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Survival in the shadow of dams by Ananda Banerjee

Floods are vital to Kaziranga; dams on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra could disrupt the balance

A few weeks ago, much of the grasslands of Kaziranga National Park were under water.

The monsoon floods bring with them their own set of problems—some of the animals, for instance, have to be rehabilitated—but they are required for the very existence of the park. The annual floods of the Brahmaputra creates grasslands, floodplains, and lakes, providing the ideal habitat for several species.

Yet, it is possible that the floods could stop. Both China and India are constructing dams in the upper reaches of the river that could alter the flow of the river.

“The phenomenon of annual floods is vital to the ecology of Kaziranga. The deluge not only regenerates the vast grasslands of the park, but also plays a vital role in clearing off the sprawling growth of invasive water hyacinth that chokes its many water bodies,” says Firoz M. Ahmed, scientist and member of National Board for Wildlife.

Floods are usually associated with loss of life and business, yet they are also part of a natural process that creates fertile lands for agriculture, replenishes the wetlands and maintains the grassland ecosystem. For centuries, floods have been part of the creation of the great alluvial plains of northern India. The Gangetic and Brahmaputra river basins were created by rich alluvial deposits that gathered there over centuries.

Kaziranga would have been a disaster story had it remained dry, a dark possibility which looms large with China and India constructing dams in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra, which is likely to alter the flow of the river.

The main characteristic of the flora in Kaziranga is the dense, tall elephant grass, which covers 65% of the total area, intermixed with small swamplands left behind by the receding floodwaters of the Brahmaputra. The 100-year-old park is home to around 60% of the world population of the Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), around 50% of the endangered Asiatic wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee), a decent population of eastern swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli), a high density of tigers and a healthy elephant population. The Brahmaputra is the lifeline not just of Kaziranga but also the Orang National Park, which lies on its northern bank.

It’s a similar kind of story in the Gangetic river basin. In the Dudhwa National Park, which lies in northern Uttar Pradesh, the Sharda river, a tributary of the Ganga, inundates a large portion of the grassland habitat of the park for a healthy regeneration.
 
River beds and flood plains are part of an aquatic ecosystem with an important ecological role that ensures smooth river water flow, growth of requisite vegetation, ground water recharge as well as flood water regulation. The plants and animals that live along the river bank are all considered part of the river environment, which is under alarming threat from human interventions. In the last 50 years, the riverine ecology has taken a beating with a ballooning pollution, intensive agriculture, dam building and destruction of wetlands.
 
Former forest officer and river activist Manoj Mishra says, “The flow of water in most rivers is now only during the monsoon months. The flood water makes the Yamuna a river again in Delhi. Otherwise, all the water from the source is held up upstream for hydro power or diverted for irrigation purpose. Due to these reasons, coupled with retreating glaciers threatened by climate change, very little water reaches Delhi, Agra and Mathura. Large tracts of river floodplain get exposed to encroachment or development purposes. This has led to the shrinking of the actual water channel.”

Mishra laments that historically the Yamuna used to touch the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi and how ignorance has turned it into a sewage canal. “As the expanse of the rivers gets constrained, there is no space left to handle the excess water during monsoon and alarm bells for floods are raised in the media. It is only natural that the river will have a fair amount of excess water during this time which is bound to spill into the floodplains, which have been turned into human habitation.”

Gradual and systemic encroachments on riverbeds or flood plains have resulted in a change of land use which has broken the natural ecological cycle. Rivers are now fragmented, wetlands drained and fisheries decimated. While water and energy needs are real and need to be addressed, the risk to ecosystems is acute as some unique species and habitats are threatened. Freshwater fish, Gangetic river dolphins (India’s national aquatic animal) and water birds have been the hardest hit.

A research paper by K.S. Gopi Sunder of the International Crane Foundation states: “The population of the black-necked stork, one of the rarest resident large water birds in the Gangetic floodplains, is suspected to be declining due to habitat deterioration.” Sunder says, “The largest breeding population is now found in unprotected agricultural landscapes.”

People are equally vulnerable, not just those who are displaced by dams, but also those who depend on freshwater ecosystems for their livelihoods. The irony is that people who are affected by dams still do not necessarily benefit directly and often remain without access to power and clean water.

River activist Mishra has been campaigning for a national notification for the rivers on the lines of the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) known as the river regulation zone (RRZ) under the Environment Protection Act. “If the government agrees it will be the first ever legislative action to protect our dwindling river systems,” he says.

At another Unesco world heritage site, the Sunderbans (a national park and biosphere reserve), where the land meets the sea, the problem of floods is slightly different.

Dr. Sugata Hazra, director, School of Oceanographic Studies, Jadavpur University, points out that due to reduced fresh water flow in the river systems, the river meets the sea at a much lower level than it should have. Sea water is, therefore, flowing upstream into the river channel and changing the ecological balance, especially in the mangroves. Hazra points out how the rise in sea level is resulting in large-scale erosion of the delta with many islands getting submerged. “Lohachara island and New Moore island have disappeared under the sea; Ghoramara island is half submerged, displacing hundreds of people.”

In terms of biodiversity loss, some researchers indicate that the salinity of the water is directly affecting the growth of the Sundari tree, a mangrove species from which the Sunderbans get their name.

In coastal India, both the Chilika and Kolleru lakes are natural flood-balancing reservoirs and are home to thousands of migratory birds. In the case of Chilika, the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest in the world, the Mahanadi river and its tributaries control the hydrology of the lake. While Kolleru, the largest freshwater lake, lies in between the river Krishna and Godavari delta.

In both these water bodies, human intervention in terms of large-scale encroachment and illegal construction are affecting the natural ecosystem of the region.
Rivers are becoming increasingly seasonal, flowing only during the monsoon. With issues of climate change looming large, the country desperately needs an effective plan to conserve the riverine ecosystems, critical to India’s food and water security. The RRZ appears to be a distant dream for obvious reasons—the flood plains do not fall under any land use structure and are easy prey for the politician-builder-land mafia.