Miraculous Save For Punjab, Massive Flood Underway In Delhi

Massive floods are under way in Delhi when over 4,10,000 cusecs of was released last night. Last month situation became critical when just 1,50,000 cusecs of water was released. Let me remind you Kosi was devastated by 100,000 cusecs of flows as stated by Bihar WR minister.

The cause of this man made tragedy are two Delhi Metro service yards in the middle of Yamuna that blocs more than 50% of normal flood passage on left bank and on the right banks we have Delhi Secretariat Building itself.

Akshardham Temple and Asian Games complexes also bloc almost 50% of the river flow.

Punjab had miraculous escape as god was more annoyed with Delhi government and poured more water in Yamuna Catchments than Sutlej, Ravi and Beas.

Punjab is affected by the rivers and all have huge dams. But due to Stupidity of BBMB who didn’t learn any lesson from 1988 tragedy the worst floods to hit Punjab.

From the 19th data of BBMB you can see that as heavy rains lashed Punjab and catchments of Sutlej and Beas in Himachal Pradesh inflows in these two dams was already 150,000 cusecs but Sutley and Beas releases were only 21,778 cusecs. Inflows peaked later when rains in Punjab and Himachal reduced just moderate level.

From the CEA document it is clear Ranjit Sagar dam on Ravi had filled to a quarter of its storage capacity therefore absorbed all the floods.

Threat to Delhi persists with over 4,09,000 cusecs of water released though getting partly absorbed in the 260 kilometer passage and reduced releases at Hathinkkund Barrage means less quantity of water shall be available to fill large area. Floods beyond the capacity of Yamuna to safely discharge floods lasted about two days when water releases reported were 3,80,000 cusecs and 4,09,000 cusecs on 20th & 21st. Thus roughly 0.8 maf amount of water will cause flooding – about a third of 1978 floods but for the congestions caused by encroachments explained earlier this flood would have caused small damage.

But 0.8 maf over a million acres is 10 inches of water. East Delhi and flood prone areas area around 400 square kilometers or 1,00,000 acres therefore good enough to submerge entire area under 100 inches of water. Any breach or overflow will be destructive. This time there no flooding in Najafgarh drain that passes through Delhi caused 50% of damage in 1978.

Dams on Yamuna must be built speedily. In the present situation storages of around 1.2 maf would have absorbed all the floods this year leaving not more than 1 lac cusecs to pass any point in Yamuna all the way Delhi up wards..

Ravinder Singh
September22, 2008

http://www.cea.nic.in/god/opm/Daily_Hydro_Reservoir_Level/hyd_2008_09_17.pdf

http://bbmb.gov.in/english/menu4.asp

Date

SATLUJ

BEAS

Inflows
(Cusecs)

BSL Contri.
(Cusecs)

Disch.
(Cusecs)

Bhakra Level
(feet)

Inflows at
Pong
(Cusecs)

Disch.
(Cusecs)

Pong
Level
(feet)

21/9/2008

87904

3414

21000

1680.07

64714

778

1386.75

Date

GENERATION

Bhakra Power
House (LU)

Canal Power
House (LU)

Dehar (LU)

Pong
(LU)

Total
(LU)

21/9/2008

257.5

29.74

3.49

26.83

317.56

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080922/punjab1.htm#4

Reservoir filled to the brim; BBMB increases generation
Tribune News Service
Nangal, September 21
The level of water in Bhakra reservoir today reached a maximum 1680.28 feet, 28 inches more than the complete filling mark.

The level of water has risen due to heavy rains that have lashed Himachal Pradesh during the past three days. BBMB officials said the water inflow in Bhakra reservoir was 1 lakh cusecs yesterday.

The inflow has now reduced considerably and there was no cause of worry, said sources. The maximum water level of 1,680 ft has come on the last day of official filling season.

Keeping in view the rising water level, the BBMB has increased power generation to utilise the surplus water available in the reservoir.

The scheduled generation for Sunday from Bhakra powerhouses has been increased to 1,398 MW. The actual generation was 1,426 MW.

The generation from Bhakra complex on Saturday was 206 lakh units, 98 lakh units from Dehar Power house and 22 lakh units from Pong powerhouse. The Dehar powerhouse has now been closed for flushing.

Notably, full generation capacity of Bhakra Complex is 1,445 MW and full reservoir level of Bhakra is restricted to 1,680 ft while keeping a margin up to 1,685 ft for absorbing any flood inflows.

In case the level exceeds 1,685 ft, the spillway gates are opened. Normally, by maintaining full generation at BBMB, the authorities are able to restrict reservoir level to 1,680 ft.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080922/haryana.htm#1

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080921/haryana.htm#1

Discharge of water in Yamuna recedes
Tribune Reporters
Karnal, September 21
The local administration and flood-control authorities heaved a sigh of relief as the discharge of water in the Yamuna receded and the impending flood threat in two dozen low-lying villages along the banks of the river averted.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda, who made an aerial survey of the area, said the situation was under control and everything was in place. “The discharge of water which crossed the high flood threat limit of 4 lakh cusecs yesterday has receded to 91,000 cusecs and there is no cause for anxiety,” superintending engineer (irrigation), M.K. Ahuja told TNS from the spot.

Meanwhile, Ghari Birbal village and the road linking Yamunanagar were submerged under 2 to 3 feet water, while Chowgaon village was marooned. The gushing water entered about a dozen houses in low-lying areas in these villages and the residents were evacuated.

A “rat-hole” at Garhi Birbal resulted in leakage and JCBs were pressed into service to plug the leakage. The operation “plug rat-hole” is in progress but little success had been achieved.

Floodwaters also seeped into Chandro, Hansumajara, Nagli, and Sayeed Chhapra in Karnal district, while Mundigarh, Lalupura, Bilaspur and some other villages in Panipat district were still under threat, as water released from the Hathnikund barrage on Friday is expected to flow through these areas anytime.

There was little we could do to avert the floods, as the discharge of water was very high and sandbags were placed along the banks to check diversion of water, executive engineer Pawan Verma said.

Though there was no human casualty, several hundred hectres of agriculture land was inundated, causing extensive damage to crops. The heavy rains in the catchment area of the Yamuna during the past two days had suddenly increased the discharge of water, creating flood-like situation in the region.

Yamunanagar: Although the water level of the ravaging Yamuna today reduced significantly, it has caused considerable damage to over two dozen villages..

Villagers were still trapped in 4 to 6 feet water. Besides houses, standing paddy crop in thousands of acres was also damaged.

A 22-year-old youth of Bhilpura village was believed to be drowned while saving others last night.

The villages which were worst hit by the swollen Yamuuna include Kayanwala, Majra, Navajpur, Lal Chhapar, Majiri, Gumthala, Lakar, Bhilpura.

The water level of Yamuna reduced to 85000 cusecs at 4 p.m. at Hathnikund barrage today, while yesterday it was recorded 4.09 lakh cusecs, much above the danger level and also said to be highest in the past nine years at the same time. As the water in the river was flowing much above the danger level, officials at the headworks opened all 18 floodgates to release the water in the Yamuna downstream.

A team of three officials was deployed at each control room set up at different places, including Radaur, Sadhaura, Bilaspur and also in the tehsil office of Chhachhrauli and the water services division, Jagadhri, to monitor the situation round the clock.

The increase in the water level of the Yamuna has posed a major threat to the low-lying areas of the river in Delhi. The swollen river will hit Delhi early morning tomorrow, said the irrigation department officials. The water level of Yamuna was nearly three times more than what was on August 14.

Power generation at the Tajewala hydel project of 62 mw capacity in the district has been stopped following the rise in the water level of Yamuna river. The decision was taken to avoid any damages to the project following the increase in the silt level in the river, said a senior functionary of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam.

Ambala: Around 1000 acres in 15 villages of the Naggal constituency close to Ambala City submerged due to breaches in the SYL canal at four places close to zero point of the Haryana-Punjab border today.

The administration summoned two companies of the Army to plug the breaches.
The first breach appeared in the canal near Khera village in the morning.

Villagers informed the administration immediately, but the breach widened so fast that the water started filling the fields of the adjoining villages.

The district administration summoned the Army when it found the situation beyond its control. Two companies of the 65 Engineering of the Army started the rescue operations under the supervision of Col S.K. Vidhyarthi. Around 500 villagers of nearby villages and volunteers of social and religious organisations were assisting the Army and civil officials.

Crops in more than 12 villages, including Khera, Amipur , Ismailpur , Chaudmastpur , Bidanga , Dangesria , Kurbanpur Adho Majra and Bhendsa have been reportedly affected.

Villagers said that the entire paddy crop of their villages got spoiled in the overflowing canal water. They were annoyed that the administration had not taken precautionary measures, whereas the administration had claimed to spend crores of rupees on flood-control work every year.

The villagers fearing that water could enter their houses have started taking their household goods on rooftops. INLD leader Hardayal Singh Khera and former MLA of the constituency Jasbir Malor said people of the area had been demanding a siphon to be set up at the breach point for a long time but it was not taken seriously.

Highest Alert; Uprecedented Rains in Punjab, Himachal, Uttarkhand, Haryana

Highest Alert; Uprecedented Rains in Punjab, Himachal, Uttarkhand, Haryana  Unprecedented Floods Expected in Punjab and Delhi.

As per a news clipping 2.7 lakh Cusecs of water is released in Yamuna River.. I thought more details may be available in other channels so started switching around 15 channels and lost track of the story under way.

This water release is twice the amount of water released in to Kosi breach that wrecked Bihar.
On checking the rainfall pattern I found DEVASTAING rains in Uttarnchal, Himachal and Punjab.

Punjab is most critical. It it can¹t drain out even 80,000 cusecs when peak floods may exceed 5 lac cusecs.

Delhi is expecting severe floods in a few days if embankments fail there will be unprecedented disaster never experienced in the history of flooding.

In 1978 Delhi experienced worst floods when water releases were 5.5 lakh cusecs but Yamuna is very much blocked and encroached by so many worst culprit is Delhi Metro that has blocked more than a kilometer of Yamuna river passage.

Meneka Gandhi famous for sterilizing campaign of emergency and now undertaking Dogs Sterilization has built Dogs Clinic and Sterlization center in the middle of Yamuna below Okhla Barrage. However it may not suffer major damage in view of the location at the exit point from where onwards river flows freely.

http://www.imd.ernet.in/section/nhac/dynamic/RAINTBL.HTM

Ravinder Singh

Koshi River’s Fury, misery in Nepal and India

Dear friends:

You have heard it all; maybe, many times over.
The mighty Koshi river, flowing from the
Himalayan ranges of Nepal and flowing into the
plains of Northern Bihar until it merges with the
Ganges, has burst its man-made barricades and
embankments, and has turned vast areas of Nepal
and India into an ocean of massive misery.
Millions of people turned homeless; a countless
dead, and the suffering continues unabated.

A vast number of well-informed people, including
those who know about rivers and dams, have
pointed out that what we are witnessing is not
really a natural disaster, but fundamentally a
tragedy which is created by the callous,
irresponsible, government of Bihar. It is, once
more, a MAN-MADE tragedy.

We send you some of these reports – for you to go
through and make your own assessment. The first
one, by Analytical Monthly Review, is
particularly useful to get a comprehensive view
of the Koshi River project.

Although the government at various levels have
taken up the job of helping the millions of flood
victims, there is a lot that is needed. We send
you below two links for channeling your material
support, one for Nepal, and the other for India.

And, finally, also appended below is field report
from Medha Patkar on behalf of the National
Alliance for People’s Movements.

Thank you for your time and your support.

hari sharma
for SANSAD

The Making of the 2008 Koshi Disaster
by Analytical Monthly Review

Analytical Monthly Review, published in Kharagpur, West Bengal, India, is a sister edition of Monthly Review.  Its September 2008 issue features the following editorial. — Ed.

We know that the immediate future holds the certainty of severe climate change, and an ever increasing strain on not only the much publicised issue of reserves of fossil fuels but also on the basic vital environmental resource of fresh water.  Nowhere in the world is the margin so slight between the daily life of tens of crores and mass disaster as in the plains and deltas of the Ganges and Brahmaputra.  A storm or a draught, excessive or inadequate rainfall, will have a “natural” cause, but the ensuing disaster — and even more the response — is the product of social practices and historical events.  A clear instance is the flooding of the River Koshi, and the resulting massive disaster over half of Bihar and the Sunsari district of Nepal.  Parts of Assam and Orissa, as well as much of West Bengal and the nation of Bangladesh, also face flooding in almost every monsoon.  Though there may be reasons for events that depend on the unique geography of a sub-region, the common environment and social history entail a shared danger, and require a shared response if ever more terrible disasters are not to overwhelm the region — however remote the prospect of rational social action may appear at the moment.  But first the myth must be demolished that immediately declares the climate event a natural calamity, for which the rulers are not responsible and about which nothing can be done except some temporary relief.

The Koshi River is notorious for its unstable dynamic character, and for its frequent floods.  The river drains the southern face of the Himalaya through the entire eastern third of Nepal, from the Nepal border with Sikkim and the Kanchenjunga massif west to the regions north of the Kathmandu valley.  The Koshi enters Bihar and merges into Ganges.  The steady gradual erosion of the relatively “young” Himal mountain chain occurs throughout the immense fan-shaped drainage basin, and the river Koshi carries a part of this load as sediment.  This sediment is deposited every year in the Nepali Terai and Bihar where the river slows down after racing through the mountain valleys.  As silt accumulates the previous route of the river is blocked, floods result, and the river finds new channels to meet the Ganges.  In historical time the river has moved over great distances; in the last 250 years the Koshi has shifted over a distance of 112 kms from Purnea in the east to Saharsa in the west.  The question of whether or not to try to capture the river within embankments so as to check the shift as well as to control flood became a subject of discussion long before Independence.  It was well understood early in the 20th century that the existence of embankments often increased the adverse effect of floods.  Absent embankments floods were frequent but not severe, the land benefited from the sediment deposited, and housing could be constructed on slightly higher ground (or even on stilts) so as to remain habitable in all but the most severe floods.  The 1937 Bihar Flood Conference centered on the “Embankments versus No embankments” debate.

Two characteristics of the new Indian governing class after Independence set the course that resulted in the Koshi disaster of 2008: the illusory pursuit of development without social revolution by means of gigantic technological projects (such as massive dams), and the imposition of (sub)imperialist control over the Himalayan nations of Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan.   In 1950 an ambitious multipurpose project was prepared to moderate floods, generate hydropower, to irrigate land in both India and Nepal, and provide navigation facilities in a reservoir and the river downstream.  The project envisioned that the land to be flooded and the barrages to be built would all be on the Nepal side of the border.  Obtaining agreement from Nepal was obviously a problem, but in 1954 the Nepal government of M.P. Koirala, generally agreed to be the most subservient government to India in the second half of the 20th century, was compelled to sign the Koshi agreement.  The Indians obtained “extraterritorial” rights within Nepal.

The barrage building engineering knowledge was wholly based on rivers of Europe and North America not subject to extensive silting.  And the project was inaugurated in March 1955 by the President of India, who had himself expressed the view in 1937 Bihar Flood Conference that the silt brought down by a river descending from the Himalayan range would be on a scale different from anything experienced elsewhere.  The Koshi was barraged at Bhimnagar on the Nepal-India border, and management entrusted explicitly and exclusively to the Government of Bihar.  Long levees were built on both sides upstream of the barrage to guide the water to the barrage, there to feed two large irrigation canals.  Downstream, another 125 km of embankments were constructed to the south to safeguard eastern Bihar from floods.  For 50 years the Koshi has deposited its silt, which previously had been deposited over a wide region, on its bed between the confining embankments.  As the bed was raised, the embankments were raised as well.  And by a gradual but inexorable process, the Koshi came to flow on what was now a plateau up to five metres higher than the surrounding plains of Terai and Bihar.

As a result of these measures, 386 villages spread across the four districts of Saharsa, Supaul, Madhubani, and Darbhanga, and over eight lakhs of cultivators were trapped within the embankments of the Koshi, whose waters pass over these villages every year at the end of the monsoon.  This is a land of utter misery, lacking electricity, roads, hospitals, cinema house, bank, block, or any other government office.  And outside the embankments the flood control measures have been a total failure.  Eklavya Prasad of Megh Pyne Abhiyan, a recognized expert, has estimated that the flood-prone area of Bihar has tripled since the construction of the Koshi barrage.  The record of the Government of Bihar in maintaining the embankments has been one of scandalous corruption and failure.  Embankments were breached in Dalwa (Nepal) in 1963, Jamalpur (Darbhanga) in 1968, Bhatania (Supaul) in 1971, Bahuarwa (Saharsa) in 1980, Hempur (Saharsa) in 1984, and Joginia (Nepal) in 1991.  For the Bihari politicians the resulting floods were a welcome opportunity for theft and extortion.

On August 18, 2008, and at a time of relatively moderate flow of the Koshi, the embankment was breached in Western Kusaha Panchayat in Nepal.  The Government of Bihar failed to respond, and this time the damage became in all probability irreversible.  The Koshi spilled out of the plateau it had been permitted to build and immediately inundated four Panchayats of Sunsari district in Nepal, with a population of some 35,000.  The river now spread out to the east through Bihar, seeking its old channels on its way to the Ganges.  Blocked on the west from its bed by its towering embankments, and from a direct route to the south by raised roadways, the river created an inland sea.  The Koshi did not break through to the Ganges until well into September.  By this time official sources acknowledged that 35 lakh people have been flooded out, and the true figure is surely far higher.  The response of the Bihar and Union governments has been worse than inadequate, verging on the criminal.  Deaths number in the thousands, and continue in the improvised camps where water and food are scarce, and disease flourishes.  As you can see, neither the flood nor the response were a “natural calamity” but one squarely the result of the acts and omissions of the rulers of India and Bihar over the last fifty years, continuing to this very moment.

In this stench of death and failure of the Indian post-Independence regime, came the first hint of a better future.  Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda said after a visit to Sunsari, one of his first tasks as PM, that the Indo-Nepal Treaty of 1954 was“a historical blunder.”  Indian promises to Nepal in the 1954 Koshi agreement (and its subsequent amendments) of benefits have without exception turned out to be lies.  The irrigated land lies (today submerged) within India, “concessional” electric power is charged for at high rates, payment for Nepali lands submerged or leased has not been made after many decades,  promised roads were not built by India, and maintenance of the embankments — and the embankments themselves — collapsed.  See SB Pun, “Kosi River: From ‘Sorrow of Bihar’ to ‘Sorrow of Nepal?’” Spotlight, Sept 5, 2008.

It is not only the embankments that have been breached, the 1954 Koshi agreement — an unequal treaty if ever there were one — has been breached as well.  Under international law it is now no more than a scrap of paper.  There is no hope for a rational solution to the dramatic challenges of the ecological water crisis from the criminal gang of bourgeois Bihari politicians, from deranged giant dam proponents, from Chidambaram&Co, from the “cross-fire” murdering generals of Bangladesh, or from the gentle hands of the Sangh Parivar.  But Nepal is a necessary participant in any water plan; that is where the rivers commence.  When Prachanda sits down to renegotiate the water treaties he will be representing not only Nepal, but the hopes of all in the region for a better future.  Yet ultimately if we are successfully to manage the looming environmental water disaster it shall require a radical change in the balance of class forces in society in both India and Bangladesh; we can hope that Nepal will light the path.