं इसलिए हमें ही संबोधित करते हुए उन्होंने कहा "जितना पैसा आप तटबंध बनाने के लिए देंगे उससे ज्यादा पैसा हम आपको देते हैं लेकिन यहां कोई तटबंध मत बनाईये."

बाढ़ से उबरने के लिए जिन तटबंधों को रास्ता समझा गया वही तटबंध अब बाढ़ और विस्थापन के कारण हो गये हैं.

तटबंध का यही वह रोग है जिसे इलाज समझ लिया गया है और हर साल सरकार इसे पवित्र कर्मकाण्ड मानकर पूरा करती है. बाढ़ से निपटने की सारी योजनाएं तटबंध बनाने के नाम पर आकर सिमट जाती हैं. जो कि बाढ़ को ही बढ़ाता है. अकेले कोसी में हर साल 5 लाख 50 हजार टन से ज्यादा गाद आती है. समय के साथ पानी तो बह जाता है लेकिन गाद पीछे छूट जाती है. यह गाद उन तटबंधों के कारण वहां स्थाई डेरा डाल देती है जिसे समाधान मानकर पेश किया गया था. अब साल दो साल में वह तटबंध ही बेकार हो जाता है इसलिए हमको फिर एक नया तटबंध बनाने की जरूरत पड़ती है. और इस तरह यह एक चक्र बन जाता है.









11 मार्च को संसद में सरकार ने कहा कि बाढ़ से निपटने के लिए सरकार बागमती और महानंदा नदियों पर और तटबंध बनाने की योजना बना रही है. पता नहीं ब्रह्मदेव ने उस दिन अखबार पढ़ा या नहीं. अगर पढ़ा हो तो उन्हें वही सब हमारे मंत्री-प्रधानमंत्री को भी कहना चाहिए जो उन्होंने हमसे कहा था. शायद योजना बनानेवालों को फण्ड का कोई नया स्रोत मिल जाए. ब्रह्मदेव जैसे किसान लालू यादव के 17 साल के अयोग्य शासन से बहुत खुश हैं. ऐसा इसलिए कि लालू यादव के राज में कुछ काम नहीं हुआ. जहां कुछ न हो रहा हो वहां तटबंध भला क्यों बने? लेकिन अब सरकार की मुस्तैदी से यहां के लोग घबराए हुए हैं कि तटबंधों के कारण पलायन का नया दौर शुरू होगा.









अकेले उत्तर बिहार में 8.36 लाख हेक्टेयर जमीन सालभर पानी में डूबी है. यह कुल इलाके का 16 प्रतिशत बैठता है. लगभग 80 लाख लोग बाढ़ के सीधे प्रभाव में हैं. जाहिर सी बात है प्रभावित लोग या तो गरीब हैं या प्रभाव के कारण गरीब हो जाते हैं. ऐसे गरीब लोगों के लिए सरकार के पास कोई योजना हो ही नहीं सकती. अगर कोई योजना बने तो सबसे पहले तटबंधों पर पुनर्विचार हो. गरीबों के पास एक ही रास्ता बचता है कि वे जमीन छोड़ दें. और वे यही करते हैं. यहां से दूसरी राजनीति शुरू हो जाती है और प्राकृतिक आपदा और राजनीतिक मूर्खता के शिकार ये लोग अपने ही देश में दोयम दर्जे के नागरिक बना दिये जाते हैं. अब वापस वहां लौट नहीं सकते, शहर उन्हें अपमानित करता है. आप ही बताईये ऐसे विस्थापित लोग कहां जाएं?

Source:www.visfot.com

Negative impact of flood control embankments

The technocentric assumption that acts as a rationale for embankments is guided by an application of �normal science� of hydraulic engineering, through various channel improvement methods (such as river straightening, dredging and snugging) the swing of the floodwater can be controlled.

The Kosi river has shifted westwards by 160 km over the past 250 years. It is this meandering nature of the river systems that has the maximum available energy producing currents and should be more of concern for river basin management, especially for flood control.

This natural tendency to meander and sinuosity of this river system disproves the traditional �steady-state� equilibrium approach of the engineers and calls for a comprehensive assessment of the river system.

Embankments have arrested the natural fertilisation of the flood plain and deprived the people who depend on these fertile
soils for livelihood. Further, embankments provided a false sense of security to the increasing population to settle down along the embankments.

The Ganga Flood Control Board was set up in 1972 by a resolution of Government of India. The Ganga Flood Control Commission (GFCC) was set up as per Clause 5 of the resolution to undertake specific works in the Ganga Basin and for assisting the Ganga Flood Control Boards.

The GFCC is expected to prepare master plan of the basin to deal with problems emerging from flood erosion and waterlogging in the region. The implementation of these will be carried out by the appropriate riparian state. A chairman appointed by the Government of India (GOI) heads the Commission. GOI also appoints two full time members. Basin states appoint part time members of the commission.

It is clear from the origin, functions and constitution of these institutions that they are all structured for planning, design and implementation of large projects. It is also clear that they do not even intend to be participation oriented or open bodies.

These institutions have failed to encompass the needs, resources and priorities of whole river basin. The failures are largely guided by technocentric approach that have misunderstood the river systems
and communities as being stable and that they are liable to be controlled for development.

Large-scale storage structures impound and divert river water are justified on the basis that floods are caused due to upstream catchment. Therefore, controlling this catchment water through large dams will reduce flooding in the downstream, the stored water can be utilised to generate power and for irrigation in the flood plains. First and foremost is the assumption that floods are caused from upstream catchment. The technocrats fail to recognise the existence of larger catchment in the lower part of the basin, which is also capable of flooding.

The Bihar State has built about 3465 kms of embankments along its rivers till 1998 (only 160 km in 1952) and a sum of Rs 7.46 billion have been spent till 1998. However, these embankments have only had negative impact.

The embankment tries to arrest the natural dispersion of sediment on the floodplains, thereby increasing deposition, raising the level of riverbed and later breaking of embankments, causing floods and waterlogging.

The flood prone area in Bihar has increased from 25 lakh hectares in 1952 to 68.9 hectares in 1998.

Who will diagnose the problem of this huge increase in the flood prone area?

How to arrest the increase in flood prone area?

Human displacement and migration in Bihar is worse than any other known displacements in India/South Asia. Who is responsible for it?

Who should be held accountable for failure and who should be made liable for past failures?

Parliament flooded with wrong ideas of embankments

Embankments cause devastation, disaster, catastrophe and migration from Bihar. Parliament is being misled by these ideas of embankments suggested by the ministry of water resources, which is as good as jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

UNION MINISTRY of water resources misled the Rajya Sabha on March 11, 2008 on the issue of ‘Floods in North Bihar’ that ensures a status quo of misery in the region. In a Press Information Bureau release, it claimed, “Government has taken various steps in the direction of water management to stop the flood in North Bihar coming from the rivers of Nepal. To control the floods in rivers Baghmati and Kamala-Balan in North Bihar, the government has approved two schemes, namely, (i) Raising and strengthening of embankments along River Baghmati at an estimated cost of Rs 135.16 crores and (ii) Raising and strengthening of embankments along River Kamala at an estimated cost of Rs 52.09 crores.”

What it means to raise and strengthen the embankments has come to light from the preliminary findings of the multidisciplinary 14-member fact-finding team that toured from March 1-8, 2008, the flood affected regions of North Bihar wherein it traversed along the embanked parts of Kosi, Kamala, Bhutahi Balan and Baghmati rivers. The team noted, “The manner in which floods have been amazingly sustained in this region despite over five decades of relentless efforts.”

The current proposals illustrates that the embankment lobby has gained momentum once again, the fact that such interventions will raise river levels by several metres, making the land between the embankments uninhabitable for millions of people, displacing them for good. The bitter experience of flood control embankments has given birth to a strong sentiment against it.

Now it is a common knowledge and the narratives of the villagers corroborate that embankments are for the benefit of the contractor politicians and the technocratic development ideology to deal with flood suits them unmindful of the environmental and social mess. The statistics also show that 8.36 lakh hectares of land in North Bihar is permanently waterlogged, which is nearly 16 per cent of North Bihar’s total area, earning the state the dubious distinction of being the leading claimant of this kind of manmade submergence.

It concluded that “not only are these floods man made but that the worse is yet to come should the political economy of flood control continue to pivot itself around ‘temporary embankment’ as the only solution to the scourge of floods. The state pretends that it is afflicted by the colossal ignorance regarding the primary function of floodwater – draining out excess water and the fact that no embankment has yet been built or can be built in future that will not breach.” The team found, “The government’s investment of over Rs 1600 crores since the early 1950s has helped increase the flood prone area from 25 lakh hectares during the pre-plan era to over 68.8 lakh hectares today, an unprecedented three-fold increase. Proposed as temporary measure to control floods in the 1950s and having had failed on all fronts, the team is bewildered to note that the business of embankment construction has resumed after a lapse of 17 years with a Rs 792 crores package to tame the Baghmati. There is another proposal to embank the tributaries of Mahananda at an estimated cost of Rs 850 crores. Clearly, the lessons in human misery have not been learnt.”

The ministry is taking the parliament for ride by stating, “Government of India has initiated steps for creation of storages in the Nepal territory, which will help in mitigating the problem of floods being faced in North Bihar.” The fact is that the negotiation that has been going on since 1947 between India and Nepal on creation of storages remains inconclusive. It has been said time and again that the government would negotiate with Nepal to construct a dam over Kosi River.

The ministry claims, “A detailed project report for the Sapt Kosi High Dam project and Sun Kosi diversion scheme is under preparation jointly with the cooperation of the government of Nepal. The steps that are being claimed to have been initiated, are as old as 60 years but they remain where they were in 1945. A joint Indo-Nepal team of experts has been engaged in a field study of the proposed Kosi High Dam, which was first mooted in 1947. The matter relating to construction of dam over Kosi River is an international matter. The construction of this dam is possible only when there would be an agreement between Nepal and India. The negotiations have been going on for a long time but we could not reach at any agreement till now.”

The ministry informed the parliament, “The central government has envisaged to make a comprehensive assessment of the feasibility of linking the rivers in the country starting with the Southern rivers in a fully consultative manner. It would also explore the feasibility of linking sub-basins of rivers within the states, like Bihar. Six intra-state link proposals have been identified in Bihar by the state government of Bihar, namely, (i) Kohra-Chandravat, (ii) Burhi-Gandak-None-Baya-Ganga, (iii) Bagmati-Burhi-Gandak through Belwabhar, (iv) Kosi-Ganga, (v) Kosi-Mechi (Indian portion) and (vi) Karmanasha-Suara links in Bihar. The state government of Bihar has commenced the study of these intra-state links.” Interlinking of rivers is suggested for flood proofing among other things. A ‘Report of the Expert Committee’ to study impact of interlinking of rivers on Bihar (April 2005, Chapter III, p16) says, “…But the proposed Sapt Kosi Dam too has not been provided with any flood cushion which should be provided for flood moderation…”

The ministry pretends that the Bihar project has no relation with the proposed national interlinking of rivers projects. After compounding the misery of North Bihar through embankments, those living today in the flood-affected region are being promised other ecologically disastrous projects like Barahkshethra Dam and interlinking of rivers is like proposing one catastrophe to solve another.

It is high time the ministry of water resources learnt from its blunders in Kosi. Unlike what is being promoted by the government. “The only solution is to do away with the embankments and allow the river to go ahead with its natural land-building process,” says Dr Dinesh Kumar Mishra, convener, Barh Mukti Andolan and a member of the fact-finding team.

For details contact:

Dr Dinesh Kumar Mishra,
Tel: 0919431303360
E-mail: dineshkmishra@rediffmail.com

Dr Sudhirendar Sharma,
Tel: 9868384744
E-mail: sudhirendar@vsnl.net

Gopal Krishna,
Tel: 9818089660
E-mail: krishnagreen@gmail.com

Source: www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=131065

Unprecedented human migration and misery due to manmade floods

Preliminary findings of the Fact Finding Team

Nearly 73.06 per cent of the area of Bihar is prone to flooding. It is estimated that about half a million have migrated from the embanked Kosi region alone. In the face of mass exodus from the state, the resumption of flood control embankments aggravates the situation of countrywide condemnation and humiliation that migrant Biharis face. These structures have compelled them to migrate in search of livelihood.

A multidisciplinary 14 member Fact Finding Team has concluded its 8 daylong travel of the flood affected regions of North Bihar wherein it traversed along the embanked parts of Kosi, Kamala, Bhutahi Balan and Baghmati rivers.

The visit from March 1-8, 2008, entailed visiting Khagaria, Saharsa, Supaul, Saptari, Kunauli, Kamalpur, Mahadeo Math, Nirmali, Ghoghardiha, Kosi barrage, Runni Saidpur, Sitamarhi, Vaishali and other places.

The manner in which floods have been amazingly sustained in this region despite over five decades of relentless efforts have been the core idea behind this voluntary mission.

Backed by volume of secondary literature but limited primary exposure of ground realities, this team is anguished to conclude that not only are these floods manmade but that the worse is yet to come should the political economy of flood control continue to pivot itself around `temporary embankment' as the only solution to the scourge of floods. The state pretends that it is afflicted by the colossal ignorance regarding the primary function of floodwater--draining out excess water and the fact that no embankment has yet been built or can be built in future that will not
breach.

The team is outraged to report that the government's investment of over Rs 1600 crores since the early 1950's has helped increase the flood prone area from 25 lakh hectare during the pre-plan era to over 68.8 lakh hectare today, an unprecedented three-fold increase. Proposed as temporary measure to control floods in the 1950s and having had failed on all fronts, the team is bewildered to note that the business of embankment construction has resumed after a lapse of 17 years with a Rs 792 crores package to tame the Bagmati. There is another proposal to embank the tributaries of Mahananda at
an estimated cost of Rs 850 crores. Clearly, the lessons in human misery
have not been learnt.

That over 2 million people are permanently trapped between the flood control
embankments and an equal number of people faced with acute water logging in the so-called flood protected areas, only exposes the stark failure of the state's democratic governance. The team observed the inevitability of migration due to loss of livelihood that is a consequence of state's benign intervention and its callousness. This exposes the migrant Bihari population to the wrath of perverted political monsters in Assam, Maharasthra, Punjab, and Delhi. Sporadic incidents across the country demonstrate state's collusive inaction. The team is astounded to observe that the state remains a mute spectator to the denial of basic rights of livelihood and instead it accentuates their misery by pretending ignorance about the outdated, tried, tested and failed technology of embankments as if it is caught in a time
warp.

The team observed state's arrogance and misplaced faith in engineering that has stopped the natural process of `landbuilding' by these rivers, a process that had ushered in necessary socio-cultural conditions for emergence of `civilisation'. Need it be said that the marriage of natural capital and social capital had made Bihar the apex knowledge center. The total collapse of this knowledge culture within the state is a result of embankment of this capital.

The team notes that 8.36 lakh hectare of land in North Bihar is permanently
waterlogged, which is nearly 16 per cent of the North Bihar's total area. Some 8 million people have been directly hit by water logging, earning the state the dubious distinction of being the leading claimant of this kind of manmade submergence. Draining vast stretches of waterlogged land is technologically and financially unfeasible. Can any welfare state afford to keep its most fertile lands under water?

The team witnessed how the poor and the powerless are obviously the main victims. It emerged from the narratives of the villagers that embankments are for the benefit of the contractor politicians and the technocratic development ideology to deal with flood suits them unmindful of the environmental and social mess.

As the embankment lobby has gained momentum once again, the fact that such interventions will raise river levels by several meters, making the land between the embankments uninhabitable for millions of people displacing them for good. The bitter experience of flood control embankments has given birth to a strong sentiment against it.

The team shockingly wondered about the land use change that has adversely affected the ecosystem of the region contributing to the rupture of its carrying capacity. It makes a classic case requiring urgent measures to undo the damages that appear beyond redemption.

The team examined the impact of flood control measures and the trends in consequent losses in the region. The team has inferred that migration is an indicator of the enormity of glaring state failure. Embankments remain the main loss-determining factor. The team calls for a white paper on the impact of existing embankments.

Those living today in the flood-affected region are promised other ecologically disastrous projects like Barahkshethra Dam and Interlinking of Rivers is like proposing one catastrophe to solve another a la devil and the deep sea.

The observations made by the team are its preliminary findings. The final and detailed report of the Fact Finding Team would be shared in due course.

by

Dinesh Kumar Mishra, Sudhirendar Sharma & Gopal Krishna