Lok Sabha Question No. 2411 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-13
Subject: Prevention of Floods
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Utkarsh Verma Madhur

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2411

ANSWERED ON 13.03.2025

## PREVENTION OF FLOODS

## †2411. SHRI UTKARSH VERMA MADHUR

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether there is any long term plan to prevent floods that occur every year or there are plans for rescue and relief work only after the floods occur and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the Government is working on any concrete plan to desilt the rivers and if so, the details thereof; (c) the details of the permanent solution for the floods that occur every year in Lakhimpur Kheri area of Uttar Pradesh and cause irreparable loss of life and property; and

(d) whether all the rescue work and relief material fall short for the same and if so, the details thereof along with the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a)  to  (d) Floods  are  natural  calamity  that  the  country  faces  almost  every  year,  in  varying  degrees  of magnitude.  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 promotional financial assistance for management of floods in critical areas. Flood protection and  flood management measures are broadly classified  as Structural Measures and NonStructural Measures. Integrated flood management approach aims at adopting judicious mix of structural and non-structural measures to provide a reasonable degree of protection against flood damages at economic cost.

To  strengthen  the  structural  measures  of  flood  management,  Union  Government  had  implemented Flood Management Programme (FMP) during XI & XII Plans for providing central assistance to States for works related to 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 has further been extended during 2021-22 to 2025-26.

For Non structural measures, Central Water Commission (CWC) is the nodal Organisation entrusted with  the  task  of  flood  forecasting  &  early  flood  warnings  in  the  country.  Presently,  CWC  issues  flood forecasts for 340 forecasting stations (200 river level forecast stations & 140 dam/ barrage inflow forecast stations). These stations cover 20 major river basins in 23 States & 2 Union Territories. In order to provide more lead time to the local authorities to plan evacuation of people & take other remedial measures, Central

Water  Commission  (CWC)  has developed  basin  wise flood  forecasting  model  based  on  rainfall-runoff mathematical modelling for 7-days advance flood forecast advisory at identified flood forecasting and inflow forecasting stations.

A National Framework for Sediment Management (NFSM) has been published by Ministry of Jal Shakti in October, 2022 as a comprehensive framework for managing the sediments in rivers in addition to catchment  and  reservoirs  throughout  India  in  a  holistic  manner.  It  will  facilitate  the  State  Govts,  other Ministries, Departments, etc in planning strategies and implementation of projects giving due consideration to environment and ecology.

Financial assistance of Rs. 692.75 crore has been released to State Government of Uttar Pradesh for taking up flood management projects under FMBAP since its inception. Central Assistance amounting to Rs 44.16 Crore under FMP component of FMBAP have been provided to three flood management projects on river Ghaghara and Sharda benefiting Lakhimpur District of Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh has a network of 44 Flood Forecasting Stations (39 Level & 5 Inflow) covering all the major rivers in the State.

The primary responsibility of disaster management rests with the State Government concerned. The Central Government supplements the efforts of the State Government and provides requisite logistics and financial support. The State Government undertakes assessment of damages caused due to 12 notified natural calamities including rain and floods and provide relief assistance from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) already placed at their disposal as per Government of India's approved norms. Additional financial assistance is provided from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), as per laid down procedure in case of disaster of 'severe nature' which includes an assessment based on the visit of an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT).

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