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The Jal Shakti Ministry in the Lok Sabha said that soil erosion in Bihar is caused by flooding. They explained that nature plays a significant role in regulating the erosion, movement, and deposition of sediments through rivers. The Ministry emphasizes that rivers maintain a delicate balance between carrying and depositing sediments, preserving a harmonious fluvial regime.
A major concern is the damage caused by powerful floods, which leads to soil erosion and related problems such as reshaping river paths and loss of land. The Ministry emphasizes that State Governments are responsible for flood management, including effective erosion control, through customized strategies.
What led to the crisis?
The recent floods and soil erosion in Bihar mainly result from the increased river discharge due to substantial rainfall in Nepal's upper catchments.
Notably, the rivers, including Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, Kamla, Kosi, and Mahananda, have breached their banks, leading to the submergence of villages and the loss of valuable lands.
These unpredictable climatic variations have resulted in widespread devastation, affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands and disturbing the delicate equilibrium of the region.
According to the data collected from the Bihar state government, the regions of Amdabad, Kadwa, Azamnagar and Pranpur in the Katihar district, along the Mahananda river, along with Manihari, Burari and Kursela in the same district along the river Ganga, have borne the brunt of this natural calamity.
The State Government has reported that flood affected 368 villages and 7.30 lakh people in Katihar district in the year 2021 and affected 115 villages and 57,000 people in the same district in the year 2022 in the three year period of 2020 to 2022.
Efforts towards mitigation
While soil erosion and flood management is under the jurisdiction of individual states, the Union Government has provided support through technical guidance and financial assistance to facilitate effective flood control measures.
In particular, the Government has collaborated with state governments in the formulation and implementation of flood management and anti-erosion strategies. One such initiative, the Flood Management Program (FMP), which aims to assist states with flood control, anti-erosion efforts, drainage development, and anti-sea erosion projects, has offered a significant protection to Bihar.
A remarkable 42 projects completed under the FMP component of the Flood and Border Area Management Program (FMBAP) in Bihar have safeguarded a vast area of around 28.67 lakh hectares, protecting a population of over 2.2 million. rupees.
Dialogue with Nepal: in search of a solution
Recognizing the transboundary implications of the floods, the Indian government is in regular dialogue with Nepal to address the shared challenges posed by increased discharge from rivers originating in Nepal.
India-Nepal bilateral mechanisms including the Joint Committee on Water Resources (JCWR), the Joint Standing Technical Committee (JSTC), the Joint Committee on Gandak and Kosi Projects (JCKGP) and the Joint Committee on Floods and Flood Management (JCIFM ), provide platforms to discuss strategies to address the situation effectively.
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