Q. Floods and drought in Bihar has been the major hurdles over the years which have constantly affected its growth and prosperity. Discuss the role of science and technology in this kind of disaster management with typical examples. [66th BPSC/2021]

Q. Floods and drought in Bihar has been the major hurdles over the years which have constantly affected its growth and prosperity. Discuss the role of science and technology in this kind of disaster management with typical examples. [66th BPSC/2021]
Ans:
Bihar faces multiple natural disasters for example, floods, droughts, earthquakes, cyclones, heat waves, cold waves, landslides etc. Historically, apart from almost annual occurrence of flood in northern Bihar and drought in southern Bihar, some of the prominent examples of disasters in Bihar includes earthquake of 1934, flood of 2008 (when Kosi changed it’s course for the first time since the 1950s), drought of 1966-67 etc. ©crackingcivilservices.com

Floods and drought in Bihar has been the major hurdles over the years:

• Floods:
  • Bihar is India’s most flood-prone state, with 76% population in the North Bihar living under the recurring threat of flood devastation.
  • Bihar makes up 16.5% of India’s flood affected area and 22.1% of India’s flood affected population.
  • About 73.06% of Bihar’s geographical area, ie 68,800 square kilometres (26,600 sq mi) out of 94,160 square kilometres (36,360 sq mi), is flood affected.
  • The south-west monsoon brings the maximum rainfall in the state, lasting from June to September, and often causes flood-like situation, especially in the northern districts.
    • Further, when heavy rains occur in the mountains of central and eastern Nepal the water flows into the major drainages of various flood-causing rivers which flow into the plains and lowlands of Bihar.
  • North Bihar districts are vulnerable to at least five major flood-causing rivers during monsoon – Mahananda River, Koshi River, Bagmati River , Burhi Gandak River and Gandak – which originate in Nepal.
  • Some south Bihar districts have also become vulnerable to floods from Son, Punpun and Phalgu rivers.
• Drought:
  • Irregularity and shortage of rainfall as well as uneven spatial distribution of rainfall are the main cause behind the drought condition in Bihar.
    • e.g. the annual rainfall received in Bihar varied between 677.9 mms (2010), 796 mms (2015) and 1506.1 mms (2007) during the last decade.
    • While the agro-climatic zones of North-West and North-East are inclined towards heavy rainfall, the Southern part receives mostly dry spells in nature. e.g. Kishanganj received the highest rainfall of 1981.8 mms in 2019-20 while the lowest rainfall of 615 mms was recorded in Arwal.
  • The northern districts are likely to receive higher rain spells than the southern districts from the south-west monsoons.
    • As a result, the southern plains experience more drought-prone tendencies and lower levels of groundwater which affect the availability of water for agricultural purposes.
    • On the other hand, the northern parts are largely prone to floods and waterlogging, which affect the crop yields, particularly of paddy crop.
• In 2019, Bihar experienced both drought and flood simultaneously.
  • A drought-like situation prevails in 24 districts, while 13 districts are affected by floods.
    • Four of these districts Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Madhubani and Sitamarhihave been declared both flood- and drought-hit.
  • North Bihar is engulfed in a flood, while south Bihar is experiencing severe drought with deficient rainfall.

It has affected its growth and prosperity:

• Historically two major examples for the great devastation caused by these disasters are:
  • The Bihar drought of 1966–1967 had even caused deaths from starvation as the annual production of food grains had dropped in Bihar from 7.5 million tonnes to 4.3 million tonnes in 1966–1967.
  • The 2008 Bihar flood was one of the most disastrous floods in the history of Bihar. It was caused by the Koshi river, known as the Sorrow of Bihar, picked up an old channel it had abandoned over 100 years ago and broke of the Koshi embankment. It flooded areas which had not been flooded in many decades.
    • The flood killed 250 people and forced nearly 3 million people from their homes in Bihar. More than 300,000 houses were destroyed and at least 340,000 hectares (840,000 acres) of crops were damaged.
• According to data from Economic survey of Bihar:
  • In 2019-20, more than 149 lakh population of Bihar was affected by flooding and it resulted in the loss of 300 lives, and crop production loss of Rs. 446.6 crore.
  • In 2020-21, flood-induced damage affected a total of 19 districts in the state, with loss in crop production amounting to Rs. 727.88 crore, damage to public property at Rs. 3281.87 crore and lives lost were 62.
• On an annual basis, they destroy thousands of human lives apart from livestock and assets worth millions.
• This trend of flood and drought affects agricultural production, livelihood of the people, the water table levels, and survival of biodiversity.
  • The impacts are severely felt in Bihar as more than 80% of Bihar population is dependent of agriculture. Rice is the main crop of Bihar and is water-intensive. Uncertain rainfall, accompanied by dry spells, is expected to lead to reduce yield.
  • Flood and drought also affects the flow in the rivers, affecting inland fisheries and the livelihood of the fishing population.
• The relief and rehabilitation works undertaken during these disasters also results in the unexpected expenditure for the government. These funds could been otherwise utilised for the human development and other productive purposes. Thus. regular floods and drought in Bihar has hindered the growth and prosperity.

Apart from the floods and drought, Cold wave, heat wave (107 death in 2019-20), Lightning ( 253 death in 2019-20), Fire etc are other disasters which hinders the development process of the state. These disasters not delay in the ongoing development works but are also threat to human and physical capital of the state.

The Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction (2015-2030), also recognizes the application of science and technology can help us at the every stage of the disaster management. It recommends that to achieve the disaster risk reduction targets, it is important to enhance the scientific and technical work on disaster risk reduction and its mobilization through the coordination of existing networks and scientific research institutions at all levels and in all regions with the support of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Scientific and Technical Advisory Group.

The role of science and technology in Disaster forecastings and management:

• Early Warning Systems: Depending on the types of disasters, it uses various technologies like space remote sensing technologies, Automatic Weather Stations, Doppler radars, High Wind Speed Recorders, Ocean buoys, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles etc. They provide critical information for tracking and forecasting intensity disasters.
• Space technologies such as Earth observation satellites, communication satellites, meteorological satellites and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) can help in collecting data for prevention and preparedness of the disasters.
  • Space technology along with drone technology are also used to for zoning and mapping of the affected areas by the disasters. e.g. India EQ Maps is a mobile app focused on the eathquake disaster.
  • Use of space and drone technologies for mapping of affected areas for planning of response measures for different areas.
• Super computing is used to simulate weather as well as to tune forecasts to go beyond just giving rainfall estimates and factor in the potential damage of floods and cyclones.
• Acoustic remote-controlled boats uses ultrasound pulses to collect information about river levels and help predict when flooding may occur.
  • The above technologies are already being used for Flood and drought forecasting so that information can be used for the prevention and preparedness of the affected areas on time.
• Latest technologies are also employed in planning and designing the constructions and infrastructure in a way to minimise the risks and impact of the disasters. e.g.
  • Water control/conservation technologies can reduced the occurrence flood by capturing the excess water.
  • Nanotechnology can be used for the improving the resilience through Building Materials, sensors etc.
  • The sediment removal technologies can prevent the flooding due to accumulation of sediments in the water reservoirs.
• To enable water conservation measures to meet flood and drought-like scenarios, initiatives are being taken to revive ponds and reservoirs in north Bihar and Ahar-Pynes in the south. Modern machineries and technologies are used while executing these programs.
• Internet and communication technologies are used in warnings, information, data dissemination which helps in effective coordination and seamless communication among different stakeholders to ensure quick, clear, effective dissemination of data and information for decision making.
• The wireless sensors are used to measure crop canopy temperature for indications of water stress in the drought affected regions.
• Indian Metrological Department (IMD) provides information about the weather forecasting using the data from the modern communication technologies.
• Spread of information about the relief programs being taken by the government and civil societies using ICT technologies. In case the communication infrastructure is damaged, satellite internet can be used for the communication in remote areas.
• Bio-technology can also help in mitigating the impact of the the disasters. e.g. GM crops can improve the drought and water tolerance of the crops, Vaccine development for the recent covid-19 pandemic.
  • Food fortification can be used to improve the nutritional value of the food supplies being delivered to disaster affected population.
• In case of recent Covid-19 pandemic technologies were used in contact-tracing, testing, and home to home surveillance to minimize and curb the spread of the infection. e.g. Aarogya setu app was launched to stop the spread of infections.
  • Internet technologies were used for direct benefit transfer of the relief amounts under Mukhyamantri Vishesh Sahayata scheme as well as spread of information and checking the rumours related to the pandemic.
• The use of technology is seen in building back better to prepare for the of future occurrence of the disaster. e.g. incorporating ductility within the structure makes the building ductile and Earthquake-resistant as the building is able to bend and flex when exposed to the horizontal or vertical shear forces of an earthquake.
• ICT and social media platforms are also used for the training and capacity building to deal with these disasters.
• Technology is also used for the desilting of rivers and and construction of embankment, high dam and interlinking of rivers.
  • However, the Fact Finding Mission Report “Kosi Deluge: The Worst is Still to Come“, asserted that embankments was the root cause of the 2008 flood crises and flood control measures like dams, embankments and their repairs can provide temporary respite.

Thus, Science and technology played pivotal role in complete disaster management cycle. Sendai framework has already recognised that Scientific research can help identifying the disaster risk patterns, causes and effects. Even at policy level it helps in informed decision making. Further, under the guidelines of NDMA for different disasters, there are provisions for the application of science and technology.
Bihar government has already taken various initiatives to move towards greater disaster resilience. Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA), together with Disaster Management Department has various initiatives towards awareness generation, structural and non-structural strengthening and capacity building of various stakeholders in which science and technology has been used invariably.

Going forwards, there is need to learn from the best practices from other regions. e.g. Tamil Nadu has built a web GIS based system called TNSMART. This application, which is developed in collaboration with ISRO, has modules related to thresholds, hazard forecast, disaster impact forecast, advisory, response planning, etc. Similarly, Karnataka has a GPS enabled system for near real-time monitoring and communication of disasters in the state. In India, the Government has encouraged the use of digital technologies in ensuring help during disasters. For example, the Digital India Action Group (DIAG) released a whitepaper on using IoT for effective disaster management. ©crackingcivilservices.com