Lok Sabha Question No. 4523 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-27
Subject: Soil Erosion on Embankments of Rivers due to Floods in Jharkhand
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Nalin Soren

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4523

ANSWERED ON 27.03.2025

## SOIL EROSION ON EMBANKMENTS OF RIVERS DUE TO FLOODS IN JHARKHAND

## †4523. SHRI NALIN SOREN

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has made any assessment on the impact of annual river bank erosion caused by floods in Jharkhand;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the reasons for such annual floods;

(c) the measures taken/being taken by the Government to prevent such floods;

(d) whether the Government has held consultations with local stakeholders to resolve the problem of floods and soil erosion in Jharkhand; and

(e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a)  to  (e) Erosion,  movement and deposition of sediment in a river are natural regulating functions of a river.  Rivers  tend  to  maintain  a  balance  between the silt  load  carried  &  silt  load  deposited,  maintaining  a river  regime.  Floods  are  primarily  natural  calamity  that  the  country  faces  almost  every  year,  in  varying degrees  of  magnitude.  The  occurrence  of  floods  can  be  attributed  to  various  factors,  including  wide variations  in  rainfall  both  in  time  and  space  with  frequent  departures  from  the  normal  pattern,  inadequate carrying capacities of rivers, river bank erosion and silting of river beds, landslides, poor natural drainage in flood prone areas, snowmelt and glacial lake out-bursts. Year-wise statistics of flood damages are compiled by Central Water Commission (CWC) after confirmation from respective States. The CWC publication on annual  flood  damage  data  (1953  to  2022)  is  available  at   https://cwc.gov.in/sites/default/files/report-flooddamage-statistics.pdf.

Flood  management  and  anti-erosion  schemes  are  formulated  and  implemented  by  concerned  State

Governments as per their priority. The Union Government supplements the efforts of the States by providing technical guidance and also promotional financial assistance for management of floods in critical areas. Integrated  flood  management  approach  aims  at  adopting  judicious  mix  of  structural  and  non-structural measures to provide protection against flood damages at an economic cost.

To strengthen the structural measures of flood management including anti-erosion, the Ministry had implemented during XI & XII Plan, Flood Management Programme (FMP) for providing Central Assistance

to States for works related to river management, flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, anti-sea erosion,  etc.  which  subsequently  continued  as  a  component  of  "Flood  Management  and  Border  Areas Programme" (FMBAP) for the period from 2017-18 to 2020-21 and further extended for the period 2021 to 2026. Total Central assistance amounting to Rs 22.71 Cr has been released under FMP component since its inception, to the State of Jharkhand.

CWC issues  flood  forecasts  as  a  non-structural  measure  of  flood  management,  to  concerned  State Governments  at  identified  locations.  CWC  also  issues  inflow  forecasts  to  identified  reservoirs  for  proper reservoir regulation. The network has been established in consultation with State Govt./Project authorities. There  are  total  17  Flood  Forecasting  stations  in  Jharkhand  (2  level  forecasting  stations  and  15  inflow forecasting stations).

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