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State fails to find solution to recurrent Surat floods

Surat, Aug 26: Surat has been badly flooded thrice after independence as the state authorities have gravely failed to evolve a mechanism that will bring a permanent solution to the problems of flooding of river Tapti.

In 1968, most parts of the city were flooded, in 1998, 30 per cent of Surat had gone under water due to flooding in river Tapti following release of water from Ukai dam located 90 km from Surat and this year more than 95 per cent of the city was under Tapti waters. Every time, the damages to lives, property and business has been heavier.

The Opposition Congress has alleged that the Surat floods this year was a man-made disaster and could have been averted had the state irrigation department officials not committed "criminal negligence". In a reply to oppostion allegations the state government has formed a two-member inquiry commission to probe the exact cause of floods.

"After the 1998 floods, which had ravaged Surat, experts had discussed the problem throughly and presented many solutions. However, the government has not implemented a "single solution so far", Satyakam Joshi of city based Center of Social Studies said.

"The issues like precise monitoring of level of Ukai dam and timely release of water from the dam during monsoon, de-silting of river bed to increase the carrying capacity of river, issue of removal of encroachment on the river bed were left high and dry which has resulted in flooding of Surat city this year," Joshi added.

An expert on Ukai dam who has studied the dam and flooding in Tapti for over 20 years I M Desai said it is not impossible to manage the waters in Tapti in a way that it would not flood Surat and proper monitoring and management could save Surat from such a disaster. Speaking about long-term solution to avert reccurence of floods in the river Tapti, Desai suggested monitoring from the time of development of weather system which can cause heavy rains in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh via satellite pictures, inter-state cooperation cell should be formed to exchange exact figures of rains in those states and amount of water rleased from dams and proper management of water from Ukai dam to avert future floods.

Surat Mayor Kanu Mavani said they will press for computerised monitoring of water level of Ukai dam and conduct de-silting of river bed and build embankments on both sides of river for stopping floods.

Former textile minister and Surat MP Kanshiram Rana suggests that national river linking project will be very helpful for checking floods in river Tapti. There is a proposal of linking Tapti to Narmada which is under consideration, he added.

Irrigation minister Narrotam Patel who is charged by the opposition to be responsible for late release of water from the Ukai dam, said it is not for the minister to decide when to release water from the dam. A team of engineers from the state irrigation department monitors and decides about release of water, he added.

--- PTI

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