Does replicating the “room for river project” of Netherlands in India will help in regulating the occurrence of floods? Analyse (200 Words)
Refer - The Indian Express
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K. V. A 5 years
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IAS Parliament 5 years
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IAS Parliament 5 years
KEY POINTS
· ‘Room for the River’ project is the flagship project of the Dutch government is centered around protecting areas adjoining rivers from routine flooding and improving water management systems in delta regions.
· The Netherlands has historically been prone to flooding of rivers due to its low elevation. Much of the country lies below the sea level. The country is located in the delta region of several major rivers like the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt.
· The basic premise of the ‘Room for the River’ project is essentially to provide more space for the water body so that it can manage extraordinary high water levels during floods
· Among the nine measures which define the project are lowering the flood plain, deepening the summer bed, strengthening of dykes, relocation of dykes, reducing the height of the groynes, increasing the depth of the side channels and removing obstacles.
· A key aspect of the project is also to improve the surroundings of the river banks through fountains and panoramic decks.
· The landscapes are altered in a way that they turn into natural sponges which can accommodate excess water during floods.
Applicability to India
· The project if implemented in India will help reduce the occurrence of flash floods.
· But the features of this project are implemented in various schemes in India in a scattered manner.
· Ex: Water shed development project by Department of Land resources,
· Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinachayee Yojana by Ministry agriculture family welfare, MGNREGA etc.
· So Government of India needs to strengthen co-operative federalism in handling disaster management and implement the features of the Netherland project in a coherent manner.
