22/08/2016

How different is flood-prone Patna from 1975?




Patna,(BiharTimes): On Saturday residents of north-western Patna woke up to see water all around.  Heavy downpour––as forecast––in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh is likely to aggravate the situation. Besides, more water is likely to be released from the dams built on Sone. So a large part of Patna and the adjoining districts of Bhojpur, Arwal, Aurangabad and Buxar are likely to remain inundated for days to come.

The water discharge through the Sone was 14.48 lakh cusec when one of the worst floods hit Patna in last week of August 1975. On Friday afternoon, water resources department said, water discharge through the Sone was 4.83 lakh cusec which increased to 11.2 lakh cusec by Saturday morning. This water is likely to reach Patna by Sunday evening. This water was released by Bansagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh. Estimated 12 lakh cusec of water from Rihand Dam in Uttar Pradesh is likely to arrive in next two days.


However, there is a glimmer of hope as discharge has shown a decreasing trend at 9.20 lakh cusec at Indrapuri Barrage near Dehri-on-Sone on Saturday afternoon, which could bring down Ganga’s level.

The opening of all the sluice gates of Farakka Barrage on Saturday which too is likely to reduce the water-level. Luckily, Patna is not witnessing heavy rain these days.

As the fear of 1975 like flood is lurking in the mind––the water has already crossed the record of 1994 level––fresh debate has started as to how safe the state capital is?

No doubt army has been kept on alert and National/State Disaster Response Force pressed into service and the country has developed technology to fight such eventuality, yet over the decades we have compounded over problem too.

The rampant construction of houses, haphazard building of roads, bridges and flyovers and more than three times increase in Patna’s population since 1975 have increased the misery. There is too much pressure on roads and drainage system. The construction boom has choked the sewerage system. So it is apprehended that once the water enters Patna it would take much longer time to recede.

Thank God, the state government has so far not gone on building commercial and residential complexes on the reclaimed land after Ganga drifted northward in the western part of Patna.

The  craze of the then JD(U)-BJP government to ‘develop’ Patna in fact only deteriorated the condition so far waterlogging is concerned.

Renowned architect Hafeez Contractor was invited for Patna Riverfront Development project, even though several environmentalists warned the state government not to provoke the nature.

Today, residents of apartments built along the bank of Ganga in the last few years are feeling the music of that development. The then Commissioner of Patna Municipal Corporation, Senthil Kumar, had in one go given green signal to the construction of hundreds of such apartments in the state capital. Though he was later suspended no further action was taken.

Forty-one years later the river-beds have gone up, as hardly any desilting work has taken place. As all the garbage, filth and effluents of industries flow into rivers in the vicinity of Patna––Ganga, Sone, Punpun as well as Gandak from the north––the flood water is likely to cause more harm to the environment. Water-borne diseases are likely to wreak havoc.

If this is happening in and around Patna, just guess what is the situation elsewhere in the state, especially in Kosi region.

 

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