Flood Reduction and Prevention Possibilities in the Flood Plains: A Study of the Varuna River Basin in the Flood Plain of the Ganga River, Uttar Pradesh, India

ABSTRACT Floods are a recurring phenomenon in the floodplain region of the Ganga River largely caused by several floodplain tributaries. One such tributary of the Ganga in its floodplain is the 225 km long monsoon-fed Varuna River. Using high-resolution Google earth satellite images, 662tals (local word for large natural ponds), and 15383 other smaller ponds/ tanks (natural and man-made), were identified and delineated. The tals and ponds/tanks occupy 430 km2 and 93 km2 respectively, within the 3141 km2area of the Varuna River basin. Based on the areas and approximate water depths that were averaged from field measurements at selected tals and ponds/tanks, the total water-holding capacity of all these water bodies is estimated to be as much as 57% (1140 million cubic metres) of the total surface water runoff of the basin. In spite of such a large water-holding capacity within these tals and ponds/ tanks, floods are still an almost annual phenomenon in the Varuna basin because (i) water is not allowed to accumulate in the tals and (ii)the ponds/tanks have shrunk and/or silted up, reducing their volume. Deepening by desilting of tals and ponds/tanks can be taken up by engaging the local labourers through the government-funded rural employment guarantee schemes. The majority of the village tals and ponds/tanks can be used for pisciculture in order to generate development funds.