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The flash floods of 2017 caused massive devastation in the haor areas of the country. A study has revealed that the residents of six haor districts faced agricultural and health-related losses of around Tk 29.42 billion following early flash floods in March and April 2017.
In April 2017, the former water resources minister Anisul Islam Mahmud said that due to incessant rainfall, the level of water had spilled over the crop protection embankments causing flash floods in the haor areas. He also mentioned, "We have to re-evaluate certain matters like to raise embankment height or to change rice variety that grow in the area with longer harvesting time."
The statement is likely to give anyone the impression that repair work on the embankments was initiated and some progress has been made over the past two years. Recently, some representatives of civil society organisations and media reported that the repair work on most of the crop protection embankments in the haor areas is yet to start. This is because the Project Implementation Committees (PICs) were not formed in most of the areas.
Haor areas, located in the north-eastern part of the country, face early flash floods between March and May of a year. These are caused by sudden and rapid downstream water from the surrounding hills.
Haors are important areas for Boro rice cultivation from December till May. This variety is the main economic sector in these areas where a mono-cropping agricultural system is prevalent. But standing crops are often washed away by early flash floods causing immense losses for farmers. Flash floods are not new to these areas. Even before the British colonial period, landlords used to make earthen embankments to ensure safe harvest of the boro crop here.
Construction of earthen embankments is a conventional practice across the country for protecting not just people's agricultural lands, but also their homes and infrastructures. There is nearly 4,500 kilometres of low-lying embankments along the small rivers, haors and canals of the country. But these embankments are facing problems like erosion and breaching every year.
Low submersible embankments obstruct the water during flash floods for several days, buying time for people to harvest before the land is completely inundated. Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) is the key player behind protecting the present flood protection structures in haor areas.
Immediate actions by respective authorities are needed to complete repair work of the embankments/dykes in vulnerable spots of haor region in coordination with community and local governments.
Appropriate allocation, rapid flow of funds and effective monitoring and supervision of these activities should be ensured by the concerned authorities.
Submersible embankment is an economically smart intervention. But limitations like weak management, maintenance and protection, environmental consequences and lack of engagement of locals in the interventions should be effectively addressed by concerned authorities.
Impact minimising strategies, such as the use of cropping patterns which minimises exposure to loss and setting up non-agricultural income-generating activities, need to be promoted. Crop type and pattern should be selected according to susceptibility of floods. Supply of flood-resistant quality seeds, fertiliser and other facilities can be adequately supplied to the communities likely to be affected.
Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in existing development works and future initiatives by different government departments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in the area are a must. Concerned authorities should develop a disaster database, which can help in further carrying out detailed study and planning.
The government and NGOs need to redesign their development programmes with active participation of the most vulnerable communities to ensure that they maximise the potential of flood mitigation and incorporate traditional community coping practices which are fit technically, environmentally, socially and economically.
The respective authorities at different levels should strengthen capacity-building initiatives of local government and villagers. Coordinated efforts are needed to further strengthen local-level planning, implement decision-making process and the allocation of resources to local government for anti-flash flood programmes in vulnerable locations.
Proper resources from central government and others should be ensured by authorities and policymakers in line with a people-centric and transparent monitoring system.
Suitable steps, particularly structural measures in haor areas, should be taken based on recommendations from existing studies on floods/flash floods management. Facilitating new studies and action research for more durable solutions at protecting boro crops, properties and assets in haor areas can prove worthy as well.
Forecasting river floods ahead of monsoon has improved significantly over the years in Bangladesh. Similar improvements are yet to be made at forecasting flash floods. Cross- border coordination should be explored by political and technical authorities in this regard.
Farid Hasan Ahmed is a Development Lawyer.