Lok Sabha Question No. 167 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-11
Subject: Prevention and Mitigation of Floods
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Asked by: K. ASHOK KUMAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 167

TO BE ANSWERED ON DECEMBER 11, 2018

## PREVENTION AND MITIGATION OF FLOODS

No. 167. SHRI K. ASHOK KUMAR:

Will  the  Minister  of  HOUSING  AND  URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is set to rope in the National Institute of  Urban  Affairs  to  chalk  out  ways  in  which  the  Government  can take charge of prevention and mitigation of floods in Indian towns and cities and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether  the  move  is  a  part  of  the  attempts  made  by  the Government to belatedly set into motion the national guidelines on management  of  urban  flooding  issued  by  an  expert  panel  of  the National  Disaster  Management  Authority  in  2010  and  if  so,  the
- details thereof;
- (c)  whether  in July 2012,  the Ministry of Urban  Affairs  was designated as the nodal Ministry for urban flooding but since then there has been no movement to make it operational; and
- (d) if so, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

(SHRI HARDEEP SINGH PURI)

(a) :  No, Madam.

(b) :  Does not arise in view of (a) above.

(c  )&  (d)  :  Yes,  Madam.  The  Ministry  of  Housing  and  Urban  Affairs  was designated as the nodal Ministry for urban flooding July 2012.  Since the subjects of Urban drainage and sanitation fall in the domain of the States / Urban Local Bodies / Urban Development Authorities, the implementation  of  the  National  Guidelines  on  management  of  Urban Flooding issued by NDMA falls within their purview. The operationalisation of measures to prevent and mitigate urban flooding is to be done by respective States.

However, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs facilitates and guides the States. In this endeavour, the following steps have been taken by the Ministry:

1. Issued Urban and Regional Development  Plans Formulation and Implementation  (URDPFI)  Guidelines  in  January  2015  by  integrating the  guidelines  on  mitigation,  prevention  and  preparedness  for  urban flooding issued by the National Disaster Management Authority.
2. Issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Urban Flooding, 2017 to help cities manage flood situations.
3. Further,  the  Atal  Mission  for  Rejuvenation  and  Urban  Transformation (AMRUT),  stipulates for incorporation of resilience and  securing projects against disasters, including floods, in preparation of city level Service Level Improvement Plans (SLIPs).

4. The  National  Institute  of  Urban  Affairs  was  asked  by  the  Ministry  to conduct  stakeholders'  consultation  in  October  2018  to  deliberate  on urban  flood  resilience.  The  deliberations  during  these  consultations focussed  on  four  broad  themes  namely  Early  Warning  Systems  (EWS), urban flood resilience plans during normalcy, strengthening coordination among stakeholders, and urban flood management (pre and post flood).

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