Lok Sabha Question No. 1156 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-02-09
Subject: Flood Forecasting
Ministry: WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANAGA REJUVENATION
Asked by: GAURAV GOGOI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1156

ANSWERED ON 09.02.2017

## FLOOD FORECASTING

## 1156. SHRI GAURAV GOGOI

Will  the  Minister  of  WATER  RESOURCES,  RIVER  DEVELOPMENT  AND  GANGA  REJUVENATION  be pleased to state:

(a) the details of programmes/schemes relating to flood forecasting being implemented by the Government in the country;

(b)  whether  any  geo-spatial  techniques  are  being  used  in  the  flood  control  strategies,  if  so,  the  details  and  the proposed technology thereof; and

(c)  if  not,  the  reasons  therefor  along  with  the  details  of  other  technology  being  used  for  flood  control  in  the country?

## ANSWER

## THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  FOR  WATER  RESOURCES,  RIVER  DEVELOPMENT  AND  GANGA REJUVENATION

## (DR. SANJEEV KUMAR BALYAN)

(a)   Central Water Commission started flood forecasting service in the year 1958 by establishing first scientific flood forecasting unit (FFU) at Delhi for issuing water level forecasts of Yamuna for the National Capital, Delhi. A Flood Forecast and Warning Organisation was set up in 1969 to establish forecasting sites on interstate rivers in the country and 41 forecasting sites were added in 1969.

Central Water Commission has been expanding and modernising the flood forecasting network in the country. Up to XI Plan, Central Water Commission had set up a network of 175 Flood Forecasting Stations which included Inflow Forecasting for 28 reservoirs covering 18 States/UTs. This Ministry has approved a Plan Scheme during XII Plan for Rs.281 crore for flood forecasting, modernisation and expansion of the flood forecasting network for automatic  data  collection,  expeditious  transmission  and  flood  forecast  dissemination.  The  scheme  has  the following broad components:

- i) The  Flood Forecasting network  is  to  be  expanded  to  275 flood forecasting stations covering 25 States/UTs. Simultaneously,  the  support  network  of  hydrological  observation  sites  would  be  increased to  1118,  out  of which 1074 stations would be on an automatic satellite based telemetry system. As a result of the telemetry network, information would be available on the real time basis. It will eliminate the delays in dissemination of flood warnings to the States experienced in the manual system of dissemination. It is  expected  that  with the  expanded  network of  flood forecast  systems,  the number  of  flood  warnings  issued  annually  would  go upto  10,000 covering hitherto uncovered areas.
- i) All the 12 Regional Offices of CWC will have the facility of carrying  out data modeling  for  making  timely forecasts  to  forewarn  the  community  and  the local authorities with  lead   time    upto  72  hours  before occurrence  of  the event. This  would give community  enough time to ensure  preventive  action to save life and property.
3. ii) Inundation  forecast  on  pilot  basis  in  3  mha  flood prone   area    of Kosi,   Brahmaputra,  Godavari  .and Sabri   sub-basins using   high   resolution   Digital   Elevation   Models   available   with   National Remote Sensing Centre.

The rainfall-runoff based mathematical models utilizing observed rainfall, Automatic Weather Station(AWS)/Automatic Rain Gauge(ARG) data and Quantitative Precipitation Forecast(QPF) of IMD for more warning/lead time say up to 3 days is being adopted in select basins in formulation of forecast..

(b) & (c) Products derived from Remote Sensing such as Soil data, Land-use data, Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data  and  Geographical  Information  System  (GIS)  are  being  used  in  the  development  of  Flood  Forecasting  and inundation  forecasting  mathematical  models.  Remote  sensing  based  rainfall  estimates  of  IMD  and  other  global institutions are also being used as input in running of these mathematical models.