Living with water requires a strategic approach

*** ''We should help people to help themselves. This means, as an example, the removal of obstruction of natural flow of water is more important than the distribution of wheat. If flood embankment itself submerges, then there is a problem in the design. If design is based on flood risk model, then model itself has a problem.'' ***

Flood is a chronic problem in Bangladesh. Reports sourced from Reuters, the Guardian and other newspapers suggest that nearly 1200 people have died in the last few days as a result of flooding and landslides around northern India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Millions of people have been displaced across the region.
One third of Bangladesh is flooded after monsoon rains swept through the densely populated riverine country. Some media reports suggest that in Bangladesh at least 134 people have died and a further 600,000 have been marooned across the low-lying delta region.  A statistics suggest that recent flood in 10 north-eastern districts of Bangladesh caused a loss of 36.0 million taka in livestock sector and damage to infrastructure cost more than a billion taka.
The country witnessed four severe floods in the last four decades. It is a general practice that after or during flood we always demand for the necessity of more coordinated efforts to provide shelter, clean water and sanitation for thousands of people who are homeless due to the flood. We also ask government to think for long-term solutions. But what a government can do for this flood prone region?
Causes of flooding in Bangladesh have already been identified before and well documented. Some of the causes mentioned are as follows: Monsoon climate, soil erosion, rapid increase in river discharge, and deforestation in headwater areas due to increasing population which leads to less evapotranspiration, more runoff and faster soil erosion, and rivers silt up due to increased soil erosion.
Comparing with the United Kingdom (UK), which is an island nation with a coastline of 7723 miles Bangladesh is in a delta region with a coastline of 360 miles.  However some sources of flood in the UK such as heavy rain, bitter storms, and coastal surges are similar to what is causing flood in Bangladesh. These flooding have been classified according to their sources.
Tidal flooding comes from the sea and tidal rivers. Fluvial flooding comes from rivers bursting their banks or overflowing.  Groundwater flooding happens when the earth is saturated and can hold no more water. Flash flooding is usually at its worst when drainage systems in urban areas are overwhelmed by sudden heavy rainfall, often worsened by the concreting over of large areas of soil and gardens that would otherwise have helped to absorb the water.
As a part of flood risk management initiative, several risk management authorities have been setup in the UK. These are Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFA), district councils, internal drainage boards, water companies and highway authorities.
By law Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) produce flood risk management plans (FRMPs) for each River Basin District. These FRMPs cover flooding from main rivers, the sea and reservoirs. FRMPs also meet the aims of the national flood and coastal erosion risk management Strategies in England and Wales. LLFAs that are not in Flood Risk Areas contribute to a joint partnership FRMP. Others also contribute to developing the joint partnership FRMP for the River Basin District.
Such contributions are carried out on a voluntary basis and will result in better co-ordinated flood management. This approach co-ordinates flood risk management planning with river basin management planning under the Water Framework Directive. Such effective risk management initiative is important for Bangladesh.
A Dutch proverb says, "Whom the water hurts, he the water stops." If we translate this into action, then one initiative could be to incorporate within the risk management framework the rights and responsibilities of a riparian owner, an owner who owns property alongside a watercourse or that has a watercourse running through their land. One of the important responsibilities of a riparian owner is to maintain the watercourse and to clear any obstructions, so the normal flow of water is not impeded.
Four hundred years ago, the Dutch had mastered floods. They made action on disasters core to the functioning of the state. Dutch come to understand that high river levels have to be guided to the sea while sea floods need to be blocked. They had learned how to construct strong wave-resistant embankments and where to mount secondary lines of defences.
They developed an operational system that could call out every villager to fight a dyke breach, while ruling government provide the money and manpower to defend a threatened coastline. With the will, the funding, the leadership and communal ownership, a nation could beat disasters.
I have seen the Dutch coastal defence system and drove passed by. In some places these flood defence become a highway. In my opinion Dutch has kept their political will about flood defence without politics. Whoever government in power national water management get highest priority.
Dutch politician Ina Brouwer used the term polder model, in her article translated as Socialism as polder model? This model means 'a pragmatic recognition of pluriformity' and 'cooperation despite differences'. Such consensus based economic and social policy making known as "Polder democracy" still flourishes in Netherland today.
In his book The Well-being of Holland, the Dutch historian Herman Pleij wrote, 'The Netherlands owes its existence to the democracy of dry feet. We need each other literally in order not to drown.' I think that Bangladesh also needs the 'dry feet democracy'.
Bangladesh alone is unable to manage the flood risk because of her geopolitical realities. Policymakers from South Asian region need to be involved effectively and develop a regional road map to implement a coordinated Action Plan on Flood Risk Mitigation. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Disaster Management Centre (SDMC) can play a vital role.
Exploring sociological approach to flood risk management, flood hazard and risk assessment on both local and regional scale, flood hazard mapping, sustainable flood management in changing climate, effective use of geographic information system modelling and bridging the knowledge gap between climate model, meteorological model and hydrological model are of paramount importance.
I am aware that loads of work is going on or in progress but there is a lack of concerted effort. Interaction and integration of formal and informal systems such as activities between nongovernment organisation, government organisation and individual effort are important.
We should help people to help themselves. This means, as an example, the removal of obstruction of natural flow of water is more important than the distribution of wheat. If flood embankment itself submerges, then there is a problem in the design. If design is based on flood risk model, then model itself has a problem. We shall have to bridge the gap. Living with water is better than living without it but it requires a strategic approach.

Dr Kanan Purkayastha is an Environmental Advisor and writer based in UK and the views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect the view of the organisation he works