Haryana to put in place IT-driven flood management system

The Nayab Singh Saini government is planning big on the flood control front. With the aim of adopting a holistic approach in checking the floods, the state government is putting in place the Integrated Flood Management and Information System (IFMIS) well before the onset of the forthcoming monsoon session.

The IFMIS involves the extensive use of information technology (IT) and aims at enhancing the flood early warning, improving flood preparedness and disaster management. The departments concerned have been asked to submit their proposals by April 15.

To be modelled on the best practices in flood control implemented by Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the new system will go a long way in controlling floods in the state which played havoc with life and property across the state every year, officials hoped.

'Will prevent water-logging, soil erosion'

With data-driven decision-making, the state government will be able to develop more effective policies for creating infrastructure and flood mitigation The IFMIS will also support development of sustainable flood management strategies to protect the environment by preventing excessive water-logging and soil erosion.

--Sumita Misra, Financial Commissioner, Revenue

The new system will undertake the flood vulnerability besides creating a centralised accessible GIS-based database. It will also undertake the satellite monitoring of the river behaviour and real-time meteorological and hydrometric data collection and real-time flood inundation mapping. Advanced flood modeling techniques would also be a part and parcel of the system.

Besides, the impact-based evaluation of the flood protection schemes approved by the State Drought Relief And Flood Control Board will be accomplished in the system.

“With data-driven decision-making, the state government will be able to develop more effective policies for creating infrastructure and flood mitigation. The IFMIS will also support development of sustainable flood management strategies to protect the environment by preventing excessive water-logging and soil erosion,” Sumita Misra, Additional Home Secretary and Financial Commissioner, Revenue, asserted.

Meanwhile, the Haryana State Drought Relief and Flood Control Board has approved 352 schemes amounting to Rs 657.99 crore for flood control in the state. Medium and long-term schemes as proposed by the Irrigation and Water Resources Department will be taken up after pre-flood review meeting to be held in May. The meeting was informed that 619 schemes for flood control have been completed while the work is underway on 302 schemes.