Preventing floods: Better management to turn bane into boon, says experts

Dutch coping team suggests streamlining mandates and SOPs to reduce disaster risk.

ISLAMABAD: Dutch water experts have said Pakistan can turn the disasters that accompany floods into an economic boon by routing the flow of water wisely and timely for irrigation and ground water recharge.

Three experts on flood and water management from Netherlands are on a scoping mission to Pakistan where frequent occurrence of floods has affected millions in recent years.

The experts met officials of the Federal Flood Commission, disaster management authorities, Planning Commission, Punjab irrigation department and Wapda. They also visited Khanki Headworks on the Chenab River in Gujranwala to ascertain the impact of the 2014 floods.

The team also recently presented their initial findings on how to anticipate and respond better to the floods at a round table at the Ministry of Planning and Development.

Senior Dutch expert EJ Saaf told The Express Tribune that some of the findings showed that Pakistan was making progress on flood management, especially on crisis management. There was, however, a lot that still needs to be achieved.

Saaf said that some of the key findings include institutional inconsistencies that can cause unnecessary flooding. “Crisis decision making is often not clear due to which decisions sometimes are delayed,” said Saaf.

He added that streamlining mandates and standard operating procedures of different organisations can reduce the damage. There was a need to revise mandates of different organisations to see where they overlap and where there were gaps, he suggested.

Saaf said Netherlands was willing to offer technical improvement. Pakistan at the moment needs improved flood forecasting and digital evaluation of water levels, he said, adding that “These kinds of systems can improve things.”

Pakistan had made substantial investment in flood prevention such as reconstruction of barrages on Chenab River with the help of the Asian Development Bank, he informed.

Saaf said maintenance of some sections of dikes needed to be improved. “In flood prone villages, measures should be taken to protect the most vulnerable.” He stressed that floods and droughts will appear more frequently in the future due to the glacier melts.

Dr Jos de Sonneville, an expert on integrated water management and leader of the scoping team, said the scale of Pakistan’s water and irrigation infrastructure, their operational management and the recent improvements in flood damage response were impressive.

“I am glad to note the sense of urgency, both at the government level and in society at large,” said Sonneville.

Ambassador of Netherlands Marcel de Vink said such proactive measures will save lives, prevent damage and attract investment.

The team has received feedback on their initial findings from the government, academia and societal organisations. Once finalised, the Dutch scoping team will submit their report to the federal and Punjab governments.

If the team’s suggestions are approved, the identified solutions can be explored further in cooperation with the public and private water sector of the Netherlands, said the ambassador.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said disaster risk reduction and flood mitigation are high priority areas for the government. “I am very keen to discuss the first findings of the Dutch water experts and explore the roadmap of smart solutions they suggest,” said Iqbal.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2015.