Need of revisiting Rule Curve of Hirakud in the context of increasing flood

[prchoudhury]

Dear All,

 

In the context of ongoing flood, Please find an analysis on the need of revisiting the Rule Curve and the need of exploring a formal arrangement with Chhatisgarh over management of water and water-information on Mahanadi basin.

 

Mighty Mahanadi is once again on its mightiest spate and the flood has already affected 19 districts, with millions marooned and an increasing toll on communication, life and property. All eyes are now concentrated on the operation of the Hirakud reservoir with questions being raised about the reservoir operation and fingers pointed at the Rule Curve. This is the time to concentrate on flood management and relief and to gather efforts to minimize the losses and not to spend energy on engage in debates. However, such situations also make it difficult to completely ignore critical analysis of the causes, rather reiterate the need of research and analysis to contribute to informed dialogue and evidence-based decision making.

 

As a first step towards this, Odisha Water Forum and Baitarani Initiative has tried to analyze the ‘Rule Curve’ – based reservoir operation of Hirakud, to see whether the violations in rule curve prescriptions add to flood severity and woes, or the ‘Rule Curve’ itself needs modification with changing circumstances and situations in the dam’s catchment and the reservoir capacity. Based on a rapid analysis of rainfall, runoff, siltation, reservoir level data over about 50 years (1957-2009) and this flood’s daily observations along with post-Hirakud water-resources development trends in Chhatishgarh, which contributes to 85% of dam’s catchment, we make a strong appeal for revisit of the ‘Rule Curve’ developed in 1988 to make it more adaptive to changing climatic and development context and also the need of exploring a formal arrangement with Chhatisgarh over management of water and water-information on Mahanadi basin. We also suggest the state to ensure active participation of civil society, primarily the representatives of the affected stakeholders of the basin, both in the Hirakud-downstream and delta, in these two processes, for developing a more inclusive, effective and adaptive system for flood management.

 

Best Regards,

 

Pranab, Jinda and Padma

 

Pranab Ranjan Choudhury

Project Coordinator

Odisha State Center

Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India

Baitarani Initiative, Shristi

Ground Floor, Plot No.:63, Unit – VIII, (In front of Unit – VIII Boy’s High School)

Bhubaneswar – 751 003, Orissa, India

Phone/Fax : +91 674    2560634

Cell : +91 9437021261

Alt Email ID : bait...@gmail.com

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