flood in krishna basin: institutional responses to flood regulation
TRANSCRIPT
Agony of Floods Flood Induced Water Conflicts in lndia
Eklavya Prasad K J Joy Suhas Paranjape Shruti Vispute
F O R W FOR POLICY 0UUX)GUEON
Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water conflicts in lndia
October 2012
CONFLICTSWATER
Agony of Floods Flood Induced Water Conflicts in lndia
Eklavya Prasad K J Joy Suhas Paranjape Shruti Vispute
O Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in lndia Pune Maharashtra lndia
Supported byr ARGHYAM Trust Bengaluru Karnataka lndia
CoverDesign andfayout by Marion Jhunja
Cover Photos by Eklavya Prasad and Luisa Cortesi
Publishedby Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in lndia Pune
CO Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management (SOPPECOM)
16 Kale Park Sorneshwarwadi Road Pashan Pune 41 1 008 Maharashtra INDIA
Tel +91-20-2588 07861 2588 6542
Fax +91-020-2588 6542 Email waterconflictforumgrnailcom
URL httpllconflictsindiawaterportalorg
Copies are available at the above address
First published in October 2012
The contents of this report may be used with due acknowledgement of the source Any form of
reproduction storage in a retrieval system or tnnsrnission by any means requires a prior
written permission from the publisher
Citation Prasad Eklavya K J Joy Suhas Paranjape Shruti Vispute (Ed) 2012 Agony of Floods Flood lnduced Water Conflicts in lndia Pune Forum for Policy
Dialogue on Water Conflicts in lndia
Conbibutory Price Rs 2001-
Contents
Acknowledgements i
Preface ii- vi
Introduction vii-xiii
Will Someone Share Our Extra Water Dinesh Kumar Mishra xiv-xxvix
Case study I Indias First Geo-Tube Embankment Erosion of Community Hopes Parag Jyoti Saikia 1-9
Case study 2 The Char Dwellers of Assam Flowing River Floating People Gorky Chakraborty 10-22
Case study 3 Bridge over Kosi Connecting People or Banishing Them Jitendra Choubey 23-32
Case study 4 Floods in North Bihar A Recurrent Source of Conflicts Vinay Kurnar Rarnesh Kurnar Prern Kumar Verma Rajendra Jha Chandrashekhar and Pmdeep Kurnar Poddar 33-47
Case stum 5 Flash Floods in Eastern UP Hill Rivers Flood the Low Lying Region of Eastern Uttar Pradesh Causing Annual Distress Migration Alka Pande 48-56
Case study 6 Ghaggar Floods A Manmade Disaster with Tragic Consequences T V Jayan 57-68
Case study Z Floods in South West Punjab Flood in the Arid Regions Arshinder Kaur 69-81
Case study 8 Floods in Western Rajasthan Life after the Deluge T V Jayan 82-89
Case study 9 Mumbai under Floods A Natural Disaster or Manifestation of an Underlying Conflict in Mumbai Citys Skewed Urban Planning Nidhi Jamwal 90-100
Case study 10 Flood in Krishna Basin lnstit~itional Responses to Flood Regulation Narendra V Killada Shrinivas Badiger and Bejoy K Thomas 101-112
Case study 1 I Floods in Bengaluru No Respect for Water Bodies and Water Courses S Manasi and KC Smitha 113-123
Nature is Hard to Know Conflicts over Floods as Struggles of Knowledge Luisa Cortesi 124-138
About Contributors 139-146
Chapter 10 I
229 deaths were reponed in Kamataka and 90 in Andhra Pradesh 2192 Lakh hectares of crop land was damaged in Kamataka and 22 6 lakh hectares in Andhra Pradesh 655484 houses were damaged in Kamataka and 259095 in Andhra Pradesh Thedamage to livestock was also very high with 7882 cattle deaths in Kamataka and 48686 in Andhra Pradesh The total damage in Karnataka was estimated at INR 1856825 Croresand INR 1245575 Crores In Andhra Pradesh (GoK 2009 and GoAP httpdisasterrnanagement apgovinwebsitehi~tory~htm accessed on 30 December 201 1)
We have used the popular nomenclature instead of the official nomenclature forthe wnvenience of the readers
Northem lnterior Karnataka region covers several districts lncludlng Bidar Bellaly Dhalwad Bagalkote and Bijapur
102
The three riparian States of Maharashtra Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh through which Krishna flows have built small medium and large reservoirs acmss the catchment to tap the water for irrigation power generation and domestic water supply It was pointed out that the intensity of floods could have been reduced if the reservoir levels were managed effectively The downstream State of Andhra Pradesh argued that the upstream Almani and Narayanpur reservoirs in Karnataka released water without adequate n o w (Hegde date unknown) resulting in the backwaters of Srisailam reservoir i Andhra Pradesh extending into the town of Kurnool which had never b seen a flood of that magnitude nor was prepared to deal with it Observers have on the contrary questioned why the release from Srisailam reservoir Andhra Pradesh to the downstream Nagajuna Sagar reservoir was delay the aftermath of the rainfall (Ramachandraiah 2011 435) Thus on the o hand storage and release of water from the reservoirs remain a contested issue where multiple economic and political interests overlap and on the other it is important that the institutions governance structures and the communities in the region prepare for and adapt to flood events in the
While this debate has been controversial with political connotations spark the inter-state water sharing debate there has been little attempt to loo available data on what actually happened during the five days of the d reflect on what went wrong and think forward to introducing specific m for disaster preparedness This case study attempts to do this using empi analysis field visits and interviews with affected communities govemmen agencies local formal and informal institutions and offer some insights on institutional aspects of dam operations and flood management Even thou the flood might not have been completely averted we argue that a timely proactive response would have reduced the severity of flood both in terms magnitude and duration and its impact on the affected communities article firstly we provide a brief overview of the events that led to the We then examine the operation of reservoirs and compare it with an e simulation exercise involving an alternate strategy of reservoir operation Finally we discuss the complexities of reservoir management and flood control and the need for disaster risk reduction strategy by combining res of our simulation exercise with field observations and assessment of institutional responses
The Chronoloav of 2009 Floods 1 -- The geographic setting of this case study is best represented and demarca by the major dams built acmss Krishna and Tungabhadra in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh The map (Figure 2) shows the major dams including Al and Narayanpur (Tungabhadra dam) in Karnataka and Srisailam Nagaju Sagar and Vijayawada (Prakasam barrage) in Andhra Pradesh 1 The entire Krishna basin particularly the lower parts of the basin constituti the Northern Interior Kamataka3and South-westem Andhra Pradesh receiv extremely high rainfall from 2am September to 3 October 2009 The region typically characterized by frequent droughts and the average annual rainfall I most of the d~stricts varies between 600 - 800 mm Sudden downpour of
Agony of Floods Flood Induced Water Conflicts in lndia
Eklavya Prasad K J Joy Suhas Paranjape Shruti Vispute
O Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in lndia Pune Maharashtra lndia
Supported byr ARGHYAM Trust Bengaluru Karnataka lndia
CoverDesign andfayout by Marion Jhunja
Cover Photos by Eklavya Prasad and Luisa Cortesi
Publishedby Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in lndia Pune
CO Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management (SOPPECOM)
16 Kale Park Sorneshwarwadi Road Pashan Pune 41 1 008 Maharashtra INDIA
Tel +91-20-2588 07861 2588 6542
Fax +91-020-2588 6542 Email waterconflictforumgrnailcom
URL httpllconflictsindiawaterportalorg
Copies are available at the above address
First published in October 2012
The contents of this report may be used with due acknowledgement of the source Any form of
reproduction storage in a retrieval system or tnnsrnission by any means requires a prior
written permission from the publisher
Citation Prasad Eklavya K J Joy Suhas Paranjape Shruti Vispute (Ed) 2012 Agony of Floods Flood lnduced Water Conflicts in lndia Pune Forum for Policy
Dialogue on Water Conflicts in lndia
Conbibutory Price Rs 2001-
Contents
Acknowledgements i
Preface ii- vi
Introduction vii-xiii
Will Someone Share Our Extra Water Dinesh Kumar Mishra xiv-xxvix
Case study I Indias First Geo-Tube Embankment Erosion of Community Hopes Parag Jyoti Saikia 1-9
Case study 2 The Char Dwellers of Assam Flowing River Floating People Gorky Chakraborty 10-22
Case study 3 Bridge over Kosi Connecting People or Banishing Them Jitendra Choubey 23-32
Case study 4 Floods in North Bihar A Recurrent Source of Conflicts Vinay Kurnar Rarnesh Kurnar Prern Kumar Verma Rajendra Jha Chandrashekhar and Pmdeep Kurnar Poddar 33-47
Case stum 5 Flash Floods in Eastern UP Hill Rivers Flood the Low Lying Region of Eastern Uttar Pradesh Causing Annual Distress Migration Alka Pande 48-56
Case study 6 Ghaggar Floods A Manmade Disaster with Tragic Consequences T V Jayan 57-68
Case study Z Floods in South West Punjab Flood in the Arid Regions Arshinder Kaur 69-81
Case study 8 Floods in Western Rajasthan Life after the Deluge T V Jayan 82-89
Case study 9 Mumbai under Floods A Natural Disaster or Manifestation of an Underlying Conflict in Mumbai Citys Skewed Urban Planning Nidhi Jamwal 90-100
Case study 10 Flood in Krishna Basin lnstit~itional Responses to Flood Regulation Narendra V Killada Shrinivas Badiger and Bejoy K Thomas 101-112
Case study 1 I Floods in Bengaluru No Respect for Water Bodies and Water Courses S Manasi and KC Smitha 113-123
Nature is Hard to Know Conflicts over Floods as Struggles of Knowledge Luisa Cortesi 124-138
About Contributors 139-146
Chapter 10 I
229 deaths were reponed in Kamataka and 90 in Andhra Pradesh 2192 Lakh hectares of crop land was damaged in Kamataka and 22 6 lakh hectares in Andhra Pradesh 655484 houses were damaged in Kamataka and 259095 in Andhra Pradesh Thedamage to livestock was also very high with 7882 cattle deaths in Kamataka and 48686 in Andhra Pradesh The total damage in Karnataka was estimated at INR 1856825 Croresand INR 1245575 Crores In Andhra Pradesh (GoK 2009 and GoAP httpdisasterrnanagement apgovinwebsitehi~tory~htm accessed on 30 December 201 1)
We have used the popular nomenclature instead of the official nomenclature forthe wnvenience of the readers
Northem lnterior Karnataka region covers several districts lncludlng Bidar Bellaly Dhalwad Bagalkote and Bijapur
102
The three riparian States of Maharashtra Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh through which Krishna flows have built small medium and large reservoirs acmss the catchment to tap the water for irrigation power generation and domestic water supply It was pointed out that the intensity of floods could have been reduced if the reservoir levels were managed effectively The downstream State of Andhra Pradesh argued that the upstream Almani and Narayanpur reservoirs in Karnataka released water without adequate n o w (Hegde date unknown) resulting in the backwaters of Srisailam reservoir i Andhra Pradesh extending into the town of Kurnool which had never b seen a flood of that magnitude nor was prepared to deal with it Observers have on the contrary questioned why the release from Srisailam reservoir Andhra Pradesh to the downstream Nagajuna Sagar reservoir was delay the aftermath of the rainfall (Ramachandraiah 2011 435) Thus on the o hand storage and release of water from the reservoirs remain a contested issue where multiple economic and political interests overlap and on the other it is important that the institutions governance structures and the communities in the region prepare for and adapt to flood events in the
While this debate has been controversial with political connotations spark the inter-state water sharing debate there has been little attempt to loo available data on what actually happened during the five days of the d reflect on what went wrong and think forward to introducing specific m for disaster preparedness This case study attempts to do this using empi analysis field visits and interviews with affected communities govemmen agencies local formal and informal institutions and offer some insights on institutional aspects of dam operations and flood management Even thou the flood might not have been completely averted we argue that a timely proactive response would have reduced the severity of flood both in terms magnitude and duration and its impact on the affected communities article firstly we provide a brief overview of the events that led to the We then examine the operation of reservoirs and compare it with an e simulation exercise involving an alternate strategy of reservoir operation Finally we discuss the complexities of reservoir management and flood control and the need for disaster risk reduction strategy by combining res of our simulation exercise with field observations and assessment of institutional responses
The Chronoloav of 2009 Floods 1 -- The geographic setting of this case study is best represented and demarca by the major dams built acmss Krishna and Tungabhadra in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh The map (Figure 2) shows the major dams including Al and Narayanpur (Tungabhadra dam) in Karnataka and Srisailam Nagaju Sagar and Vijayawada (Prakasam barrage) in Andhra Pradesh 1 The entire Krishna basin particularly the lower parts of the basin constituti the Northern Interior Kamataka3and South-westem Andhra Pradesh receiv extremely high rainfall from 2am September to 3 October 2009 The region typically characterized by frequent droughts and the average annual rainfall I most of the d~stricts varies between 600 - 800 mm Sudden downpour of
Contents
Acknowledgements i
Preface ii- vi
Introduction vii-xiii
Will Someone Share Our Extra Water Dinesh Kumar Mishra xiv-xxvix
Case study I Indias First Geo-Tube Embankment Erosion of Community Hopes Parag Jyoti Saikia 1-9
Case study 2 The Char Dwellers of Assam Flowing River Floating People Gorky Chakraborty 10-22
Case study 3 Bridge over Kosi Connecting People or Banishing Them Jitendra Choubey 23-32
Case study 4 Floods in North Bihar A Recurrent Source of Conflicts Vinay Kurnar Rarnesh Kurnar Prern Kumar Verma Rajendra Jha Chandrashekhar and Pmdeep Kurnar Poddar 33-47
Case stum 5 Flash Floods in Eastern UP Hill Rivers Flood the Low Lying Region of Eastern Uttar Pradesh Causing Annual Distress Migration Alka Pande 48-56
Case study 6 Ghaggar Floods A Manmade Disaster with Tragic Consequences T V Jayan 57-68
Case study Z Floods in South West Punjab Flood in the Arid Regions Arshinder Kaur 69-81
Case study 8 Floods in Western Rajasthan Life after the Deluge T V Jayan 82-89
Case study 9 Mumbai under Floods A Natural Disaster or Manifestation of an Underlying Conflict in Mumbai Citys Skewed Urban Planning Nidhi Jamwal 90-100
Case study 10 Flood in Krishna Basin lnstit~itional Responses to Flood Regulation Narendra V Killada Shrinivas Badiger and Bejoy K Thomas 101-112
Case study 1 I Floods in Bengaluru No Respect for Water Bodies and Water Courses S Manasi and KC Smitha 113-123
Nature is Hard to Know Conflicts over Floods as Struggles of Knowledge Luisa Cortesi 124-138
About Contributors 139-146
Chapter 10 I
229 deaths were reponed in Kamataka and 90 in Andhra Pradesh 2192 Lakh hectares of crop land was damaged in Kamataka and 22 6 lakh hectares in Andhra Pradesh 655484 houses were damaged in Kamataka and 259095 in Andhra Pradesh Thedamage to livestock was also very high with 7882 cattle deaths in Kamataka and 48686 in Andhra Pradesh The total damage in Karnataka was estimated at INR 1856825 Croresand INR 1245575 Crores In Andhra Pradesh (GoK 2009 and GoAP httpdisasterrnanagement apgovinwebsitehi~tory~htm accessed on 30 December 201 1)
We have used the popular nomenclature instead of the official nomenclature forthe wnvenience of the readers
Northem lnterior Karnataka region covers several districts lncludlng Bidar Bellaly Dhalwad Bagalkote and Bijapur
102
The three riparian States of Maharashtra Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh through which Krishna flows have built small medium and large reservoirs acmss the catchment to tap the water for irrigation power generation and domestic water supply It was pointed out that the intensity of floods could have been reduced if the reservoir levels were managed effectively The downstream State of Andhra Pradesh argued that the upstream Almani and Narayanpur reservoirs in Karnataka released water without adequate n o w (Hegde date unknown) resulting in the backwaters of Srisailam reservoir i Andhra Pradesh extending into the town of Kurnool which had never b seen a flood of that magnitude nor was prepared to deal with it Observers have on the contrary questioned why the release from Srisailam reservoir Andhra Pradesh to the downstream Nagajuna Sagar reservoir was delay the aftermath of the rainfall (Ramachandraiah 2011 435) Thus on the o hand storage and release of water from the reservoirs remain a contested issue where multiple economic and political interests overlap and on the other it is important that the institutions governance structures and the communities in the region prepare for and adapt to flood events in the
While this debate has been controversial with political connotations spark the inter-state water sharing debate there has been little attempt to loo available data on what actually happened during the five days of the d reflect on what went wrong and think forward to introducing specific m for disaster preparedness This case study attempts to do this using empi analysis field visits and interviews with affected communities govemmen agencies local formal and informal institutions and offer some insights on institutional aspects of dam operations and flood management Even thou the flood might not have been completely averted we argue that a timely proactive response would have reduced the severity of flood both in terms magnitude and duration and its impact on the affected communities article firstly we provide a brief overview of the events that led to the We then examine the operation of reservoirs and compare it with an e simulation exercise involving an alternate strategy of reservoir operation Finally we discuss the complexities of reservoir management and flood control and the need for disaster risk reduction strategy by combining res of our simulation exercise with field observations and assessment of institutional responses
The Chronoloav of 2009 Floods 1 -- The geographic setting of this case study is best represented and demarca by the major dams built acmss Krishna and Tungabhadra in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh The map (Figure 2) shows the major dams including Al and Narayanpur (Tungabhadra dam) in Karnataka and Srisailam Nagaju Sagar and Vijayawada (Prakasam barrage) in Andhra Pradesh 1 The entire Krishna basin particularly the lower parts of the basin constituti the Northern Interior Kamataka3and South-westem Andhra Pradesh receiv extremely high rainfall from 2am September to 3 October 2009 The region typically characterized by frequent droughts and the average annual rainfall I most of the d~stricts varies between 600 - 800 mm Sudden downpour of
Case study 6 Ghaggar Floods A Manmade Disaster with Tragic Consequences T V Jayan 57-68
Case study Z Floods in South West Punjab Flood in the Arid Regions Arshinder Kaur 69-81
Case study 8 Floods in Western Rajasthan Life after the Deluge T V Jayan 82-89
Case study 9 Mumbai under Floods A Natural Disaster or Manifestation of an Underlying Conflict in Mumbai Citys Skewed Urban Planning Nidhi Jamwal 90-100
Case study 10 Flood in Krishna Basin lnstit~itional Responses to Flood Regulation Narendra V Killada Shrinivas Badiger and Bejoy K Thomas 101-112
Case study 1 I Floods in Bengaluru No Respect for Water Bodies and Water Courses S Manasi and KC Smitha 113-123
Nature is Hard to Know Conflicts over Floods as Struggles of Knowledge Luisa Cortesi 124-138
About Contributors 139-146
Chapter 10 I
229 deaths were reponed in Kamataka and 90 in Andhra Pradesh 2192 Lakh hectares of crop land was damaged in Kamataka and 22 6 lakh hectares in Andhra Pradesh 655484 houses were damaged in Kamataka and 259095 in Andhra Pradesh Thedamage to livestock was also very high with 7882 cattle deaths in Kamataka and 48686 in Andhra Pradesh The total damage in Karnataka was estimated at INR 1856825 Croresand INR 1245575 Crores In Andhra Pradesh (GoK 2009 and GoAP httpdisasterrnanagement apgovinwebsitehi~tory~htm accessed on 30 December 201 1)
We have used the popular nomenclature instead of the official nomenclature forthe wnvenience of the readers
Northem lnterior Karnataka region covers several districts lncludlng Bidar Bellaly Dhalwad Bagalkote and Bijapur
102
The three riparian States of Maharashtra Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh through which Krishna flows have built small medium and large reservoirs acmss the catchment to tap the water for irrigation power generation and domestic water supply It was pointed out that the intensity of floods could have been reduced if the reservoir levels were managed effectively The downstream State of Andhra Pradesh argued that the upstream Almani and Narayanpur reservoirs in Karnataka released water without adequate n o w (Hegde date unknown) resulting in the backwaters of Srisailam reservoir i Andhra Pradesh extending into the town of Kurnool which had never b seen a flood of that magnitude nor was prepared to deal with it Observers have on the contrary questioned why the release from Srisailam reservoir Andhra Pradesh to the downstream Nagajuna Sagar reservoir was delay the aftermath of the rainfall (Ramachandraiah 2011 435) Thus on the o hand storage and release of water from the reservoirs remain a contested issue where multiple economic and political interests overlap and on the other it is important that the institutions governance structures and the communities in the region prepare for and adapt to flood events in the
While this debate has been controversial with political connotations spark the inter-state water sharing debate there has been little attempt to loo available data on what actually happened during the five days of the d reflect on what went wrong and think forward to introducing specific m for disaster preparedness This case study attempts to do this using empi analysis field visits and interviews with affected communities govemmen agencies local formal and informal institutions and offer some insights on institutional aspects of dam operations and flood management Even thou the flood might not have been completely averted we argue that a timely proactive response would have reduced the severity of flood both in terms magnitude and duration and its impact on the affected communities article firstly we provide a brief overview of the events that led to the We then examine the operation of reservoirs and compare it with an e simulation exercise involving an alternate strategy of reservoir operation Finally we discuss the complexities of reservoir management and flood control and the need for disaster risk reduction strategy by combining res of our simulation exercise with field observations and assessment of institutional responses
The Chronoloav of 2009 Floods 1 -- The geographic setting of this case study is best represented and demarca by the major dams built acmss Krishna and Tungabhadra in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh The map (Figure 2) shows the major dams including Al and Narayanpur (Tungabhadra dam) in Karnataka and Srisailam Nagaju Sagar and Vijayawada (Prakasam barrage) in Andhra Pradesh 1 The entire Krishna basin particularly the lower parts of the basin constituti the Northern Interior Kamataka3and South-westem Andhra Pradesh receiv extremely high rainfall from 2am September to 3 October 2009 The region typically characterized by frequent droughts and the average annual rainfall I most of the d~stricts varies between 600 - 800 mm Sudden downpour of
Chapter 10 I
229 deaths were reponed in Kamataka and 90 in Andhra Pradesh 2192 Lakh hectares of crop land was damaged in Kamataka and 22 6 lakh hectares in Andhra Pradesh 655484 houses were damaged in Kamataka and 259095 in Andhra Pradesh Thedamage to livestock was also very high with 7882 cattle deaths in Kamataka and 48686 in Andhra Pradesh The total damage in Karnataka was estimated at INR 1856825 Croresand INR 1245575 Crores In Andhra Pradesh (GoK 2009 and GoAP httpdisasterrnanagement apgovinwebsitehi~tory~htm accessed on 30 December 201 1)
We have used the popular nomenclature instead of the official nomenclature forthe wnvenience of the readers
Northem lnterior Karnataka region covers several districts lncludlng Bidar Bellaly Dhalwad Bagalkote and Bijapur
102
The three riparian States of Maharashtra Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh through which Krishna flows have built small medium and large reservoirs acmss the catchment to tap the water for irrigation power generation and domestic water supply It was pointed out that the intensity of floods could have been reduced if the reservoir levels were managed effectively The downstream State of Andhra Pradesh argued that the upstream Almani and Narayanpur reservoirs in Karnataka released water without adequate n o w (Hegde date unknown) resulting in the backwaters of Srisailam reservoir i Andhra Pradesh extending into the town of Kurnool which had never b seen a flood of that magnitude nor was prepared to deal with it Observers have on the contrary questioned why the release from Srisailam reservoir Andhra Pradesh to the downstream Nagajuna Sagar reservoir was delay the aftermath of the rainfall (Ramachandraiah 2011 435) Thus on the o hand storage and release of water from the reservoirs remain a contested issue where multiple economic and political interests overlap and on the other it is important that the institutions governance structures and the communities in the region prepare for and adapt to flood events in the
While this debate has been controversial with political connotations spark the inter-state water sharing debate there has been little attempt to loo available data on what actually happened during the five days of the d reflect on what went wrong and think forward to introducing specific m for disaster preparedness This case study attempts to do this using empi analysis field visits and interviews with affected communities govemmen agencies local formal and informal institutions and offer some insights on institutional aspects of dam operations and flood management Even thou the flood might not have been completely averted we argue that a timely proactive response would have reduced the severity of flood both in terms magnitude and duration and its impact on the affected communities article firstly we provide a brief overview of the events that led to the We then examine the operation of reservoirs and compare it with an e simulation exercise involving an alternate strategy of reservoir operation Finally we discuss the complexities of reservoir management and flood control and the need for disaster risk reduction strategy by combining res of our simulation exercise with field observations and assessment of institutional responses
The Chronoloav of 2009 Floods 1 -- The geographic setting of this case study is best represented and demarca by the major dams built acmss Krishna and Tungabhadra in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh The map (Figure 2) shows the major dams including Al and Narayanpur (Tungabhadra dam) in Karnataka and Srisailam Nagaju Sagar and Vijayawada (Prakasam barrage) in Andhra Pradesh 1 The entire Krishna basin particularly the lower parts of the basin constituti the Northern Interior Kamataka3and South-westem Andhra Pradesh receiv extremely high rainfall from 2am September to 3 October 2009 The region typically characterized by frequent droughts and the average annual rainfall I most of the d~stricts varies between 600 - 800 mm Sudden downpour of
We have used the popular nomenclature instead of the official nomenclature forthe wnvenience of the readers
Northem lnterior Karnataka region covers several districts lncludlng Bidar Bellaly Dhalwad Bagalkote and Bijapur
102
The three riparian States of Maharashtra Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh through which Krishna flows have built small medium and large reservoirs acmss the catchment to tap the water for irrigation power generation and domestic water supply It was pointed out that the intensity of floods could have been reduced if the reservoir levels were managed effectively The downstream State of Andhra Pradesh argued that the upstream Almani and Narayanpur reservoirs in Karnataka released water without adequate n o w (Hegde date unknown) resulting in the backwaters of Srisailam reservoir i Andhra Pradesh extending into the town of Kurnool which had never b seen a flood of that magnitude nor was prepared to deal with it Observers have on the contrary questioned why the release from Srisailam reservoir Andhra Pradesh to the downstream Nagajuna Sagar reservoir was delay the aftermath of the rainfall (Ramachandraiah 2011 435) Thus on the o hand storage and release of water from the reservoirs remain a contested issue where multiple economic and political interests overlap and on the other it is important that the institutions governance structures and the communities in the region prepare for and adapt to flood events in the
While this debate has been controversial with political connotations spark the inter-state water sharing debate there has been little attempt to loo available data on what actually happened during the five days of the d reflect on what went wrong and think forward to introducing specific m for disaster preparedness This case study attempts to do this using empi analysis field visits and interviews with affected communities govemmen agencies local formal and informal institutions and offer some insights on institutional aspects of dam operations and flood management Even thou the flood might not have been completely averted we argue that a timely proactive response would have reduced the severity of flood both in terms magnitude and duration and its impact on the affected communities article firstly we provide a brief overview of the events that led to the We then examine the operation of reservoirs and compare it with an e simulation exercise involving an alternate strategy of reservoir operation Finally we discuss the complexities of reservoir management and flood control and the need for disaster risk reduction strategy by combining res of our simulation exercise with field observations and assessment of institutional responses
The Chronoloav of 2009 Floods 1 -- The geographic setting of this case study is best represented and demarca by the major dams built acmss Krishna and Tungabhadra in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh The map (Figure 2) shows the major dams including Al and Narayanpur (Tungabhadra dam) in Karnataka and Srisailam Nagaju Sagar and Vijayawada (Prakasam barrage) in Andhra Pradesh 1 The entire Krishna basin particularly the lower parts of the basin constituti the Northern Interior Kamataka3and South-westem Andhra Pradesh receiv extremely high rainfall from 2am September to 3 October 2009 The region typically characterized by frequent droughts and the average annual rainfall I most of the d~stricts varies between 600 - 800 mm Sudden downpour of
