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ASSESSMENT OF FLOOD AND STRATEGIES FOR FLOOD

PREPAREDNESS: A STUDY OF WARNA RIVER AND ITS MIDDLE
BASIN VILLAGES
Jagdish B. Sapkale
Assistant Professor, Department
of Geography, Shivaji
University, Kolhapur
Maharashtra

Sujit S. Chougale
Research Scholar, Department
of Geography, Shivaji
University, Kolhapur
Maharashtra

Swati S. Chougale
Research Scholar, Department
of Geography, Shivaji
University, Kolhapur
Maharashtra

ABSTRACT
The present research paper assessed the flood damage in 09 villages of middle
Warna river Basin. In the year 2005, a disastrous flood occurred in Maharashtra and
most of the Kolhapur region was also affected by flood water. In some villages of
Warna basin near the confluence of river Warna and Kadvi, every year the
agricultural land and some part of village settlement is inundated by heavy river
discharge. By applying stratified sampling, villagers were interviewed about the
damage and flood severity during heavy monsoon. The study reveals that, agricultural
crops, infrastructural facilities and houses were destroyed in most of the villages of
the study area. Some advance strategic measures, precautions and flood preparedness
techniques still require to minimize the flood catastrophe in the region.
Keywords: Flood damage, Flood preparedness, Fllod risk, River erosion, Houses damaged.
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, intense rainfall with severe floods have experienced in many regions of
Maharashtra. Most of the agricultural and property loss was recorded in the several regions.
In context with the flood damage study, the villages i.e. Bacche Sawarde, Thergaon, Sagaon,
Sarud, Shimpe, Kande, Chavare, Aitwade Khurd, Nilewadi have considered for the present
research work. These villages are located along river Warna and Kadvi (fig.1). Every year the
floods of Warna River cause damage to these locations of the basin area. It has observed that,
during the rainy season the huge discharge water of Warna (Chandoli) dam sometimes
release suddenly, causing inundation of the downstream area which is the low levelled area
(fig. 2).
Accumulation of surface water in terms of flood becomes a disaster when it damages the
property and agricultural lands even impact on community, negatively. In view of this,
assessment of flood damage and economic loss during heavy monsoon is very essential in
response to flood control management and for flood preparedness. If the assessment of flood
damage is done within a short period of time, then it is easy to help the affected population
and to restore the flood prone area. Therefore, assessment of flood destruction in quick and
proper manner is significant for making a concrete flood management plan.
Numerous destructive floods occur in various parts of the world, neither flood occurrences
nor damages are decreasing. Climate change is almost responsible for an increased frequency
of extreme meteorological events that may cause flooding.

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Therefore, it is essential to undertake

damage
mitigation
measures
together with physical control
measures for flood management in
an integrated approach, using a
mixture of structural and nonstructural
means.
Affected
population
requires
better
preparedness as a flood mitigation
measures (Zbigniew W. Kundzewicz
& Kuniyoshi Takeuchi., 1999).
The flood is the direct response to
heavy or prolonged storm events.
They are very important in
geomorphologic
processes,
as
medium to high discharge are
needed for significant fluvial system
morphological changes. Beaumont
(1981) reported that, the removal of
forest cover and vegetation from the
catchments of the river increased in
large floods which resulted in
Fig. 1 Location map of study area
significant channel erosion and
channel deposition (Sapkale 2013).
In
addition,
climatic
and
hydrological parameters, i.e. rainfall
and river discharges, river patterns
and river morphology also one of the
important
parameters
which
influences on flood intensity
(Sapkale and Chougule, 2014a, 2014b). Fig. 2 DEM of study area prepared using SRTM data.
In any river basin, soil erosion is the major problem which is responsible for the
degradation of fertile agricultural land. Eroded soil added to river water also becomes a major
problem to the river environment. Deposited sediments tend to raise the flood water levels
during monsoon (Sapkale, 2013). Such conditions occur in the basin of the study area.
Human activities have intensely altered the natural resources and over exploitation of land for
agricultural purposes, resulting from changes in hydrologic parameters. Different
hydrological parameters, infiltration rates, runoff rates, etc. all these influencing on flood.
Human intervention in terms of alluvium excavation activities along the bank, sand
dredging in rivers and other human related activities like a dam construction in river
catchments probably modify the channel geometry, and distribution of sediments and water
to the rivers. Such human interferences are directly or indirectly inviting the problem of
floods (Sapkale, 2010a, 2010b, 2014a, 2014c).
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In the region, where the flood problem occurs every year, there should be continuous
monitoring over flood risk zones. Several times Government officials constructed various
flood management plans, but not more effectively significant for flood mitigation. In view of
this, many studies have been attempted to improve the mitigation systems. According to Plate
(2002), the risk management actually takes place on three different levels of actions: the
operational level, which is associated with operating an existing system, a project planning
level, which is used when a new, or a revision of an existing project is planned, and a project
design level, which is embedded into the second level and describes the process of reaching
an optimal solution for the project. In his study, he added that flood risk management in a
narrow sense is the process of managing an existing flood risk situation. In a wider sense, it
includes the planning of a system, which can minimize the flood risk (Plate, 2002). Hansson
et al. (2008) were proposed a framework for evaluating policy strategies for flood
management for less developed regions of the world. The Tisza case provided a basis for the
suggested framework. In its broadest sense, risk may be defined as the chance of a defined
hazard occurring. Where data are available, modelling and measurements of risk can be
performed by using simulations of flood events combined with evaluation of flood strategies
(Hansson et al., 2008).
So, there is an urgent need of formulating well defined plan to control over the flood and
also necessary to carry out immediate steps during the flood disaster. Therefore the present
study attempts to assess the flood damage and its severe impact on settlements and
agricultural lands in the study area.
DATABASE AND METHODOLOGY
The present study deals with the assessment of flood damage and perceptions of flood
affected people. Therefore the research work was based on the field visits and primary data
collection (fig 3-a & b). Questionnaire survey has carried out in nine villages of middle Warna river basin. The fieldwork has comprised of participant observation and informal,
interviews. The methodology also includes: individual household case study and institutional
based analysis besides this, stratified sampling method have been used. At least 10 families
from each village have taken for collecting the data about flood damage.
Fig. 3 (a)
Fig. 3 (b)
Questionnaire
Questionnaire
survey at
survey at
villages
agricultural
sites in flood
prone areas

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Based on field analysis, it has observed that village Sarud and Shimpe are located
between the basin of Warna and Kadvi river, most advantageous locations for these two
villages in view of agricultural activities. As a result large numbers of the population, i.e.
near about 30.13 % have engaged in farming activities. Sugarcane (40.78 %) and Rice
(35.44%) is dominant crops in the study area because of the availability of fertile land and
irrigation facilities (fig. 4a). It has observed that in village Thergaon, Sarud and Chavare,
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inundating was caused by the over-flowing of river along both banks. In the agricultural
fields, the flood water spread to a distance of 400-500m. Nearly in all villages of study area
the flood water remains for 6-7 days continuously in the crop land, causes agricultural
damage. Almost every year, the study area is affected by a disastrous flood.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Fig. 4 (a) to (c) Analysis of questionnaire (d) Perception towards flood damage.

The study reveals that, 30% respondents of Shimpe were lost their houses during flood,
their houses were damaged and walls of the houses were also collapsed. Thergaon accounts
for total loss of Rs. 1, 45,000/- against damaging of their houses because Thergaon is located
near the confluence of Warna and Kadvi River (fig. 4b and c). It has observed that, 46.6%
respondents are also opinioned regarding the problem of trauma cases due to flood in their
villages (fig. 4d). Figure 05 shows the perceptions of villagers towards the problem occurred
due to flood. As per their views water logging and the problem of soil erosion also takes
place in the villages. Among the nine villages, the problem of water logging due to flood in
village Shimpe is very serious. Almost in all villages, the outbreaks of diseases are also the
serious problem during a flood. In village Thergaon, during the monsoon flood, river water
spread for a distance of 600-700 m across both the banks and flood height increased up to 3-5
metres. As a result, the water remains stagnated for more than 15-20 days in the agricultural
land, resulting for the loss of standing crop i.e. sugarcane (fig. 6a, b). In some villages of the
study area, it has also observed that sugarcane and other crops of adjoining areas along the
river are highly influenced by the high pressures of river water. Flood water during monsoon
washed away the base soil of crops, most of the crops are uprooted and slanted due to the
speed of the runoffs/inundated water (fig.6c). In both the conditions the agricultural crops
were destroyed, this condition occurs every time during monsoon.

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According to 70% of respondent the main causes of flood are heavy rainfall during
monsoon, river confluences in the upstream side of the villages. Besides this, sudden release
of huge river discharge from Warna dam is one of the strong reasons for flooding in the study
area. According to 60% and 50% respondent from Thergaon and Sagaon respectively, floodhas damaged the agricultural land and houses (fig. 6 e). The drinking water problem was the
severe problem occurred during the flood period, villagers carrying water from the river (fig.
6 f). Present study exposes that destruction and financial losses towards the settlements,
agriculture and other infrastructure due to flood and torrential rain in considered villages has
accounted for more than Rs. 35 lakhs. In these villages, the poor people are not aware of
flood risks. Flood risk awareness and knowledge about the flood and flood management
through education should reach to the affected community.

Fig. 5 Perceptions of Villagers towards flood problem during Questionnaire survey.

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(a)

(b)

(d)
(c)

(f)
(e)

Fig. 6 : (a) and (b) Crops remains for long period of time during flood and damaged (c) Effect of
forceful river discharge on Sugar cane crop (d) Excavation of alluvium along the Warna River bank
at Thergaon (e) Damaged house (f) Drinking water problem, faced by villagers during flood.

Besides this, it has also observed that, in the upper part of K.T. Weirs the fine
sediment with small sized pebbles are deposited within the channel confinement, deposited
over the river bed. Some finer material during flood discharges pours out from the banks of
the channel and deposited in the adjoining flood plain areas of the river. Continuous
aggradational activities of river have been found at various sites, resulting for the rise in flood
level along the banks. Confluences of rivers are probably the zones of floods and called to be
the zones of flood hazards. Hazard is defined as a potentially damaging physical
phenomenon or human activity that may cause the loss of life or injury, property damage,
social and economic disruption or environmental degradation (Damayanti, 2011 and Daffi
et.al 2014). Confluences of rivers are also responsible for piling up of river water in terms of
slack water due to uneven size of discharges from two different streams (Sapkale, 2007).
Most of the river sites along the river bank has excavated for getting alluvium, which is
used for brick making activities. The depth of the excavation at some locations along the
bank of the river has documented for 4-5 m (fig. 6d). Such excavated banks become more
widen during flood and increasing the flood prone areas. Previous research also suggested
that, there should be some kind of restrictions on the excavation of agricultural land and river
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banks otherwise the study region will become vulnerable to flood disaster (Sapkale, 2007,
2014b).
(a)

(b)

Fig. 7 (a) Natural bank erosion of River Kadvi during flood, river is shifted toward its right
(b) Left bank erosion of Warna river due to flood, just downstream to Mangle K.T. Weir.

When the river flow hurdled by any object like boulders or weirs then the river
velocity disrupts and if decreases its channel cross-sectional area then speed increases. So,
becomes more powerful agent of erosion and attacking on the walls of the river banks,
resulting is the natural shift of the channel as seen in the various locations of the river Warna
and river Kadvi (fig.7 a & b). A continued repetitive attack by river flow with varying river
velocities along a river bank ultimately leads to erode the banks the disastrous flood would
also bring about change in the location of the channel bed and bank. Such natural processes
leading to increase the convexity of the bank, also causes meandering of channel and shift in
the channel locations. Similarly, at many stretches of river Warna and river Kadvi the
geomorphic effects of flood have found (fig 7a,b).
Vulnerable areas to flood can be controlled by applying concrete plan of mitigation and
strategies. In view of the preparedness and mitigation plan, the government officials, political
leaders, Non-Government Organization (NGOs) and representative of society/community
should adopt the appropriate techniques/policies and work together in a systematic manner.
CONCLUSION
High rainfall, sudden release of huge river discharge from Warna (Chandoli) dam
sometimes, causes flooding in the downstream area of the basin. Low altitude and flood plain
area of the villages along Warna River is also responsible for the flood. It is also concluded
that the confluence of river Kadvi-Warna and confluence of river Morna Warna are one of
the reasons for inundation of water during monsoon periods. The affected areas are more
vulnerable to flooding every year due to locational characteristics of river confluences. Hence
the preparation of flood zone map and identification of potential areas of high flood risk must
be a part of disaster preparedness.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The present research paper is the outcome of the Major Research Project, sanctioned by
the Indian Council of Social Science Research (I.C.S.S.R.). The corresponding Author, Dr.
Jagdish B. Sapkale would like to express his sincere thanks to Indian Council of Social
Science Research for providing the financial assistance to the research project. Dr. Sapkale
also thanks to the Research Assistant and Research Staffs for their help during the
Questionnaire survey.
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arising from the exercise of information contained in it.