Andhra Pradesh to adopt Flood Risk Management to reduce losses in future
Visakhapatnam: RMSI Pvt Ltd which works with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), has suggested a detailed flood risk assessment in Andhra Pradesh to identify flood hot spots in order to minimise losses due to natural calamities like recent one in November that created havoc across the south coastal AP and Rayalaseema.
The government should plan temporary mitigation options around these hotspots like inflatable water bags, water gates, flood gates to reduce the flood impact.
A high-resolution floods forecasting system is being developed by RMSI for the state to be put in use by government to send out warnings ahead of the time to reduce loss of life and property at the time of events.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Pushpendra Johari, senior vice president (sustainability), RMSI Pvt Ltd, said “We saw similar in 2009 when water was released on October 6 that set a record in flood discharge at Prakasam Barrage, surpassing the previous record from 1903 when the river had no dams.”
After analysing all major disasters, the RMSI Pvt Ltd has come up with a set of solutions that can be useful for the government, he added.
The water released from a dam causes a much stronger flood than just rainfall. The overflow of Annamayya irrigation project caused the deluge in Kadapa district.
“There is a strong need for conducting dam breach scenario analysis, quantifying sediment deposition in the reservoir,” Johari said.
He further added that a flood risk assessment of the state is already being done by RMSI Pvt Ltd. It can pinpoint the best potential water level estimates across locations for various flood scenarios. The government has to ensure that the outputs of this risk assessment study are used to plan for mitigation options and future development.
- So far losses to AP are much higher than that of Tamil Nadu
- Temporary flood protection measures inflatable water bags, water gates, flood gates
How to improve stormwater drainage system
- Flood zoning on city-scale to implement new construction guidelines
- Removal of existing encroachments on water bodies and drains
- Planning on various structural options like river widening and de-siltation, check dams, levees construction.
