September 2006: Update
from the author
What makes submergence, water logging and flash
floods so different from floods? A simple pointer
that while the former results from ill-advised decisions
taken by individuals, who remain shielded by a system
that is shrouded under the culture of secrecy, the
latter has been a natural phenomenon just like rainfall
or a river is.
The debate is slowly raging that this year's flash
floods flowed out of negligent dam operations, and
not from incessant rainfall within a matter of few
days or rivers rising suddenly and flowing in spate.
A look back at similar incidents and media's role
in past few years indicate that how easily it debunked
critical thinking and chose to flow with official
viewpoint; unless it came to a hugely populated
city going under waters due to flash floods in Tapti
river downstream of Ukai dam.
Last year, on August 1st, The Indian Express reported
in a story an exasperated sigh voiced by P K Laheri,
chairman and managing director of Sardar Sarovar
Narmada Nigam, "I am helpless, tell me what
to do". The words that followed Laheri's exasperated
sigh tried to make a case for taking the height
of Sardar Sarovar dam higher, "All this water
could have been saved. Two months of storage in
the dam has been lost. If the level had been five
metres higher, the curve of power generation would
have been optimum. We could have filled up reservoirs
in scarcity-prone areas of Surendrangar and Banaskantha,
or released water into more rivers like the Sabarmati.
We wanted to do all this in this monsoon. It is
unfortunate ... we will have to wait for the next
season".
Within two days of the report appearing on the
front page, the newspaper carried an editorial on
the matter. Emphasizing that "Gujarat's present
dilemma goes beyond the agony of the present floods",
this editorial pointed out that "all that water
from the unprecedented rainfall the state has experienced
over the last few days will after swirling around
city streets and rural hutments flow away into the
sea". And from there to the question of the
Sardar Sarovar Dam, with this, "the 20-year
campaign by assorted activists and busybodies has
not only delayed it considerably, it has led to
a scaling down of its height".
So a monsoon later, how effectively and optimally
have dam operators in Gujarat utilized the impounded
water in reservoir over Narmada? It was widely reported
in Gujarati newspapers that Narmada Main Canal was
breached at several places and since July 28th it
was carrying meager 580 cubic feet water per second,
even as the inflow of water at Sardar Sarovar dam
was 23000 cubic feet per second. As meager flow
into irrigation canals along with incessant rains
upstream led to sudden rise of water levels, releases
into the river through the powerhouse were just
21,000 cusecs till the dam started overflowing from
August 2nd onwards. Far from taking impounded waters
to other rivers through irrigation canal, Gujarat
couldn't utilize the waters impounded in the reservoir,
taking the water level to a high 128 meters within
a matter of a week spelling doom for downstream
villages and Bharuch.
And whom shall we blame for breaches in main canals?
Those critics who have pointed out institutional
vacuum in SSP's command area?
Rewind one more year. Two years ago, on August
3rd 2004, UNI reported that Narmada main canal collapsed
at two places near Bodeli, inundating villages and
rendering hundreds of villagers homeless. Within
a week, on August 11th, PTI Bhasha had flashed similar
news, reporting of collapse of Narmada canal in
Viramgam Taluka in Ahmedabad district.
Neither of the incidents of collapse of main canal
was followed with incisive and analytical follow
up by mainstream media. During past two years ad
hoc administration of irrigation establishment didn't
come under public gaze, as media actively overflowed
along with official view. Those who tried to battle
against silencing of untold miseries suffered by
people due to water logging, submergence and flash
floods downstream were belittled by them. An overflowing
dam that attracted thousands to behold it in awe
didn't allow any questions on what havoc did it
spell on submergence affected people, or what untold
misery can it spell for people living downstream?
So the pertinent question is, why did Surat got
submerged, with the backlash of high tide raising
the backwater level alike the rising waters in submergence
zone of dams?
Just prior to the onset of this year's monsoon,
water level in Ukai dam was 21.56 % of the reservoir
capacity, and by July 20th it was already 51 % (i.e.
half) filled, as per Central Water Commission data.
Within next ten days, water level at dam site rose
and on July 30th it stood at 322.93 feet, which
is around 22 feet below the Full Reservoir Level,
as per an UNI news release. The same news release
had quoted floods control room sources at Surat
claiming that Tapti river was flowing six meters
below danger mark, clearly indicating that even
as the reservoir was filing up very fast, authorities
had not scheduled downstream releases in a phased
manner!
While four days later, on August 3rd, reservoir
was filled to 77.54% of the storage capacity, the
irrigation minister was heard pressing at a press
briefing on August 2nd, "till August 15th waters
will not be released from Ukai dam", as revealed
now by IANS correspondent. Authorities waited for
three more days before hitting the panic button
by hastily opening the floodgates of Ukai on August
6th, the waters started steadily rising in Tapti
river downstream. Next day, by the afternoon water
level in 345.6 feet high Ukai dam had risen up to
341 feet and they started releasing 7 to 8 lakh
cusecs waters downstream as per news agency reports.
By the night, the downstream releases went up to
10 lakh cusecs. By this time large part of Surat
had already submerged under water, but on August
8th as well, dam authorities continued releasing
10 lakh cusecs water, while authorities bluffed
misleading certain news agencies that "now
it had decided to allow water levels to go up to
344.8 feet". On August 9th, the volume of waters
release form Ukai dam had come down to 7.50 lakh
cusecs, however, there was no respite for Surat,
as it coincided with high tide in the sea on full
moon day, not allowing the waters to recede.
And while the meager amount of statistics that
are available from various news agency reports and
UNDP's situation reports make out a strong case
pointing a finger at negligent dam operation by
Ukai dam authorities, in a statement published by
The Indian Express on August 13th, S R Rao, Principal
Secretary, Urban Development chose to give a clean
chit to Ukai authorities; "I have checked all
statistics. None including you could have prevented
this" (emphasis supplied).
On August 11th, the same newspaper had carried
a news story titled Don't fault nature, Surat's
misery man made, in which N K Singh reported, "Gujarat
government has been reluctant to disclose official
data related to inflow and outflow of water. Revenue
Minister Kaushik Patel refused to share the details
at a press meet in Gandhinagar and walked out in
a huff when media persons quizzed him on the releases
of water."
Himanshu Thakkar, director of South Asia Network
on Dams, Rivers and People says, "The trouble
is, so long as our water bureaucracy remains non-transparent
and unaccountable, disasters like the current one
won't leave us soon. The least one can demand is
a credible, independent enquiry on why such a situation
arose. Especially when it was one that could have
been substantially avoided with more optimal operation
of projects."
While S R Rao can claim to have looked at all statistics
and even pronounce an opinion over it, why is it
that hourly data on inflow at dam site, use of water
available in reservoir for power generation and
irrigation, as well as outflow and downstream releases
remain away from public gaze and scrutiny and even
denied when demanded by press persons? The message
that this man made disaster has brought home is,
don't get fooled, its flash floods flowing from
dams. The least UPA government could do to emerge
out of credibility crisis arisen along with the
proposed bill to amend RTI Act, is to make Gujarat
Irrigation Department put this data in public domain.
Let all statistics that has gone under the inquisitive
eyes of S R Rao, be put under scanner of public
scrutiny. |