Editorial Simplified – Floodplains

FLOODPLAINS

Important points to be noted in this article are as follows :

Why has this issue cropped up ?

Rivers today are facing problems of abysmally low flows due to an indiscriminate extraction of water for use in cities, industries and agriculture. They are also highly polluted because sewage and effluents are being released into them. Floodplains of rivers can provide a new source of water.

Characteristic features of floodplains

  • Floodplains are formed over millions of years by the flooding of rivers and deposition of sand on riverbanks
  • They are a local, non-polluting, perennial and non-invasive source of water for urban centres.
  • These sandy floodplains are exceptional aquifers where any withdrawal is compensated by gravity flow from a large surrounding area.
  • Some floodplains such as those of Himalayan rivers contain up to 20 times more water than the virgin flow in rivers in a year.
  • Since recharge is by rainfall and during late floods, the water quality is good.
  • Floodplains have more water than the needs of cities.
  • Even after withdrawal, floodplains would have enough water to slowly release back into the river in a lean season

Conserving floodplains

  • If we conserve and use the floodplain, it can be a self-sustaining aquifer wherein every year, the river and floodplain are preserved in the same healthy condition as the year before.
  • The ‘conserve and use’ principle demands that no more than is recharged by rain and floods each year can be withdrawn from this aquifer. This ensures that the groundwater level in the floodplains remains steadily above that in the river in the lean non-monsoon months when the river is often polluted.
  • Drawing out any more water than is recharged can contaminate and eventually finish off this precious resource.

Floodplains and Farmers

  • Floodplains can engage farmers by providing them an assured income and restore rivers to a healthy condition.
  • Preserving the floodplain can be done by engaging farmers whose land will have to be leased for such an effort and steady income provided in return.
  • In addition, farmers can grow a food forest, fruit orchards or nut trees but not water-intensive crops on this land. It would guarantee not only a good farming income but also great earnings from the water for the farmers without taking the ownership of the land away from them.

Conclusion

‘Conserving and using’ the floodplains would help curb illegal extraction of water, stop pollution by local agencies and industries and also encourage cities to be more responsible in their waste management. This scheme will also help improve the quality of rivers, quality of life for citizens, and at the same time guarantee farmers a healthy fixed income.

Relevance : GS 1

Try this probable Mains question

It is no coincidence that the oldest and most dense civilizations were all located on alluvial flood plains in Mesopotamia (Tigris-Euphrates), Egypt (Nile), China (Yellow River) and India (Indus-Ganga-Brahmaputra). Discuss in this context the significance of floodplains in recent times in India.

[ 200 words ]

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