Toxics Link’s Environment & Health Public Lecture Series
The geoclimatic conditions of India make the country prone to natural disasters like floods and tsunamis. The frequency and intensity of floods has grown in the country over the years primarily because of the increased encroachment of flood plains. India receives an annual rainfall of 400 million hectare meters. 75 per cent of the annual rainfall is received during monsoon (from June to September) and, as a result almost all the rivers carry heavy discharge during these four months.
Floods being a natural phenomena, total elimination or control of floods is neither practically possible nor economically viable. Hence, flood management aims at providing a reasonable degree of protection against flood damage at economic costs.
In India, systematic planning for flood management commenced with the Five Year Plans, particularly with the launching of National Programme of Flood Management in 1954. During the last 48 years, different methods of flood protection structural as well as non-structural have been adopted in different states depending upon the nature of the problem and local conditions.
Structural measures include storage reservoirs, flood embankments, drainage channels, anti-erosion works, channel improvement works, detention basins etc. and non-structural measures include flood forecasting, flood plain zoning, flood proofing, disaster preparedness etc.
- Dr. Dinesh Kumar Mishra, Convenor , Barh Mukti Abhiyan, Bihar
- Shri Gopal Krishna, Convenor , Water Watch Alliance and Member , Fact Finding Mission on River Kosi
- Shri R.C.Jha, Member, RM , Central Water Commission
- Dr. Sudhirendar Sharma , Director, Ecological Foundation
(In collaboration with India International Centre)
Date: 17 th July 2009, Friday
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Venue : Conference Room I, India International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi