Context: Aided apparently by beneficial conditions in the Indian Ocean, very heavy rainfall has been recorded, notably in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, the northeastern States, Karnataka, the Konkan coast, hilly districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Concern:

A normal Indian Summer Monsoon is bountiful overall, but as last year’s flooding in Kerala, and the Chennai catastrophe of 2015 showed, there can be a terrible cost in terms of lives and property lost, and people displaced.

Madhav Gadgil Report:

Recent floods have brought the focus back on an almost forgotten 2011 report on the Western Ghats that had made a set of recommendations for preserving the ecology and biodiversity of the fragile region along the Arabian Sea coast.

What did the Gadgil Committee say?

• It defined the boundaries of the Western Ghats for the purposes of ecological management.
• It proposed that this entire area be designated as ecologically sensitive area (ESA).
• Within this area, smaller regions were to be identified as ecologically sensitive zones (ESZ) I, II or III based on their existing condition and nature of threat.
• It proposed to divide the area into about 2,200 grids, of which 75 per cent would fall under ESZ I or II or under already existing protected areas such as wildlife sanctuaries or natural parks.
• The committee proposed a Western Ghats Ecology Authorityto regulate these activities in the area.

What was the need for the subsequent Kasturirangan Committee?

• None of the six concerned states agreed with the recommendations of the Gadgil Committee, which submitted its report in August 2011.
• In August 2012, then Environment Minister constituted a High-Level Working Group on Western Ghats under Kasturiranganto “examine” the Gadgil Committee report in a “holistic and multidisciplinary fashion in the light of responses received” from states, central ministries and others.
• Its report revealed that of the nearly 1,750 responses it had examined, 81% were not in favour of the Gadgil recommendations. In particular, Kerala had objected to the proposed ban on sand mining and quarrying, restrictions on transport infrastructure and wind energy projects, embargos on hydroelectric projects, and inter-basin transfer of river waters, and also the complete ban on new polluting industries.

Recommendations of Kasturirangan Committee:

1. A ban on mining, quarrying and sand mining.
2. No new thermal power projects, but hydro power projects allowed with restrictions.
3. A ban on new polluting industries
4. Building and construction projects up to 20,000 sq m was to be allowed but townships were to be banned.
5. Forest diversion could be allowed with extra safeguards.

Way forward:

1. Recent floods are a lesson worth of learning for India’s disaster management system. India, having more than 7500 km of coastline, should have a strong disaster early warning and management system.
2. Cooperation between the states can create an expert and integrated national structure, to manage any kind of natural disaster.
3. There is now a need to learn lessons from past tragediesand increase the resilience of disaster-struck areas through sustainable and long-term development that would involve minimal intervention in natural processes. There is an urgent need for corrective action.
4. The Madhav Gadgil Report and The Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction (2015-2030)must be considered while planning and implementing and completely adopting integrated and inclusive institutional measures.
5. To work towards preventing vulnerability to disaster, increase preparedness for response and recovery and strengthen resilience by inclusion of private sector and local population to prevent such mishaps in the future.

Need of the hour:

1. The government’s measures have been “piecemeal” and “short-term”. They are not addressing the problem at the source — they are firefighting.
   But, is there a long-term solution?
2. There needs to be “a basin-wide approach” to the problem. That should ideally bring in all the basin-sharing countries on board. Besides, interstate relationships, political cooperation and the role of the government are also important.
3. The government can also try flood-plain” zoning, which is done the US. Depending on the vulnerability of the area, you divide them into categories, and accordingly ban certain activities on it: like farming, building a house etc.

Things to consider:

• In drafting their management plans, States must be aware of the scientific consensus: that future rain spells may be short, often unpredictable and very heavy, influenced by a changing climate.
• They need to invest in reliable infrastructure to mitigate the impact of flooding and avert disasters that could have global consequences in an integrated economy. 
• It is important to increase resilience through planning, especially in cities and towns which are expanding steadily.
• Orderly urban development is critical for sustainability, as the mega flood disasters in Mumbai and Chennai witnessed in this century make clear.
• Similarly, there’s also an urgent need to upgrade dam management in the region.

Conclusion:

As a nation that is set to become the most populous in less than a decade, India must address its crippling cycles of drought and flood with redoubled vigour. Scientific hydrology, coupled with the traditional wisdom of saving water through large innovative structures, will mitigate floods and help communities prosper.