Dealing with catastrophe: Govt needs to step up floodplain management, says WWF-Pakistan

Management of rivers can minimise impact.

LAHORE: Agricultural and residential “encroachment” on floodplains is one of the main reasons for increasing devastation caused by heavy rains and floods, Worldwide Fund for Nature Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khan said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

The WWF-Pakistan raised concerns over the increased frequency of flash floods and has urged the government to reduce the impact of environmental hazards through better management of floodplains.

The statement calls for collective action to mitigate environmental hazards through planning and policies to avoid development work that could threaten the balance of nature. The statement mentions that the WWF-Pakistan has often shared recommendations with the government regarding effective measures to mitigate floods by strengthening the Disaster Risk Reduction strategies. It says due to lack of awareness about the causes of heavy rain and flooding, agricultural land and property gets damaged.

Proper management of rivers to minimise impact of annual floods is essential to ensure long-term survival of communities living near rivers. After the floods of 2010, the Ministry of Climate Change had requested the secretariat of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands to organise an expert team under the Convention’s Ramsar Advisory Mansion (RAM) mechanism, to visit wetlands along the Indus River floodplains and present recommendations. The RAM visit aimed to devise a workable and cost effective strategy to make use of flood water, recommend alterations to the present flood control strategy and to identify high priority wetlands for restoration.

The mission highlighted the need to establish an authority to coordinate with the government on projects for sustainable management of the Indus River Basin and the need for an integrated approach to floodplain management.

A judicial flood inquiry tribunal report published in 2010 also highlighted the need for a floodplain management plan. The report also recommended mapping plains and setting up wildlife sanctuaries to regulate and protect the environment.

Floodplain management – restoration and management of ponds and lakes – will also help conserve biodiversity. This year’s floods raise the issue of better management practices through collective action, the statement says.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2014.