Fact and fear

While unplanned construction on floodways and imperfectly built roads may have been a problem in some cases blocking the flow of water,or destroying soil stability in the delicate mountainous region they are not direct explanations for these floods and the ensuing damage. Dam reservoirs normally prevent downstream areas of rivers from flooding. The fact that they cause catastrophic damage when they break is not an argument against dams,but the reason to build them with utmost care. Over-the-top regulation,which rests on unexamined suspicions about development,can be counter-productive too. For instance,after a court ban on mining,lifted in 2011,and MoEF delays in clearing mining proposals stopped river-bed treatment,which included even the removing of a certain amount of sand and boulders,the carrying capacity of the rivers has been lost,making every heavy rainfall a potential flood as silt and water levels rise. Some of the destructive force of these floods may have something to do with this wrong-headed approach that causes riverbed aggradation. All these factors should be dispassionately examined.

Increase in water-carrying capacity and elevation of adjacent land,on either side of the river,are the way to reduce the likelihood of floods. Scientific river management techniques should be harnessed. Engineering embankments to defend against floods are important. But setting up a see-saw between human activity and environmental protection does not help either cause. They should be sensibly balanced,without bringing in unfounded fears about human hubris and vengeful rivers.