Regional cooperation for flood risk management in S. Asia

Floods are a regular phenomenon in South Asia, the most populous region in the world. The south-western summer monsoons occur from June through September. Nepal, Bangladesh and certain regions of India and Pakistan frequently experience heavy floods during this season. These countries are washed by a huge network of rivers and their tributaries. Given the hydrology, climatic factors, the geology and chronic vulnerabilities, they are prone to floods.
Heavy rain in mid-August of 2014 caused massive floods and several landslides in Nepal. A total of 173,800 people were affected and 53 of them died. The floods and landslides damaged infrastructures, livestock and crops.
Floods that hit Jammu and Kashmir in India in the first week of September 2014 were the worst of the century which ran through more than 2,500 villages and affected hundreds of thousands of people. Nearly 250 people died and 700 were injured. Floods in 2014 in the mountainous areas of Gilgit-Balitstan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, swept away thousands of villages. Almost 312 people died, with 2,275,000 being affected and crops of nearly 1.7 million acres lost. Punjab province declared a state of emergency as the flood spread through its central areas.
In the months of August and September 2014, continuous heavy rains caused flooding in northern and north-eastern districts of Bangladesh. Almost three million people were affected in seventeen districts. Some 33,893 houses were completely and 236,409 houses were partially damaged. Road network of 64 km was completely and 1688 km partially destroyed. Besides, 659 km of embankment was damaged.
The causes of floods in the region are both natural and man-made.
In South Asia, many aspects of vulnerability arising from physical, social, economic, political and environmental factors are observed. These may include poor design and construction of infrastructure, lack of resources, poor health, inadequate protection of assets, lack of public information and awareness education, limited official recognition of risks and preparedness measures. Vulnerability varies significantly within a community, location and over time. Some 540 million poor and disadvantaged people live in South Asia. Floods affect the most impoverished who live on the fringes. Many of the floods of the region have trans-boundary dimensions and effect.
A regional approach to flood management based on previous experience and current limitations and gaps is required to retain the development gains and protect the most vulnerable communities. South Asian countries have developed some capacities in flood management and achieved enough success in this regard. But there are still gaps, limitations and challenges to overcome.
Replication of tested flood preparedness interventions could reduce the vulnerability of the most flood-prone communities across the region. The media can play a more effective role in highlighting the vulnerabilities and potential risks of poor and flood stricken areas and tested flood risk reduction initiatives for appropriate attention of the policy makers and implementers.
It would be a smart step to promote more durable and flood resistant livelihood opportunities in most risk-prone areas of the region to enhance socio-economic and political status of the communities. Combination of environment-friendly structural and non-structural measures based on regional cooperation and trust is the most important part of a regional approach in reducing flood risks. Protecting lives, livelihoods, properties and assets of the people are the constitutional obligations of the governments of the South Asian countries. A people-centric political, administrative and economic commitment and dynamism of the governments and politicians across the region is essential for a successful regional approach to flood risk management and addressing the causes of flood devastation. Regional approach to Flood Risk Management could directly contribute to sustainable poverty reduction and negative consequences of climate change. In this regard, an organized pressure from the conscious citizen groups across South Asia will be useful to influence governments and related international agencies to help make lives of the people less risky, more resilient and secured.
The writer is a Disaster Risk Reduction /Climate Change Adaptation Expert and Lawyer and a fellow of EPFL, Switzerland.
farid.hasan2008@gmail.com