Eco-system Health in the Flood and Waterlogged Region of Saryu Par Plain, Uttar Pradesh

1993-94 Prepared by Rahul Sen

For South South Solidarity

New Delhi

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EcosystemHealthintheFloodandWaterloggedRegionofSaryuParPlainIndia:TheFloodProneCountryFloodsareamajorcauseofhumanmiseryinIndiaeveryyearmakingittheworstfloodaffectedcountry intheworldafterBangladesh.Statisticsdisplaybetween1953and1987some50,374people died in floods, an average of about 1,500 deaths annually.During the same period,floodsaffectedanaverageof7.66mhaarea,destroyedcrops inover3.51mha land,affected31.84millionpeople,damaged1.2millionhouses,killed0.1millioncattleandcauseddamagedtocrops,housesandpublicpropertyworthRs.768croresperyear(Table1).Flood damages in India have been steadily increasing during this period. The average floodaffectedpopulationperyear increasedfromabout16million inthe1950sto43million inthe1970s and 53million in the 1980s. This is a faster rateof increase than thenatural rateofincreaseofthetotalpopulationofthecountry.Atthesametimetheaverageannualdamagetocrops,housesandpublicpropertyrosefromRs60croresduring1950stoRs2,307croresperyearduringthe1980s,a38timesincrease.TheaverageannualcropdamagesaloneincreasedfromRs45croresinthe1950stoRs935croresinthe1980s(Table2).The most clinching evidence of flood having increased as a phenomenon in India comes,however,fromtheincreaseinthefloodaffectedareasitself.Theannualaveragefloodaffectedareainthe1950swas6.48mhawhichincreasedtoover9.0mhainthe1980s,demonstratingthegrowingfloodpronenessofthecountry.TheRashtriyaBarhAyog,setin1976,estimatesthatthefloodproneareainIndiahasgoneupfrom25mhaduringthe1960sto40mhain1978revealingarapidincreaseinfloodpronenessinjustoveradecade.Themost floodpronebasins identifiedarethoseoftheGangaandtheBrahmaputra inUttarPradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam followed by Baitarni, Brahmani and Subarnarekhabasins in Orissa. Floods are also experienced in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana andGujaratincreasinglysince1976areasnotusuallyaffectedearlier(Table3)(Map1).The RBA, in their investigation, did not find any evidence of increase in rainfall during thisperiodandfoundthecauseofincreasedfloodpronenessinhumanfactors:

deforestation; siltation drainagecongestioncausedbybadlyplannedconstructionofbridges,roads,railway

tracksandotherdevelopmentalactivities; reductionininfiltrationbecauseofincreasedoccupationoflandbyindustriesandlarge

scaleurbanisation;and constructionofembankmentsalongrivers.

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Floodsare,however,notnewtoIndia.Thepracticeofbuildingfloodprotectionembankmentsalong rivers is an ancient one in theGodavari, Krishna and Cauvery deltas and in the IndoGangetic plains. However, nationwide flood protection programmes began only afterindependence.When theBritish left, therewere some5,280 kmofembankments alongdifferent rivers,ofwhich3,500kmwere intheSundarbans inWestBengaland1,209kmalongtheMahanadi inOrissa,providingprotectiontoatotalofabout3mha.Notenoughattentionwaspaidtofloodprotection and control measures by the colonial administration although a number ofcommitteeswereappointed fromtimetotime inAssam (1929,1934and1947),Bihar (1926)and West Bengal (1922) whose recommendations were rarely implemented except for theconstructionofembankments.Thefirstplan(1951),after independence,decidedtomoveawayfromembankmentsandputmorefaithinlargedamstostorefloodwaters.DamswereconceivedonthefloodproneriversofDamodar,MahanadiandKosi.Butevenbeforetheplanwashalfover,theideaofadamontheKosiatBarahkshetrainNepalhadtobeshelvedduetothelukewarmattitudeofNepalesegovernmentanditsproximitytoanactiveseismiczone.Asaresult,stressonceagainshiftedtoembankments,especially inNorthBihar,whiledamswere constructedon theDamodar andMahanadi.1954experiencedaspateofseverefloodsoneoftheworstinthecountry.Allnorthernriversflooded simultaneously and led to enormous devastation acrossUttar Pradesh, Bihar,WestBengalandAssam.Asadirectconsequenceofthisathreephasedprogrammewasproposed.During the immediatephase,whichwas toextendoveraperiodof twoyears,protectionofcertaintownsandconstructionofembankmentsinareasrequiringurgentattentionweretobeundertaken.Simultaneously,scientificandeconomic investigationsweretobeundertakenforshort termmeasures,whichwouldbeginwith thesecondplan.Thesemeasures involved thebuildingofmoreembankments,channels improvements, raisingofvillagesandprotectionoftowns.The long termphase involved theconstructionofdamsandadditionalembankmentswherevernecessary.Centralandstatefloodcontrolboardsweresetupinordertoimplementtheprogramme.Thestategovernmentsweregiven thekey responsibility toundertake floodcontrolmeasures.Hence, flood control measures have rarely gone beyond the construction of dams andembankments. Between 1954 and 1978, 10,821 km long embankments had been built. By1987,thisfigurehadgoneupto14,511km(Table4).Numerousrivershavehadlongstretchesembankedonbothbanks.Bythemid1970s,northBiharriverslikeBurhiGandhakhad317kmlongembankmentson its leftbankand312 kmon its rightbank;Kosihada total lengthofembankmentsof246km;andBagmatisome333kmby1987,4,448kmlongembankmentshadbeenbuiltintheBrahmaputraandBarakvalleysofAssam.Some459townsand4,701villageshad been protected across the country and 28,036 km of drainage channels constructed.Overall,atotalareaof13.37mhahadbeenprotectedascomparedto9.99mha in1978and

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about3mhain1950.MeanwhilethetotalexpenditureonfloodcontrolincreasedfromRs13.2croresintheFirstPlan(19511956)toRs786.8croresintheSixthPlan(198085)andanoutlayofRs947.4crores intheSeventhPlan (198590) (Table5).Floodcontroloutlayhasgenerallyfluctuatedbetween0.64and1.08percentofthetotalfiveyearplanoutlays.In addition, the governmenthas spent vast sumson constructingdams.By1986,256dams(withaheightof15mandabove)hadbeenbuiltand154morewereunderconstruction.Onlyabout30odddamshavebeenconstructedintheIndoGangeticandBrahmaputravalleysthemostfloodproneregionsinIndia.Another15oddmajordamsareunderconstructionintheseareas(Table6).However,bothembankmentsanddamshavemajoradverse impactswhichnotonly lead totheirfailureasfloodcontrolmeasuresbutoftenworsenthefloodsituation.Thisisrecognizedbyboththegovernmentcommittee(1957)andtheNationalCommissionon Irrigation(1972).Theproblemswithembankmentsare:

i. theyobstructfreedrainageoflandoutsidetheembankmentsintotheriver;ii. thevalleystorageisreducedandconsequentlythefloodlevelsintheembankedreaches

rise;iii. the flood levels in the upper reaches also rise and this leads to demands for the

extensionoftheembankments;iv. floodsof higher stage and consequentlyhigherdamage potential are transferred to

unprotectedareasdownstream;v. embankmentsarealso liable to failureandwhen they fail, thedamage canbemuch

greaterthaniftherewerenoembankments;vi. preventthedepositionoffertilizingsiltonlandssubjecttofloodinundation.

Atthesametime,theproblemswithdamsandreservoirswerealsorecognized.Theseare:

i. evenmoderatedflowsthatreservoirsreleaseintotheriverexceeditscarryingcapacity;ii. theycannotchecktherunofffromthecatchmentbelowthereservoir.iii. conflictingobjectives ofmultipurpose dams compromise their flood control potential

i.e. while flood control demands that the reservoirs be kept empty to arrest anyoncomingflood,irrigationandpowergenerationdemandsthatthereservoirbekeptasfullaspossible.

The RBA (1976) had in its report also noted the problem with the existing flood controlmeasures and recommended alternate programmes, although there were no major newmethodsinthem.Theseincluded:

i. needforriverdiversionschemes;ii. channelimprovements;iii. soilconservationprogrammes;iv. flood plain zoning and prevention of encroachment upon drainage channels and

occupationoffloodplains;v. adjustmentincroppingpattern;

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vi. raisingofvillagesabovefloodlevels;vii. protectionofnaturalwaterdetentionbasinslikelakesandswamps;viii. disasterpreparednessthroughbetterfloodwarningsystem;ix. afforestationinthecatchmentareas;andx. protectionofnaturaldrainagesystemfromundueobstruction.

This entire exercise was presented by RBA as the policy of `living with the floods.' This,however,hasneverbeenacceptedasthefloodcontrolprogrammeforthecountrywhichhasrelied solely on embankments and dams with disastrous results. Yet this integrated floodcontrolprogrammeremainstheonlyreallyworkablefloodcontrolprogrammeforthecountry.However,suchaprogrammecanworkonlywhen takenupasamicroorregionalwatershedmanagement programme with an integrated flood control and environmenteconomicdevelopmental objective. And for this each individual watershed zone needs to be studiedcomprehensively tounderstand the causeandnatureof floodoccurring therealongwith itsenvironmentalsocioeconomicandhealthfallout.UttarPradesh:TheFloodProneStateOn thebasisof totalareaprone to floods,UttarPradesh isconsidered themost floodpronestate in India ahead of Bihar, Assam andWest Bengal, the other floodprone states in theGangaBrahmaputrabasins(Table7)(Map2).Table7:FloodpronestatesinGangaBrahmaputrabasins(maximumareaaffected(mha)States 195359 196069 197079 198088Assam 3.15 3.15 3.15 3.82Bihar 2.50 2.50 4.26 4.26UttarPradesh 4.13 4.13 7.34 7.34WestBengal 2.65 2.65 3.08 3.77India 18.94 22.96 43.46 58.51Nearly twothirdof the63districtsofUttarPradeshare found floodhiteveryyear,with theaffectedarearangingfrom0.58mha in1987(leastfloodaffectedyear in lastdecade)to5.85mha in1980 (themost floodaffectedyear in lastdecade) (Table8).To control these floodsmeasures like embankments and dams have been constructed. These are especially on themountainous rivers of Bhagirathi, Alaknanda,Gandhak, and Rapti which bring down hugequantities of silt and water causing floods in the plains and on the plain rivers of Ganga,Jamuna, and Ghaghara to prevent these floods from occurring. The total length ofembankmentsinUttarPradeshin1987was1711kmandthenumberofdamsconstructedandunderconstructionwereboth7,respectively.Yetthefloodproblem inUttarPradeshremainsandisprogressivelygrowingoverthedecades.

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EasternUttarPradesh:FloodandWaterLoggedRegionAgroclimaticallyeasternUttarPradeshhasthreedistinctareas:i. thenortheasterndistricts,ii. centralplainsdistricts,andiii. theVindhyanregiondistrict.Thesedistrictsaregenerallycategorizedas theupperGangaandmiddleGangaplains.ThesedistrictsAllahabad,SultanpurandPratapgarhcomeunderupperGangaplains.Theremainingis included in middle Ganga plains. Among the latter, Bahraich, Basti, Deoria, Gonda andGorakhpur formahomogenous region thenortheasternplainsor theSaryuParplains. (In1989theGorakhpurdistrictwasdividedintotwodistrictsGorakhpurandMaharajganjandtheBastidistrictintotwodistrictsBastiandSiddhartanagar)Azamgarh,Balia,Faizabad,Ghazipur,JaunpurandVaranasialongwith the threeupperGangaplaindistrictsare called the centralplaindistricts.MirzapurdistrictistheonlydistrictundertheVindhyaregion.Whilemostofthesedistrictsare floodaffected,the fivedistrictsoftheSaryuParplain isthemostfloodproneareaofUttarPradesh(Map3).Alongside,thisregion isalsoanextensivelycanalledagroregionofthestatewiththetwomajorcanalsystemsbeingtheSaryucanalandthe Gandhak canal systems. These canals along with the floodproneness of the area areleadingtoamajorproblemofwaterlogging,especiallyduetosurfacewaterseepage.Andthistwinphenomenon floodandwater loggingconstitutesamajorenvironmentalproblem intheregion with vast adverse ecological and socioeconomic fallouts. Further, since any floodcontrolmeasurestakeninthisregionmustalsocontentwiththewaterloggingproblem,whichis in conjunctive relationship with floods, a comprehensive ecological developmentalunderstanding of the nature and cause of the two is a necessary prerequisite to anyinterventionactionplanned.TheSaryuParPlainsTheSaryuParplainregionofUttarPradeshisthemostdenselypopulatedareainthestate.Itextendsoveranareaof33,270sqkm,whichconstitutesabout9.57percentofthetotal landareaofUttarPradesh.Itis260kmfromeasttowestand160kmfromnorthtosouthwithanaveragealtitudeof85m,whichvariesfromalow65minDeoriatoahigh165minBahraich.The average gradient of the plain is 20 cm per km. The region includes the five districts ofBahraich,Gonda,Basti,Gorakhpur andDeoria (now alsoMaharajganj and Siddharthanagar),whichformahomogenousecological,socialanddemographicunit.PhysiographyTheplainhasbeen formed inageosynclinal trough filledwithalluvium from theHimalayanrivers.Hydrogeologicallyitcanbecategorizedintothreedistrictzones:

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i.TheTerai:ImmediatelybelowtheSiwalikouterhillsandskirtingthem,thereisaday,boulderstrewntractofBhabar(porousland)wherethebulkofthemoisturecontributedbytherainfallandthesmallhillstreamsisabsorbedintheloosetalus.Thistractisfollowedbyalowmarshystretch of land where the water absorbed by the porous soils of the Bhabar reappears bysymphonic influence and which is conspicuous by the `ubiquitous' presence of water. It isinfestedatplaceswithneeds,tallgrassesandshrub forests,markedbyhighwatertableandfertilethoughhighlyleachedsoilswithexcessivemoistureandhighclayfactor.ThisisknownastheTerai(moistorwetland).ii.TheBangar:ThesecompriseoftheolderalluviumdepositsoftheHimalayanriverswiththeirsurfaceborderedbyanumberofriversanddrainagechannelsdividingthetractintoaseriesoffertileplains.iii.TheKhadar:TheseareformedbytheredepositionoftheBangarsoilsubjecttotheerosiveactionoftheriversandischaracterisedbyasandysoil.The Bangar and Khadar constitute the alluvial soil of the flood plains of this region. Thisalluviumreachesadepthof3,000matsomeplacesandthinsgraduallyfromeasttowest.Theneweralluviumdeposits(Khadar)formthefloodplains,adjacenttotherivers. Inconsistency,thesoilsrangefromdriftsandtoloams,andfromfinesiltstostiffdays.Occasionalfeaturesofthealluvialsoilsarethepresenceof `hardpans'atcertain levels inthesoilprofile,causedbyinfiltrating silica or calcareous matter, and the presence of `kankar.' Occurrence of `pans'impedesthepenetrationofplantrootsandaffectsthepercolationofwater.SoilThemainsoilsoccurringinthisregionare:

i. `Bhat'soils,generallylowlyingandsandyloamintexturewithahighlimecontent;ii. `Bangar' soils varying from loam to sandy loamwith a low time content and slightly

alkalinetoslightlyacidicinreaction;andiii. `Doab'soilnearriverbanks.

ClimateThe region is tropical and is characterized by hot summers and fairly cold winters. Whilemaximum summer temperatures vary in the range of 43450C inMay and June, thewintertemperaturecangodownto340C inJanuary.Theyear isbroadlydivided intothreedistinctseasons:

i. thecoldseasonfromOctobertoFebruary,ii. thesummerfromMarchtomidJune,andiii. themonsoonfrommidJunetoSeptember.

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Mostoftherainfall(about86%)occursduringthemonsoonorkharifperiodandabout6% inwinter.Theaverageannual rainfall isabout1208mm. though the coefficientofvariation isveryhigh.During the monsoon and the post monsoon seasons the relative humidity is high rangingbetween70and85percent.Inthewintermonthshumiditydecreasesandinsummertheairiscomparativelydrier.Inthesouthwestmonsoonseasonheavilycloudedskiesprevail,exceptinwinter when the region is affected by passing western disturbances and the skies becomeheavilycloudedorovercastforshortspellsoftwoorthreedaysatatime.Winds are generally light, slightly sharpening in the late summer and southwest monsoonmonths.Windsaremainly from thewest incoldseason.During the restof theyearclearorlightlycloudedskiesprevail,except inwinterwhen theregion isaffectedbypassingwesterndisturbancesandtheskiesbecomeheavilycloudedorovercastforshortspellsoftwoorthreedaysatatime.Duringtheearlypartofthesummereasterliesbegintoblow,butthewesterliespredominate.Easterliesandnortheasterliesprevailinlatesummerandmonsoonseasons.InOctober,windsarelightwithlargeproportionofcalmsandthedirectionsaremainlywest,northwestoreast.Occasional thunderstorms occur in late summer andmonsoonmonths. In associationwithspellsofbadweatherduetothepassageofwesterndisturbances,especially inthe latterpartof thewinter season, some thunderstorms accompaniedwithhailoccasionallyoccur. In thenorthernpartsoftheregionfogsoccuroccasionallyduringthecoldseason.WaterResourcesTheregionisrichinwaterresources.Severalmajorriversflowthroughtheregionandbeneaththe ground lies hidden blessings of rich aquifers.Alonewith this the region also receives aheavyannualrainfalland isprovidedwithanelaboratecanalsystemcrisscrossing theentireregion.DrainageDrainagelinesholdaparticularsignificanceintheregion.Notonlydotheyprovideredeemingtopographicbreaks inthegeneral flatnessoftheplainandprovidesubregionaloreven localuniquenessand individuality to thedifferentareas,but theyalsogovern togreatextent, thehumanoccupancyofland,particularlytheagriculturallandandsettlements.Thewholeof thealluvial tract isanetworkof riversandnumerous streamswhichdrain theareaandfollow itsgeneralslope.Theybelongtothreedrainagesystemsviz.,theGhaghara inthewest,theRaptiinthecentreandthelittleandgreatGandhakintheeast,allofwhichformultimatelyapartofthegreatGangeticsystem(Map4).

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The Ghaghara and its tributaries form the western most drainage system. The Ghagharaassumes itsname from thepointwhere it is joinedby the riverDahawar, abovewhich it isknownby thenameofKauriala river. TheKauriala issues from themountainsofNepal andenterstheareaatitsextremenorthwesterncorner.ItreceivesthewatersofGirwaandsomeotherhill torrents.The tortuouscourseofSarjuanda fewothersalso join theGhaghra.TheKauriala and theGirwa frequently change their course and their channels are dottedwithnumerousislands.TheprincipaldrainagelineoftheregionistheRaptiwhichistherecipientofallthedrainageoftheareaextendingfromtheeasternpartoftheNanparaTahsiloftheBahraichdistrict inthewesttotheMaharajganjTahsiloftheGorakhpurdistrictintheeast.RisinginthemountainsofNepal, the river enters the region in Bahraich district and the flows in a very sinuous andtortuouscourseinthesouthandsoutheasterndirectionthroughGondaandBastidistricts.Itschannels isasuccessionof loopsandsharpbends,someofwhichafterbeingcutofffromthemain stream are in the form of deserted channels. The Kain and the Bhakla are the maineffluentsoftheriverRaptiintheBahraichdistrict,whichinturnarefedbynumerousstreams.Anotherveryimportantand,perhaps,makingthelargestsubsystemoftheRaptiriversystemistheBurhiRapti.Itmakes itsfirstappearancenearthewesternborderofGondadistrictandflowsinaneasterlydirectionroughlyparalleltothemainriveruptoapointoffewkilometresaheadfromitsjunctionwithArrahinBastidistrict,whenceitbendstowardssoutheasttomeettheriverRaptiabout12kmeastofBasti.Thepointofjunction isatalltimes liabletochange,dependingespeciallyon the actionof theBanganga, and it isnowbelieved that the formercourseoftheBurhiRaptiisnowadoptedbythemainstream.Allalongitslengthisseenamazeof`Nankhans'oroldchannelsgenerallyofahorseshoeshape,similartothesealongtheRapti.Particularly in theGonda district, the northern tributaries of the Burhi Rapti are extremelynumerous, allofwhichbear a general resemblance toone anotherbeinghill torrents,withboulderstream beds, mostly disappearing in the dry season, but being transformed intorushing rivers and causing much damage to the land in the neighbourhood and frequentlycoveringthefieldswithadepositofbarrensandduringrains.IntheBastidistrict,thenorthernstreamsjoiningBurhiRaptiareArrah,Chhagirha,Ghurai,AwindaorAnndhi,Sarohiandseveralotherswhose channelsare seldomwelldefined,especiallyas theyapproach theBurhiRaptiandinmanyplacesthedesertedbedshaveformedintomarshesandlakes.TheParasiandSikrijoin inon therightbank.TheriverBanganga isofconsiderabledimension,whichrises in theNepalTaraiand flowing ina southand southeastdirectionanduniteswithBurhiRapti.Thepointof junction issubject tochangeas the resultof theheavy floodsbroughtdownby thestreams.ThecountrytotheeastofBanganga isdrainedbyanotherseriesofhillstreamswhicharenolessperplexingintheirramificationsandconstantliabilitytochange.Jamuwarisoneofthem.ItisfedbyanumberofsmallstreamsandfallintotheriverKumhra,afewkmsouthofthetownofNangarh. The latter flows through the town ofUska to join theRapti.Ghungi is another

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tributary of Kumhra,which forms boundary between theBasti andGorakhpur districts. TheunitedwatersoftheGhunghiandtheKumhragenerallygobythenameofDhamelawhich ismerelyanoldchanneloftheRaptiandwhichafteracourseofabout16kmintheBastidistrictrejoinstheoriginalbedoftheRapti.ThenextaffluentoftheRaptiistheRohinwhichalsoissuesfromNepalandflowsthroughtheregion.The little and greatGandakdrainage systemdrains theeasternmostpartof the region. ThegreatGandakisthestreamofthefirstmagnitude.OnitsentryintotheIndianterritory,thebedis stony and the water is cold and clear with a very rapid current. Its effluents areinconsiderable, but even in the hot weather, its volume is immense. The little GandakrepresentsanoldchannelofthegreatGandak.ItalsooriginatesinNepalandtakesasoutherlycourseintheregiondrainingitsextremenortheastcorner.Forthegreaterpartoftheyearitisinaninsignificantstream(Table9).Theregionaboundsinlakesandjhilswhicharegenerallyformedbytheactionoftheriversinchanging their beds and thus represent the deserted channels horseshoeshaped, while inothercases,theyaredeepnaturaldepressions inwhichthesurfacedrainagecollectswithoutfinding an adequate outlet. There are temporary swamps and jhilswhich become extensiveduringrainsandremainshallowmarshesorevenarablelandinthedryseason.Thenaturaldrainageoftheregion isfarfromperfect inmostoftheseparts,especially inthebasinsofRapti,BurhiRaptiandtheireffluents.Extensiveinundationsoccurduringtherainsanda largearea issubmerged,particularlyalong thecoursesof the rivers.These inundationsarestillmoreseriouswhere,sometimes,theriverschangetheircoursesandwherebytherushofwater,fertileclaysoilisapttobeoverlaidwithadepositofbarrensand.Themain cause of the defective drainage of the region is not far to seek. The streams aremarked by their meandering courses, especially, in the upper reaches, duplicate or eventriplicatechannelsandoxbow lakes,obstructcrossdrainage,andexcessivecrosssectionduetofluctuatingregimeoutflowsobtainingbetweenyearsofnormalandabnormalrainfall.AlongtheDundwarangesinthenorthernpartoftheBahraichandGondadistricts,thegradientofthehilltorrentsisabruptlyreducedwiththeresultthattheydepositthedebristransportedbythemtothefoothillsintheshapeofalluvialfanswhichtogetherpresentanappearanceofarollingplain.IntheTaraitheriverchannelsareformedindepressionsbelowthegenerallevelofthe country. Thus with the excessive slope in the upper reaches of the streams and poortenacityof the soils in theTarai, the channels fail toaccommodate theexcessive volumeofwater. Consequently, with the carvingin of the banks and sitting up of the river bed, thestreamsoverflowtheirbanksandcarveoutnewcourses.Suchphenomenonisverycommonintheentireregion(Table10).

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GroundwaterGroundwater in this region occurs under both unconfirmed and confirmed conditions.Groundwaterisavailableunderunconfirmedconditionsinclayeyandsandyaquifersuptothedeathof50m.Confirmedgroundwateroccursinsandygravelbedsatdepthsexceeding50m.Someofthewellsfedbyconfinedaquifersareartesian.Broadly speaking, thewatertable in the region is veryhigh,particularly soduring the rainyseasonandtherealproblemofthetractisnotsurfacedrainage,butsubsoildrainage.Howevertherearelargelocalandsubregionalvariationsinit(Map5).Thespringlevelisfoundatthelowestdepthinthenorthernslopesandundulatingforestcladtract. It is generally between 6 and 10m and at some places evenmore than 20m, as inBankatwa,SuhelwaandPipraforestrangesofGondadistrictwhere it isbetween20to30m.Sloppy elevated ground causing speedy runoff and less absorption of water, absence ofirrigationchannelsetc.aresomeofthefactorswhichmaybeheldresponsibleforsucha lowwatertableinthisarea.In theupland regionof theBahraichdistrict, thewatertable isgenerally foundatagreaterdepththan5mreachingaslowas10to15mintheMihipurwaforestrange.IntheuplandtractofGorakhpurandDeoriadistrictandinthealluvialflatsoftheBastidistrict,thedepthofwatertablegenerallyrangesbetween4and8m,beinggreaterinthewelldraineduplandareasandlesser intheareasofdefectivedrainageand inthosewithcanal irrigationwheretheseepagefromthecanalwatercourseshasbeenresponsibleforsuchariseinthewatertable.In the riverine tracts and in the gently rolling illdrained areas lying southof theundulatingforestbelt intheGondaandBahraichdistrictsandalongthenorthernborder intheBastiandGorakhpurdistricts,thewatertaleiscomparativelyhigher.Itgenerallyrangesbetween2and4m. Defective drainage with impeded runoff, inundation or waterlogging are some of thefactorswhichareresponsibleforhighwatertableintheriverinetracts.Thehighwatertableofthe illdrained low lyingareasmaybeascribed to these factorsand the symphonic influencethatmakesthewaterabsorbedbytheBhabarsoilstoreappearhere(Table11).Withthereclamationofthelowmarshyandswampylandsinfestedwithneedsandtallgrassesand with an improvement in the drainage conditions in the Tarai, there undoubtedly hasoccurredaslightfall inthewatertable incertainpartsofthetracts,buttheareaswherethecanal irrigationhasbeen introducedorwherebundsanddamshavebeenconstructedacrossthe streamsorwhichare low lyingwithdefectivedrainage, thewatertablehas risen in thepast.SeepagefromcanalwatercoursesisplayingagreathavocintheGandakCommandareaoftheregion.Thewatertablechangesconsiderablywiththechangeoftheseasonalso. Itrises intherainyseason coming verynear to the surface, rather reaching it and lowersdown in the summer

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season.Thisfluctuationinwatertableiscloselyrelatedwiththerainfallwhichisanimportantsourceofsubsoilwater. Intheriverinetract,theGandakcommandareaand inthe low lyingareasof thenorthwherewatertable is alreadyhigh, the rise rangesbetween0.4 and2m.Although the rise iswithin2m in theseareas, it isvery significantbecausewatertableherewithin4mfromthesurface.Itmaybementionedherethatalongthenorthernborder intheGondaandBahraichdistrictsandnorthwesternborderoftheBastidistrictand intheuplandareas,itrangesbetween2and3m.Herethewatertableisalreadyatagreaterdepthandthisriseinitisnotasharmfulasinthecaseoftheformerareas.RainfallThe regionenjoysamoderatelyheavy rainfallbecauseof theproximity to themountainhillswhichvirtuallyguidethewestwardcourseofthemonsooncurrentsfromtheBayofBengalandalsoactasprecipitationagent.Thepatchesofforests joinhandswiththehillsandaugmentafurtherincreaseinprecipitation.Assuchtherainfallgenerallydecreasesfromeasttowestandfromnorthtosouth.TheannualrainfallatPharendais1585.06mm,atNaugarh1458.74mm,at Balrampur 1301 mm and at Naupara 1185.06 mm. Here it may be noted that althoughPadrauna is situated furthereast, it receivesonly1268.31mmof rainfallwhich ismuch lessthanthatofPharendaandNaugarh.Ifweexaminethenorthsouthtrend,weseethatgenerallytherainfalldecreases fromnorth tosouth,viz.,Maharajganjreceives1295.77mmofrainfall,whileHata receivesonly1166.71mmof rainfall.Pharenda is theexception,which, tough, issituatedafewkmtowardssouthwest,receivesmorerainfall.Thisanomalymaybeascribedtothepatchesofforestsanddensevegetationcoverinthispart(Table12).Rainfallintheregionisnotonlyunevenlydistributedinspacebutalsointimeandtheselattervariations have far reaching consequences. The annual variability is sufficiently high. At thesamestation,thetotal incidenceofrainfall insomeyears is farabovethemeanand insomeyears farbelow.There isgreatvariation in theamountofannual rainfall fromplace toplacewithintheregionwithhardlyayearseen inwhichauniformrainfallhasbeenreceivedatallstations.Thecoefficientofvariability,whichisthestandarddeviationexpressedasapercentageofthemeanrainfall,forsomestationsintheregionisgiveninTable13.Thecoefficientofvariabilityofannualrainfallvariesfrom20.99percent(Maharajganj)to44.18percent(Domariaganj).IfDomariaganjisexcluded,whichisanextremecase,thevariabilityatallthestationsisfoundupto26.73percent,whichhasfarreachingconsequences.Ifweanalyzethespatialdistributionpatternofthecoefficientofvariability intheregion,wefind that generally thereexists an adverse relationshipbetween the total amountof annualrainfallandtheamountofvariability,i.e.highertheaverageannualrainfall,theloweristhecoefficientofvariabilityviz.atHatawhichreceivesthe lowestrainfall,thevariability is26.26,atNauparawith1185.06mmofrainfall,itis25.19;atPadraunawith1268.31mmofrainfallitis25.27;whileitis23.72percentatNaugarhwhichreceivesanannualaveragerainfallof1458.77

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mm; it is20.99percentofMaharajganjwhich receives1295.77mm rainfall.However,someexcept to this relationshipexistsasDomariaganjwhich receivesanaverageannualrainfallof1310.10mmhasavariabilityof44.18andPharendawithanannualaveragerainfallof1585.84mmhasavariabilityof26.23.Fromthestandpointofagriculturaloperations,theseasonalandmonthlyvariabilityofrainfall,particularlyinthewetmonsoonmonths,ismoresignificantthantheannualvariability,forevena subnormal rainfall, ifwell distributed produces a good yield. As amatter of fact, timelydistributionismoreimportantthantheannualtotal.Table13showsthecoefficientofmonthlyvariabilityofsomestationsintheregionforthemonthsofthemonsoonseason.ThecoefficientofvariabilityistheleastinthemonthsofJulyandAugustwhicharetherainiestmonthsoftheyear.InJulyitrangesbetween37.02and52.50andinAugustbetween46.72and62.18percent.Nextcome themonthsof JuneandSeptemberwithalmostequalamountofmonthlyrainfalls.Inthesemonths,thefiguresofvariabilityvaryfrom49.77to72.85and52.18to92.44percent. It isthemaximum inthemonthofOctober, i.e.between94.27and147.67percent.Thisisthemonthreceivingthelowestrainfallinthemonsoonseason.CanalsThis regionhasbenefited significantly from canal irrigation since independencealthough thequalityofirrigationmaynotbegood.Asaresultofdevelopmentofcanalirrigationandprivateinvestments inwells inadditiontostatetubewellssince independence,nearly60percentoftheNSAisirrigated.Themaincanalsystemsintheregionare:i.GandakCanalSystem:TheprojectisajointventureofUttarPradeshandBihar.Itcomprisesabarrage(builtbytheBiharGovernment)acrosstheGandak inNepalnearBhaisalotanabout17.7kmnorthofUttarPradeshNepalborder.ThestateofUttarPradeshconstructedthemainwesternGandakcanal inUttarPradeshfromM.116toM.815295alongwith itsdistributionsystem.TheheaddischargeofthemainWesternGandakcanal is439.6cumecsandtheshareofUttarPradesh isabout20301cumecs.Thecanal is linedalone theentire113km reach inUttar Pradesh to prevent loss by seepage andwater logging through a possible rise of thewatertable.The project irrigates 0.32million ha annually in the districts ofDeoria andGorakhpur. Thelength of the distribution system in Uttar Pradesh is about 3075 km which irrigates 21developmentblocksofDeoriaand12blocksofGorakhpurdistricts.ii.SaryuCanal:ThecanalwasbuilttofulfilirrigationneedsofthedistrictsBahraich,GondaandBasti.ThecanaldirectsthewatersofriverGhaghara,SaryuandRapti for irrigationthroughanumberofchannels,eachbranchbeingabout100kmlong.Thetotaldischargeofthecanalisestimatedat360cumecs.ThecanalwasbuiltbyconstructingabarrageacrossatKatarnia inBahraichandirrigatedabout0.6millionha.

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iii.BanGangaCanal:Located inSidarthnagarandBastidistrictsthecanal isbuiltbymakingabarrageonBanGangariver.Thetotalcapacityofthecanalis2226.1cumecsbuttheactualflowthroughthemaincanalisonly7.35cumecs.iv.RohinCanal:Thecanalisbuiltbyconstructingabarrageabout7.2kmbelowtheIndoNepalborderonriverRohin.Thetotalflowthroughthemaincanalis3.06cumecs.BesidesthesetherearesomeverysmallcanalslikeKuano,Bakhiraetc.intheregion.Lack of proper maintenance and lack of cemented lining of the distribution channels havecausedexcessiveseepageofwaterraisingthegroundwatertableand increasedsalinity.Largeareas adjacent to the canals have become permanently water logged affecting agriculture.Thesehavebeenworsenedbyuncontrolledandexcessiveinputofwaterinagriculturalfieldforirrigation.TheextentoftheproblemcanbegaugedbytheseepagelevelsfromGandakCanal.Itwasestimatedby the IrrigationDepartmentofUttarPradesh that inGandakCommandAreabeforethecommissioningofGandakcanalthewatertablevariedbetween2to5minMayandbetween1to3minOctober.However,within4yearsofcommissioningofthecanalin1976,about7.5percentareaofthecanalcommandarea(0.33millionha)registeredan increase inwater tableby2m,and the remaining from0.5 to1.5m.Theseriousnessof theproblemhasnowmade theGandakControlAuthority toearmarkRs160million fordrainageof seepagewaterwithanambitiousplan to install2000pumps topump thewaterback into the canal.However,thatthesemeasureshavenothadmucheffectonthewaterseepagefromthecanalcanbe judged from thewater table rise in the canal command areabetween19721985 asshownforsomerecordingwellsinTable14.ProblemofFloodsinSaryuParPlainFrequentoccurrenceof floods isoneof themajorecologicalhazards facedbypeople in thisregion.Theseverefloodzoneintheregionhasaspringlevelgradientlessthan0.10m/kmandthemajorriversinthisregionflowintheirmaturestagewithintensivemeandering.Floodsare,hence, severe as the river valleys are flat and the rivers havemoderately high depositionaltendencies.Floods intheregionarecausedbybothmajorandminorrivers.Theriverswhichcausefloodsandthedistrictswhichareaffectedbythesefloodsareasfollows:

i. RaptiinDeoria,Basti,Gonda,BahraichandGorakhpur.ii. GhagharainDeoria,Gorakhpur,Basti,GondaandBahraich.iii. GandakinDeoriaandGorakhpur.

About23percentofthenetcroppedareaintheregionisaffectedbythefloodsannually,whilethetotalaffectedlandisabout5564.23sqkm(Table15)(Map6).ThecourseofGhagharahasbeenchangingintheuppernorthernpartfromeasttowestandinmiddle fromnorthtosouth. In1781,theriverwas flowingnearsouthwestatsomedistance

14

fromBahraj(GorakhpurDeoria)buttheriverchanged itsway in1851and1906towardsthesouthandagainin197172itmovednorthtoflowthroughBahrajagain.Gandakisalsofamousforchanging itscourseand itmoved from its186465eastcourse to itpresentwestcourse.Raptihasameanderingcourseandhasalargenumberoflakes,pondsandotherwaterbodiesleftbehindtomarkitschangingcourse.Thesetwocharacteristicsoftheriverdepositionalandchangingcoursehaveresultedinhugeinundationsintheregionduringmonsoonwhenheavyrainfallshave increasedtheflowthroughtheseriversovertheirdrainagecapacity.Theextentof these floods inGorakhpurandDeoria, for the lastdecade, is represented inTable16andTable17,respectively.Alargenumberofdevelopmentalactivitieslikeroads,railwaylines,humansettlements,canalsetc and flood control embankments have caused adverse changes in the natural drainagesituation,whichwasalready insufficient inwithdrawing the inundationwaterquickly, furthercompounding the flood condition canals have contributed to water logging which has alsoworsened the flood condition. Extensive embankments along the rivers have reduced thenormalfloodplainrestrictingtheflowchanneldrastically.Thishasraisedtheflowlevelswithinthedrainage channel increasing the runoff velocity.Oftenwhen thewaterpressureon theembankmentsincrease,especiallyduringmonsoons,theembankmentsbreachorevencollapsecausing flash floods of high intensity. This changed nature of floodswith the false sense ofsecuritycreatedbyembankmentsresultingintheincreasedoccupationofthefloodplainshasworsenedthefloodconditionintheregionwithincreaseddamageandlosses.AmajorfactorcontributingtowardstheworseningfloodconditionontheregionisthepatternandsystemoflanduseintheHimalayanregion,especiallyintheuppercatchmentareaoftherivers draining the Saryu Par plain. These directly affect the sedimentation and siltationpotentialof the rivers,which are influencedby thedeforestation and increased soilerosionoccurring in the mountains. However, these processes are not yet very well studied andunderstoodandarehencenotconsideredindetailinthepresentstudy.TheProblemofWaterlogginginSaryuParPlainThough the topographyandgeohydrologicalconditionof theregionhavecontributed to thestagnationofwaterandmakingofwater loggingcondition, it isgenerallyacknowledged thatthe introductionof irrigation canal systemshasworsened thewater loggingproblemof theregion.Seepagefromthecanalsystem, includingthewatercoursesandfieldchannels, isnottheonlyfactorwhichleadstoariseinthewatertablehere.Deeppercolationfromtheirrigatedarea,oftenasa resultofoverirrigationalso contributes to it.Heavyprecipitationand floodresultinginprolongedinundationarealsocausingariseinthewatertablewhichisnotallowedtoflowoutbecauseofdrainagecongestionandlowdraftrates.Table18showstheextentofwaterloggedareainthedistrictsofGorakhpurandDeoriaintheyears1971and1991(1971isbeforetheGandakcanalwascommissioned).Theincreaseinthetwodistrictshavebeen205and198percent,respectively,whichconstitutesanincreasefrom

15

2.46percentofthetotalareaofthetwodistrictsbeingwaterloggedin1971to9.03percentin1991.Observationsmade from1973 to1985 show that thewater table rise in9.3percentof theobservationwellshasbeen3mandabove;in24.6percentofthewellsitis2mandin65percentofthewellsitis1m.here.Duringthelastdecade(198191)thewatertableinGorakhpurdistricthasrisenonanaverageby 0.36 m and in Deoria district by 0.63 m (Government figures) although independentestimatesputthevaluetoatleast10timesthis(Map7&8).Onthewesternpartoftheregionalso,water logging is increasing,thoughtoa lowermagnitude. IntheareaoftheSaryucanal(GondaandBastidistrict)watertablerisevariesfrom0.70mto4.65m.Thatthefloodconditionsandincreasedwaterloggingoftheareahaveaconjunctiveimpactontheecologyandagricultureof the region isquite clear (Table19).However, thenatureandextent of their interrelationship still needs investigation, especially to plan a developmentalintervention to control the worsening condition and design an effective water use andmanagementsystemfortheregion.AgricultureandIrrigationMuchofthe land intheregion iscultivated.Only2percentofthe land isclassifiedasgardenland and less than one per cent of the land is used for pasture. Area under forests is alsominimalexcept fora fewdistricts.Between4and12per centof the land is left fallowandnearly10percentofthe land isusedfornonagriculturalpurposes.Morethan70percentofthelandiscultivated.Ofthiscroppedlandmorethan50percentiscroppedmorethanonce.Cropsarecultivatedinthreeseasons:Kharif,RabiandZaid(thehotseason)(Table20).Intheregion,intheperiod198586to198788,nearly50.4percentofthenetsownarea(NSA)issownmorethanonceandcroppingintensityworksouttobeabout150percent.Thecropsinkharifaccountfor53.2percentofthegrosscroppedarea(GCA)whiletheshareofrabicropswas45percentofGCA.Thecroppingpattern isdominatedbyfoodgrains(morethan90percentofGCA). Less than 5per centof theGCA isdevoted to sugarcane cultivation and zaidaccountsforlessthan15.6percentoftheGCA.Paddyissowninmorethan72.8percentofthelandsowninkharifintheregion.Jowar,bajraandmaize,whicharethemainrainfedcereals inkharifaccountfor lessthan10.8percentofthekharifareaintheregion.Wheatandbarleyarethedominantrabicrops65.6percentoftherabi area. Considerable area is under both, simultaneously, wheat and mustard. Pulses aregrowninkharifandrabiwhileoilseedsaccountforasmallportionoftheGCA(Table21).

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Nearly49percentofthenetsownarea intheregion is irrigated.Thoughthismayseemhighcomparedtotherestofthecountry,itislowerthanthatinwesternUttarPradesh.Irrigationisgenerallyrestrictedtoonlyoneseason(rabi).Irrigationintensityis109.4percent(Table22).Itshouldbenotedthatfor irrigation inGorakhpurandDeoria(mostcanal irrigateddistricts inthe region) canals account for only 25.35 and 44.48 per cent, respectively while thegroundwateraccountforabout64and52percent,respectively.Knowingthehighwatertableproblemoftheregion,thequestionthatarises iswhatwasthenecessityofcanal irrigation intheregionconsideringthe lowfractionofthegroundwaterrechargeutilized,whichstandsat27percentfortheentireregion(Table23).EasternUttarPradesh ischaracterizedbyhighpopulationdensity, lowpercapita income, lowagricultural productivity and sluggish adoption of technology. The region has conditions tosustain longtermagriculturalgrowth soilsare rich,manpowerabundant,average rainfall isfairlyhighandgroundwaterisabundant.Nearly50percentofthenetcroppedareahas irrigationfacilities.Asignificantportionofthearea planted in kharif is not irrigated. Irrigation is restricted to only the rabi season. Canalirrigationsystemsbuiltsinceindependencehasfailedtobecomereliableirrigationsources.Theintroductionofcanalirrigation,creditedwithinducingdynamisminthemorearidwest,hashadlessdesirableeffectsonthisregion.Apartfromnotdevelopingintoassuredirrigationsources,canals have exacerbated ecological problems in an area with little slope, traditionally highgroundwatertableandproblemofsoilsalinity.Canal,roadandrailwayconstructionhavealsocontributedtopoordrainage. Inaddition,manyriverswhichprovideabundantsurfacewateralsodamagecropsasmuchas15%ofthenetcroppedarea isravagedbyfloodseveryyear.Thereistoomuchmoistureinthegroundandcropsareoftensubjectedtoinundation.Thelowproductivityofcropinspiteofthefertilityofthesoilmaybelinkedtothisissue.Ontheotherhand,groundwatercanprovidereliableirrigationandimproveddrainage.Thereispotentialtoextract abundant groundwater flow at low costs for increasing agricultural productivity anddrainage in the region. However, the creation of drainage requires collective efforts. Thebenefitof conjunctiveuse in the formofverticaldrainage cannotbe realizedby individuals.Individualsdecisionon theuseofgroundwaterwillnot therefore,bebasedonreturns fromirrigation alone. Where drainage is poor and it is desirable to increase groundwater use,individualsmaynotbemotivatedtodosobecauseofcostfactor.InpoordrainageacrosssuchasSaryuParPlain,excessuseofsurface irrigation imposesexternalcostswhilegroundwaterhasexternaldrainagebenefits.Butfarmers'choiceofwhichsourcetouse isdrivenbyprivatecostsandbenefits.Surfaceirrigationisprovidedintheregionatarelativelylowcostcomparedtogroundwater.Hence farmersprefertouse itwhenavailable.Oneoftheeffectivewaysofcreating incentive forconjunctiveuse is to limitcanalwatersupplies.Thesedecisionsshouldemergefromlocalisedplanswhichincludeamixof:

i. controlledsupplyofcanalwater,ii. investmentinsurfacedrainage,and

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iii. enhancement of capacity to exploit groundwater to meet irrigation and drainagerequirements.

Suchplanningisnotfeasiblewiththeexistingadministrativestructureswherenumerousbodiesare independentlyengaged in implementing therelated irrigationsources.Localizedplanningcanbebestdonethroughorganizationsofbeneficiaries.HowtheStatecanreorganizeitselftoworkcollaborativelywiththebeneficiariesisachallenge.Thoughinrecentyearstherehasbeensizableprivateinvestmentintubewells,lessthan27percentof thearea irrigated receiveswater fromgroundwater sources.New investmentsbeingmadetoextractgroundwaterareprimarily intubewells;oldwellsfittedwithtraditional liftsarebeingdiscarded.Groundwater, thoughmoreexpensive thancanal, isusedextensively toirrigate rabi or perennial crops. Private wells account for the bulk of the groundwater usethoughthestatehasbeenapioneerinestablishingpublictubewells.However,inabilityofthestate toeffectivelymanagepublic tubewellshasdampened further investment in them.Thedevelopment and utilization of ground water, therefore, is driven by private returns togroundwater investments assuming reasonable access to credit for potential investors isavailable.Atypical farmer inthisregionhas lessthan1haof land,75percentofthemhaveholdingsmallerthan0.5ha.Theestimatedinternalrateofreturnfromwellinvestmentona1hafarminGorakhpurisaslowas18percent.Theselowreturnsprimarilyarisefromexistingecologicalconditions.Thedemandforirrigation,which isdeterminedbycropwaterrequirements, is low intheregion leadingto lowcapacityutilization.Landholdingisamajordeterminantofwhetherafarmerownsawell.Theminimumlandholdingatwhichtheownershipiseffectiveisabout0.7hainGorakhpur.Investmentsaremorefeasibleforlargerfarmersfortheirabilitytomusterresources.Atthesametime,water logging,poordrainageconditionsandexposuretofloodsdiscourageirrigationinvestmentandadoptionofimprovedcroppingpractices.Farmer'sperceptionoflowwaterrequirementsofcropsisalsoanotherfactor.Thisisevidentfromthefactthatthosewhoirrigate provide less than the recommended number of irrigation, though they over irrigatewhentheydo.Themajorityofthefarmersgiveonly1or2irrigationforbothpaddyandwheatinGorakhpur. Low cropping intensity, reluctant irrigation of kharif crops and application ofsmallnumbersofirrigationsresultinlowutilisationofwellcapacity.Dieselpoweredwellsandtubewells,whichaccountforbulkofthegroundwaterirrigationintheregionwereusedforlessthan 200 hours in a year. In Gorakhpur wells are used for less than 100 hours in a year.Croppingintensityintheregionisonlyaround150percentandevenamongthewellownersislessthan200percent.Thereispracticallynocultivationduringthehotseason(Table24).Asaconsequence,onlyabout32000wellsareinusealthoughthetotalwellsintheregionaremorethanalakh.80percentofthesewellsarenotfittedwithelectricordieselmotors.Waterisextractedbythetraditional liftsusinghumanandanimal labour.Asthe labourrequirement

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and the time required for irrigatingaunitareaarehigher in thecaseof traditional lifts, thegrossareairrigatedperwellisonlyabout1hacomparedto5.17hafortubewellsintheregion.Theextentofuseofwellshasalsodeclinedintheregion.Areairrigatedbywellsdeclinedto6percentby1990 from100percent in1950.The loss inarea irrigatedbyopenwellandothersourcesintheregionwasmorethan50percentofthegainintheareairrigatedbycanalsandtubewells.Asaresulttherehasbeenaqualitativechange in irrigationsources intheregion.Changes inaquiferconditionsasaresultof introductionofcanal irrigation,greateravailabilityofalternativesourcesof irrigation,andchanges inopportunitycostsof labourused inwaterextractionaresomeofthereasonforthedeclineinwelluse.Thecombinedimpactofthechangeinirrigationpatternintheregionfromwelltocanalandthe conditions of flood and waterlogging has been highly hazardous to the ecology andagricultureoftheregionsubjectingthepeoplelivingheretohighlevelsofecostressadverselyaffectingtheirproductivityandwellbeingi.e.,theirecosystemhealth.EcoStressinFloodProneandWaterLoggedAreaHence, inthisregionfloodingandwater loggingarethetwomajorecologicalstressespeopleare subject towhile they directly affect the agricultural productivity in an adversemanner,relatedfalloutsareexperiencedinothersocioeconomicandhealthaspectscompromisingtheproductivityandwellbeingofthepeoplelivinghere.i. Land utilization: Risk of flooding and water logging caused damages have brought aboutdeclining kharif land utilization, thereby reducing kharif production. The steady decline isevidentfromthetrendoflandutilisation,underGandakriverprojectarea(Table25).Table25:LandutilizationforkharifcropbydecadesinGandakriverprojectareaYear Landcultivated(ha)1951 2145851961 1684741971 1007211981 68419Thepicture issimilar inthetwoblocksofRudrapurandSukrauli,notedforbeingfloodproneandwaterlogged.ThelandunderkharifcultivationinRudrapurblockhasreducedfrom11,500ha in 1983 to 10,800 ha in 1987 while the figures for Sukrauli are 12,300 and 11,400respectively for the same time period. Barhalganj, another chronically floodprone block, isexperiencingstagnationwithrespecttolandunderkharifcropwithadeclineingrosscroppedareafrom20,300hain1981to19,400hain1990.

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ii.ReducedProduction:Reducedproductionoffoodcropswhichcomprisesofover90%ofthekharifcrop,hasposedoneminentthreattofoodsecurityintheregion.Thedecliningcroppedarea and the falling crop productivity in the region is themain cause for this. Flooding andwaterlogginghasresultedinlowerlevelsofyieldperhainthisregionincomparisontowholeofUttarPradeshandmuchlowerthanPunjab(Table26).Table26:Comparisonofyields(19851988)(Tonnes/ha)Crops EastU.P.(SaryuParPlain) U.P. PunjabRice 1.28 1.39 3.22Wheat 1.74 1.96 3.34Barley 1.10 1.45 2.17Jowar 0.96 1.0Bajra 1.03 0.80 1.01Maize 0.95 1.10 1.72Cereals 1.44 3.3Pulses 0.91 0.77Foodgrains 1.37 1.48 3.11Oilseeds 0.44 0.93This falling productivity is best reflected in the declining ability of the cultivators to sustainthemselvesthroughselfgrowncrops.Inastudyoffloodandwaterloggedvillagesitwasfoundthatwhileonly16.6percentofthefarmers,mostlybigfarmers,couldsustainthemselvesfromtheircropsforthewholeyear,morethan68.8percentofthecultivatorshadfoodforlessthan6 months. These entire household constituted of land less labourers and small/marginalfarmers(Table27).iii. Income and Wealth: Concentration of wealth in a few hands and wide disparity is acharacteristicoftheregion.Duetotheexploitativemoneylendingpracticesandresultinglandleasingandalienationpovertyisbecominggraverintheregion,furtherimpoverishingthepoor.Thisisevidentfromthepreponderanceofsmall/marginalfarmersandlandlesslabourerswhocomprisemorethanfourfifthoftheagriculturaloccupationalcategoryintheregion.Thelevelofincomeandwealth(agriculturalassets)inthestudyvillageclearlydemonstratethisdismalsituationofpoverty. Inthewater loggingand floodeffectedvillageswhilehouseholdswithassetsmorethanRs.100,000/isonly5.5percentwhilethosebelowRs.25,000/isover48percent(Table28).Similarlyfor incomeonly3percentofthehouseholdshaveanannualincomeexceedingRs15,000/whilethoselessthanRs10,000/are82percent(Table29).iv.FoodConsumptionPattern:Adirectconsequenceof thedecliningagriculturalproductivityand associated enhanced poverty has been a change in the food consumption pattern. Thestaplegrain in this region iswheat followedby ricewhich isconsumedat levelshigher thanrecommended.However,pulses,milkandmilkproducts, flesh foods, vegetablesandoiland

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fats are all consumed at levels much lower than recommended (Table 30). From this it isevident thatwhile the carbohydrate consumption isnormalamong thepeople the intakeofprotein, fat and vitamins is deficient leading to bothmalnutrition and nutritional deficiencydiseases.The nutritional status of children below the age of 5 reflects this condition ofmalnutritionprevalentintheregionverywell.Thestudyshowsthattheextentanddegreeofmalnutritioninthe flood/waterlogged village are greater than those in the nonflooded/nonwaterloggedvillages.Malnutritionofmoderateandseveretypestakentogetherconstitutes30percent intheformerwhileonly17percentinthelatter(Table31).Agewise severe malnutrition is observed most in the age group 12 years and moderatemalnutritionintheagegroupof24years(Table31).Sexwisefemalesexhibithigherlevelsofmoderateand severemalnutrition incomparison tomales indicating theneglectofgirlchild(Table 32). Occupational categorywise, the children of marginal farmers have highestmagnitudeofmalnutritionfollowedbylandlesslabourers(Table33).v.MorbidityPattern:ThemorbiditypatterninthefloodaffectedblockofBarhalganj(Table34)and waterlogged block of Sukrauli (Table 35) indicate the preponderance of vector bornediseases and nutritional deficiency diseases. An agewise division of the morbidity patternshowsveryhighratesamongchildrenbelowtheage6years(38.33percent)andoldpeople(18percent)(Table36).vi.EnvironmentalSanitation:Unsafedrinkingwatercausedbycontaminationofdrinkingwatersources isamajorproblemtosanitationandhygienehere.Foodandwaterbornediseases iscentraltothehealthproblem intheregioncoupledwithnutritionaldeficiencies.Handpumpsandtubewellsarethepredominantsourceofdrinkingwaterintheregion.However,theriseofwatertableandassociatedlossofnaturalfiltrationofthegroundwaterbythesoilhasrenderedmuch of it unsafe. The shallow levels subject it to surface contamination also, especially insugarmillareas.On the other hand, accumulated water stagnating over 5 to 6 months provides a fertilebreeding ground for mosquitoes and other disease vectors. Diseases like malaria, JapaneseEncephalitis, Falaria,Gastrointestinal disorders proliferate. Freefloatingwastes in the floodwaterandtheirsubsequentdepositioninstagnatingwatersdeterioratethemicroenvironmentoftheregionpromotingdiseaseincidence.Indiscreteexcretadisposal in theabsenceofproperseweragesystemcontaminate thewatersources through seepage promoting diseases like jaundice, typhoid, cholera, dysentery,diarrhoea,etc.Unhealthyhousingstructureswithpoorventilationandlightingonlycompoundthe situation. The habit of keeping domestic animals, especially cattle and pigs, within theresidential area is a major contribute of diseases, especially Japanese encephalitis. Many

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unhygienicfeeding,cleaningand livingwaysareultimatelysignificantcontributorstothehighratesofdiseasesintheregionwhichheavilycompromisethehealthofpeoplehere.EcosystemHealthinFloodProneandWaterLoggedAreasLossofproductivityandincreasingweakeningprocessesarethemajorindicatorsofdecreasingecosystemhealth of a community.Weakening processes are caused by insecure livelihood,poor living conditions and the general increase inpoverty representedby lowering levelsoffoodintakeandfallingincomeandwealthamongpeople.Highlevelsofanaemia,malnutritionand frequent occurrence of malaria and other vectorborne diseases also represent thisprocess.Alltheseprocesseshavebeenoccurring intheregionwith increasingrateshowingaprogressivedeclineoftheproductivityandwellbeingofthepeoplelivingintheregion.Themostvulnerablesectionsofthesocietyherearethefollowing:

i. The marginal farmers along with the landless labourers who have the lowest foodintakerates,lowincomeandhighlevelsofmalnutritionamongtheirchildren.

ii. Infants and children below the age group of 6 years as shown by nutritional andmorbiditylevels.

iii. Sexwise, it isthewomenwhoaretheworsevictims,especiallythegirlchild(age less

than6years)andpregnantandlactatingmothers.CopingMechanismandSurvivalStrategyTomigratetheirhardshippeopleofthisregionhaveadoptedsomesurvivalstrategies,althoughtheydonotreallysolvetheecostressesfaced.Theseare:i.Indebtedness:Tosurviveunderlowincomeandfoodinsecuritymanypeoplehavetakenloansfromboth institutionalandnoninstitutionalsources.While thebig farmershave taken loanschieflyfrom institutionalsources likecommercialorcooperativebanks,marginalfarmersandlandless labourersborrowmostly fromprivatemoney lenders.Nearlyhalfthemarginal/smallfarmershaveoutstandingloans.ii. Migration: Reduced opportunity for employment, especially for landless labourers andunfavourable wage structure have caused increasing migration of people from here toGorakhpur andDeoria city, and even distant places likeBombay, Ludhiana, Calcutta, etc. insearchofwork(Table37).

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Table1:FlooddamagesinIndiaduring1953to1987

Year Areaaffected

Population

affected

Damagetocrops Damagetohouses Cattlelost

Humanliveslost

Damageto

publicutilities

Totaldamage

tocrops,houses

&publicutilities

Area Value Nos. Value Nos. Nos.

(mha) (m) (mha) (Rscrore)

(m) (Rscrore)

(m) (Rscrore)

(Rscrore)

1953 2.29 24.28 0.93 42.08 0.27 7.42 0.05 37 2.90 52.40

1954 76.49 12.92 2.61 40.52 0.20 6.56 0.02 279 10.16 57.24

1955 9.44 25.27 5.31 77.80 1.70 20.95 0.07 865 3.98 102.73

1956 9.24 14.57 1.11 44.44 0.73 8.05 0.02 462 1.15 53.64

1957 4.86 6.76 0.45 14.12 0.32 4.98 0.01 352 4.28 23.38

1958 6.26 10.98 1.40 38.28 0.38 3.90 0.02 389 1.80 43.97

1959 5.77 14.52 1.54 56.76 0.65 9.42 0.07 619 20.02 86.20

1960 7.53 8.35 2.27 42.55 0.61 14.31 0.01 510 6.32 63.17

1961 6.56 9.26 1.97 24.04 0.53 0.89 0.02 1374 6.44 31.37

1962 6.12 15.46 3.39 83.18 0.51 10.66 0.04 348 1.06 94.89

1963 3.49 10.93 2.05 30.17 0.42 3.70 0.00 432 2.75 34.62

1964 4.90 13.78 2.49 56.87 0.26 4.59 0.00 690 5.15 66.61

1965 1.46 3.61 0.27 5.87 0.11 0.20 0.01 79 1.07 7.13

1966 4.74 14.40 2.16 80.15 0.22 2.54 0.01 180 5.74 88.43

1967 7.12 20.46 3.27 133.31 0.57 14.26 0.01 355 7.86 155.43

1968 7.15 21.17 2.62 144.61 0.68 41.11 0.13 3497 25.37 211.09

1969 6.20 33.22 2.91 281.89 1.27 54.42 0.27 1408 68.11 404.43

1970 8.46 31.83 4.91 162.78 1.43 48.61 0.02 1076 76.44 287.83

1971 13.25 59.74 6.24 423.13 2.43 80.24 0.01 994 129.11 632.48

1972 4.10 26.69 2.45 98.56 0.90 12.46 0.06 544 47.17 158.19

1973 11.79 64.08 3.73 428.03 0.87 52.48 0.26 1349 88.49 569.00

1974 6.70 29.45 3.33 411.64 0.75 72.43 0.02 387 84.94 569.01

1975 6.17 31.36 3.85 271.49 0.80 34.09 0.02 686 166.05 471.63

1976 11.91 50.46 6.04 595.03 1.75 92.16 0.08 1373 201.50 888.68

1977 11.46 49.43 6.84 720.61 1.66 152.29 0.56 11316 328.95 1201.84

1978 17.53 70.45 9.96 911.08 3.51 167.57 0.24 3396 376.10 1454.76

1979 3.99 19.52 2.17 169.97 1.33 210.61 0.62 3637 233.63 614.21

23

Year Areaaffected

Population

affected

Damagetocrops Damagetohouses Cattlelost

Humanliveslost

Damageto

publicutilities

Totaldamage

tocrops,houses

&publicutilities

Area Value Nos. Value Nos. Nos.

(mha) (m) (mha) (Rscrore)

(m) (Rscrore)

(m) (Rscrore)

(Rscrore)

1980 11.46 54.12 5.55 366.37 2.53 170.85 0.06 1913 303.28 840.50

1981 6.02 32.49 3.27 524.56 0.91 159.63 0.09 1376 512.31 1196.51

1982 8.87 56.01 5.00 589.40 2.40 383.87 0.25 1573 671.61 1644.87

1983 9.02 61.03 3.29 1285.85 2.39 332.33 0.15 2378 873.43 2491.60

1984 10.71 54.55 5.19 906.09 1.76 181.31 0.14 1661 818.16 1905.56

1985 8.38 59.59 4.65 1425.37 2.45 583.86 0.04 1804 2050.03 4059.25

1986 8.81 55.52 4.58 1231.58 2.05 534.41 0.06 1200 1982.54 3748.52

1987 8.88 48.34 4.94 1154.64 2.92 464.49 0.13 1835 950.59 2569.72

Worst 17.53 70.45 9.96 1425.37 3.51 583.86 0.62 11316 2050.03 4059.25

Year (1978) (1978) (1978) (1985) (1978) (1985) (1979) (1977) (1985) (1985)

AnnualAverage

7.66 31.84 3.51 367.79 1.21 112.62 0.10 1439 287.67 768.08

Table2:Decadaltrendsinfloodaffectedpopulation,areaanddamages

Averageannualcropareaaffected Averageannualfloodaffectedpopulation

AverageannualcropdamagesDecade Averageannualarea

affectedby

floods(mha)

Actual(mha)

%oftotalarea

affectedby

floods(%)

%ofcountry'snetsownarea(%)

Actual(m)

%oftotal

population(%)

Averageannual

totalflooddamages(Rscrore)

Actual(Rs

crore)

%oftotalflood

damages(%)

1950s(195359) 6.86 2.08 30.32 1.60 17.50 4.41 62.33 45.48 73

1960s(196069) 5.86 2.47 42.15 1.80 15.45 3.25 104.14 77.68 75

1970s(197079) 11.19 5.55 49.60 3.99 43.35 7.18 674.09 419.06 62

1980s(198084) 16.57 6.91 41.70 4.90 53.01 7.26 1590.43 713.95 45

24

Table3:FloodProneAreaofIndia

MaximumfloodareaaffectedStates

195359(mha)

195369(mha)

195379(mha)

195384(mha)

AndhraPradesh 1.39 1.45 5.98 5.98

ArunachalPradesh Neg Neg

Assam 3.15 3.15 3.15 3.15

Bihar 2.50 2.50 4.26 4.26

Goa

Gujarat 1.39 1.39 1.39 3.04

Haryana 0.34 0.36 1.00 1.00

HimachalPradesh 0.23 0.23 0.23 0.23

JammuandKashmir 0.08 0.08 0.08 0.08

Karnataka 0.01 0.20 0.26

Kerala 0.29 2.00 2.00 2.00

MadhyaPradesh 0.26 0.26 5.17 5.17

Maharastra 0.23 0.23 0.74 1.13

Manipur 0.01 0.08 0.08 0.08

Meghalaya 0.02 0.54

Mizoram Neg Neg

Nagaland Neg

Orissa 1.20 1.40 2.97 9.00

Punjab 0.99 1.73 1.73 1.73

Rajasthan 0.03 0.53 3.26 3.26

Sikkim Neg 0.02

TamilNadu 0.03 0.45 0.45 5.66

Tripura 0.04 0.33 0.33 1.50

UttarPradesh 4.13 4.13 7.34 7.34

WestBengal 2.65 2.65 3.08 3.08

FloodProneArea 18.94 22.96 43.96 58.51

25

Table4:LengthofEmbankments

Lengthofembankments States

From1954to1984(km) UptoMarch1987(km) AreaprotecteduptoMarch19871(mha)

AndhraPradesh 405 507 1.00

Assam 4145 4448 1.56

Bihar 2355 2756 1.87

Goa,DamanandDiu 7 9

Gujarat 208 408 0.43

Haryana 396 578 1.70

HimachalPradesh 2 58 0.01

JammuandKashmir 56 0.06

Karnataka Neg

Kerala 44 92 0.03

MadhyaPradesh 15 Neg

Maharastra 26 26 Neg

Manipur 127 279 0.08

Meghalaya 45 106 0.09

Orissa 370 1007 0.46

Punjab 821 1047 2.66

Rajasthan 82 141 0.04

Sikkim

TamilNadu 35 0.08

Tripura 39 114 0.03

UttarPradesh 1174 1711 1.42

WestBengal 515 974 1.75

Delhi 60 83 0.08

Pondicherry 61 0.01

AllIndia 108212 14511 13.36

1 Area protected by all measures, including drainage channels and protection of towns and villages.

26

Table5:FloodControlExpenditure

Planperiod Expenditure(Rscrore) Cumulativeareaprotected(mha)

Firstplan (195456) 13.21 1.00

Secondplan (195661) 48.06 3.24

Thirdplan (196166) 82.09 5.43

Annualplan (196669) 41.96 5.83

Fourthplan (196974) 162.04 8.04

Fifthplan (197478) 298.60 9.98

Annualplan (197880) 329.96 11.21

Sixthplan (198085) 786.85 13.01

Seventhplan(outlay) (198590) 947.39 14.10

2 An additional 6000 km of embankments had been built before 1954 (RBA).

27

Table6:Statewisedistributionoflargedamson31.12.1986

States Numberofdams

Completed Underconstruction

AndhraPradesh 24 18

ArunachalPradesh

Assam 1 1

Bihar 9 1

Goa 4

Gujarat 51 35

Haryana

HimachalPradesh 4 1

JammuandKashmir 1

Karnataka 13 14

Kerala 23 13

MadhyaPradesh 8 10

Maharastra 50 33

Manipur

Meghalaya 3

Mizoram

Nagaland

Orissa 6 2

Punjab 1

Rajasthan 5 3

Sikkim

TamilNadu 51 9

Tripura

UttarPradesh 7 7

WestBengal 1 1

TABLE".I

Magnitude of Flood and Waterlogging in U.P.------------.

District Land Population Loss of properties(Value in Crore Rs.)

Total No. Number aHected Total land AreaaHected Total Affected

63 46 294.41 58.57 11.09 NA 790.67

(100%) (73.01%) (19.89%)

63 33 294.41 29.91 11.09 NA 286.38

(100%) (52.38%) (10.16%)

63 44 294.41 55.38 11.47 NA 585.65

(100%) (69.84%) (18.81%)63 56 294.41 38.60 11.71 1.55 754.00

(100%) (88.88%) (13.11%) (100%) (13.24%)63 39 294.41 16.68 11.95 0.67 262.15

(100%) (61.90%) (5.66%) (100%) (5.61%)

63 55 294.41 40.28 12.19 1.96 1216.26(100%) (97.30%) (13.68%) (100%) (16.08%)

63 45 294.41 10.34 12.45 0.59 NA(100%) (71.43%) (3.51%) (100%) (4.74%)

63 09 294.41 5.81 12.71 0.38 NA(100%) (14.28%) (1.97%) (100%) (2.99%)

63 46 294.41 31.76 12.98 1.82 NA(100%) (73.01%) (10.79%) (100%) (14.02%)

63 25 ' 294.41 10.03 13.25 0.48 NA (100%) (39.68%) (3.41%) (100%) (3.62%)

---- --- -_._-----.--------_ ..._--_.-.-_._--

29

Table9:RiversinSaryuParPlain

River Length(km) DrainageinIndia(sqkm) AverageAnnualFlow(millioncum)

Ghaghara 1080 57,647 94,400

Rapti

Gandak 630 7,620 52,200

BurhiGandak 320 10,150 7,100Table10:SiltationValueofRiversinSaryuParPlain

Month Siltvaluesinppm(meanofdailyrecord)

Saryuriver Raptiriver Ghagharariver Gandakriver

July 2160 1568 1560

August 2328 2620 2638

September 2723 4656 3809

October 3011 3265 3259 Table11:Percentofareawithdifferentdepthsofwatertask(premonsoon)inSaryuParPlain

Percentofareawithdepthtowatertable(premonsoon)inmetresDistricts

01 12 25 510 1015 >15

Bahraich 0.97 1.94 75.73 19.42 1.94

Basti 82.93 17.07

Deoria 6.06 81.82 12.12

Gonda 1.02 90.52 8.16

Gorakhpur 1.98 1.0 82.17 14.85

30

Table12:AverageAnnualRainfallinSaryuParPlain

Districts Rainfallinmms

Bahraich 1148

Basti 1267

Deoria 1143

Gonda 1138

Gorakhpur 1352Table13:Coefficientofmonthlyandannualvariability

MonthsStations

June%

underline+

July%

underline+

August%

underline+

Sept.%

underline+

Oct.%

underline+

Annual

underline+

Nanpara(81years) 65.30 41.89 50.24 63.99 126.32 25

Baltampur(25years) 56.16 52.50 50.81 52.18 94.27 21

Domariaganj(81years) 68.02 52.45 62.18 92.44 147.67 44

Bansi(81years) 72.85 49.47 46.12 61.62 134.19 26

Naugath(33years) 53.12 47.45 46.94 57.13 100.90 23

Pharenda(47years) 59.90 31.02 48.00 58.04 107.63 26.

Maharajganj(87years) 49.77 46.38 49.33 54.44 115.93 20.

Padrauna(81years) 65.75 46.45 51.99 57.33 113.26 25.

Hata(87years) 55.63 45.81 46.93 64.25 113.81 26.2

31

Table14:PremonsoonandpostmonsoondepthofgroundwatertaskintheGandakcommandarea

Magnitudeofgroundwaterlevelriseinmeterduring14years(197285)

1972 1985

NameofRecordingStation

Premonsoon Postmonsoon Premonsoon Postmonsoon

DistrictGorakhpur

Chargawan 3.48 2.70 3.38 1.18

Nichlaul 2.51 0.84 2.11 0.21

Paniyara 3.52 2.65 3.42 1.27

Siswa 3.46 1.28 2.78 0.88

DistrictDeoria

Bishunpura 3.63 2.52 3.88 1.86

RampurKasahna 3.30 1.79 3.00 1.05

Tamkuli 3.73 1.71 2.85 1.81

Deoria 3.93 2.97 2.84 1.14

Patheredewa 5.32 4.31 2.57 0.10

GauriBazar 3.27 2.17 2.46 0.27

Hata 2.79 1.00 1.14 0.65

Kasia 3.84 2.91 3.66 0.23

Padrauna 3.01 1.64 2.81 0.56Table15:AveragefloodaffectedareainSaryuParPlain(198190)

Districts No.ofyrsaffected198190 Averageareaaffected PercentofNSAaffected

Bahraich 8 168.609 37.58

Basti 10 113.236 19.98

Deoria 10 48.742 11.43

Gonda 8 151.307 30.94

Gorakhpur 9 74.529 15.19

TABLE \~

Table showing magnitude of flood damage in the study District Gorakhpur

Particulars of Damage 19130 1981 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989

Number of village affected 1,210 . 1,825 1,154 374 852 852 1,098Population affected 6,67,001 9,37,670 7,98,467 96,799 7,84,165 5,10,465 9,91,436Area affected (Hect.) NA 3,07,231 1,36,828 22,504 90,434 92,832 2,38,034Cropped area affected (Hect.) 75,182 1,22,892 78,170 13,048 73,706 54,162 1,65,575Damageto house 57,292 32,740 1,840 - 21,074 18,251 37,498Value in damage (in Rs Crare) 5.82 8.76 3.66 NA NA 3.29 10.60Loss of lives (Human) NA NA 22 11 05 24 12Loss of lives (Cattle) NA NA 04 01 41 20 12

-"-----._--------

I:~~~.,f~~I'~~ ~~~\-..:I~~'.t;:~~1-.~ .~'," \ -i: .~;.! i; ,",..~ ':1.:.:\!: -.!.li

34

Table18:WaterlogginginGorakhpurandDeoriadistrict

Waterloggedarea

1971 1991 %increase

District Totalarea(ha)

Area(ha) %oftotalarea

Area(ha) %oftotalarea

Gorakhpur 633560 16836 2.66 68266 10.77 30.5

Deoria 443539 9745 2.2 29058 6.55 2.18

Total 1077099 26581 2.46 97324 9.03 Table19:AreaestimatesoffloodinundationandsurfacewaterlogginginSaryuParPlainbasedonIndianRemoteSensingSatelliteImages(September,1988)

NameofRiverBasin Completely/PartiallyInundatedArea(ha)

SurfaceWaterloggedincludinghighsoilmoistureare(ha)

Rapti 87,746.21 30,056.09

Rohin 5,519.98

Ami 21,597.83

ChotiGandak 16,756.86 8,088.26

GreatGandak 60,602.09 7,417.78

Ghaghara 341,113.29 151,540.54

Total 533,336.26 197,102.67Table20:CroppingintensityandseasonaldistributionofgrosscroppedareainSaryuParPlain(198586to198788)

District Netsown

area(ha)

%NSAsownmorethanonce

Grosscroppedarea

%GCAinRabi

%GCAinkharif

%GCAinsummer

%GCAinsugarcane

Croppingintensity

(%)

Bahraich 448694 57 677224 43 56 1.13 0.01 151

Basti 566865 47 835290 45 53 1.24 0.06 147

Deoria 426603 48 625966 43 54 2.74 0.73 147

Gonda 489044 58 768239 47 52 0.76 0.41 157

Gorakhpur 490696 48 719630 47 51 1.92 0.07 147

35

Table21:AverageofcropsasfractionofaggregatecroppedareainSaryuParPlain(198586to198788)

District Paddyinkharif

Milletinkharif

WheatinRabi

PulseinGCA

F.grainsinGCA

OilseedsinGCA

CashcropsinGCA

Bahraich 0.59 0.29 0.50 0.14 0.92 0.03 0.02

Basti 0.81 0.08 0.67 0.08 0.91 0.01 0.04

Deoria 0.69 0.04 0.70 0.04 0.84 0.01 0.12

Gonda 0.74 0.16 0.61 0.12 0.92 0.03 0.04

Gorakhpur 0.81 0.02 0.80 0.07 0.92 0.03 0.03Table22:IrrigationintensityandsourcesofirrigationinSaryuParPlain(198586to198788)

Percentgrossirrigatedareairrigatedfromdifferentsources

District Netirrigatedare(ha)

%NSAirrigated

%

Grossirrigatedarea(ha)

Irrigationintensity

%Canals Tube

wellsWells Ponds&

others

Bahraich 99617 0.22 703136 103.53 17.31 73.46 1.64 7.59

Basti 356851 0.63 357848 100.28 4.86 72.50 9.36 13.28

Deoria 252372 0.59 317912 125.97 44.48 44.05 7.62 3.86

Gonda 201610 0.41 217388 107.83 0.62 90.86 3.65 4.87

Gorakhpur 304610 0.62 25.35 54.32 9.44 10.89Table23:GroundwaterutilisationinSaryuParPlain(198586to198788)

District Netrecharge(H.M.) Netdraft(H.M.) Fractionofrechargeutilised

Bahraich 155332 34446 0.22

Basti 276760 77202 0.28

Deoria 197934 57395 0.29

Gonda 200752 65577 0.33

Gorakhpur 310346 72450 0.23

36

Table24:TubewellsandwellsinSaryuParPlain

Districts ShallowTubewells Wells

STWinuse

Fractionrecharged

Fractioninrabi

GIA/STWha

Wellsinuse

Fractionrecharged

Fractioninrabi

GIA/wellHA

Bahraich 25844 0.04 0.61 3.17 2818 0.19 0.70 1.06

Basti 63099 0.06 0.58 4.26 12216 0.10 0.54 1.02

Deoria 21836 0.05 0.52 9.96 7560 0.28 0.55 1.12

Gonda 56548 0.03 0.73 4.21 3815 0.37 0.67 0.84

Gorakhpur 58527 0.05 0.65 4.24 5628 0.06 0.69 0.75

].~"";";!.~:

TABLE-~1

Villagewise Distribution of Households by self produce cereals subsistence

Village No Produce 12

Subedamagar 02 09 07 07 02 03

Patwania 03 11 06 04 04 02

Rampur 06 14 04 02 03 01

Sub Total 11(12.22%)

34(37.77%)

17(18.88%)

13(14.44%)

09(10.00%)

06(6.66%)

Harijana 08 05 02 04 04 07(26.66%) (16.66%) (6.66%) (13.33%) (13.33%) (23.33%)

Total 19 39 19 17 13 13(15.83%) (32.50%) (15.83%) (14.16%) (10.83%) (10.83%)

-, _ .._--_ ..----_._--------_._, .- .. - ....--~--.--

38

Table28:Villagewisedistributionofstudyhouseholdsbyvalueofagriculturalassets(movable)(Rs.1000)

Village 100 Total

Subedarnagar 06 07 10 04 03 30

Patwania 09 07 07 05 02 30

Rampur 09 06 08 07 00 30

SubTotal 24(26.66%)

20(22.22%)

25(27.77%)

16(17.77%)

05(5.55%)

90(100%)

Harijana 07(23.33%)

05(16.66%)

08(26.66%)

07(23.33%)

03(10.00%)

30(100%)

Total 31(25.93%)

25(20.83%)

33(27.50%)

23(19.16%)

08(6.66%)

120(100%)

.rr=:

TABLE:~~

Villagewise Distribution of Study Households by Income

Village i > 15,000 10,000-15,000 7,500-10,000 5,000-7,500 3,500-5,000

TABLE"~'O

Villagewise Food Consumption Level (Gms./ConsumptionJUniVDay)

S.No. Village Cereals Pulses Milk and Milk Flesh Food Vegetables Oil and fatProducts

1. Subedarnagar 545 32 60 12 130 21

2. Patwania 525 22 47 24 167 17

3. Ramur 510 18 52 13 142 09

4. Harijana 485 30 71 10 198 12

Recommended Level 400 70 200 - 250 35-----_. __ ._----

:~!I~~J~'i:,l.:',":::';':',\;:'{;,/::~-~,.r".~.

':"".':',. . 1

,,';;~:::;~:ji~;~~lf'".:.~'.., -; , ,;:,7-":< .~~:

~:.~t~~uf~.iii.;.~~~ :..;~',.,.;; ~~, -. ... ~.?>'".,,::,."; .I'~:t~I~:;:~':~/~t~~~'~~::\~'~\' .lc , ;'~. I

-, -: a" ~ ''1::..;;.,,: ' . t . f .

"~::.' -::i :~.r...,' . ;~).~.:'~>":~:,~.. .......\~ ....~:~>:~.~.~.::~:..~.:,~... .: 'y.'.. ':":TA' ~LE.':IIf.. '3~ .-- ').,-!: .., ...:.,iJ ..U '.. "'., ....;

J. .... fA. I, - ' ~~.'f'"',...t:" v,~.'!~~t.~.\lti:L1-;~4,.\ .... :" -. ' ",. :.,,,.... ,..... \::; ...!~ : ,,'~.:a.:~""';'~:lt.

/. ,.;~~ . '~'/;:' 4 '~.' ~ '."~ .... :.i.~./~;.::.~;~).:::.;:.:.)::;;2~~i:~~i: . oi. . '. .. . . .1 .. '.. ' .". i'} ..: .:.;.:i\.: ,r !

. . . ',. ',..... "~.,:, -."' ...,'/' ~ ..J';.!,.", .... ;~'.i:,..~:..~t};;:;~ ...;.::'I,~:,,;_. t':

Occupational Categorywise Distribution of Children 5) by Nutritional Status

S. No. Occupational category Normal Gradel Grade" Grade III Grade IV Total

S 1. BF 03 (75.00%) 01 (25.00%) 00(0.00%) 00(0.00%) 00(0.00%) 04(100%)

T 2. SF 07(77.78%) 02 (22.22%) 00(0.00%) 00(0.00%) 00(0.00%) 09 (100%).U 3. MF 24 (32.43%) 24(32.43%) 18(24.32%) 05(6.75%) 03(4.05%) 74 (100%)

D 4. LL 03(25.00%) 06(50.00%) 03(25.00%) 00(0.00%) 00 (0.00%) 12 (100%)Y 5. RAlOthers 04 (36.36%) 03(27.27%) 03(27.27%) 01 (9.09%) 00(0.00%) 11 (100%)------------------------------------------------

Sub Total 41 (37.27%) 36(32.73%) 24 (21.82%) 06(5.45%) 03(2.73%) 110(100%)--------------------------------------------------------C 1. ,BF 08 (61.53%) 05 (38.46%) 00(0.00%) 00(0.00%) 00(0.00%) 13(100%)0N 2. SF 05(45.45%) 03 (27.27%) 03 (27.27%) 00 (0.00%) 00(0.00%) 11 (100%)TR 3. MF 04 (66.66%) 01 (16.68%) . 00(0.00%) 01 (16.68%) 00(0.00%) ~6(100%)0L 4. LL 02(25.00%) 02 (25.00%) 03 (37.50%) 00(0.00%) 01 (12.50%) 08(100%)

5. RAlOthers 08(88.89%) 01 (11.11%) 00(0.00%) 00(0.00%) 00(0.00%) 09(100%)------------------------------------------------SubTotal 27 (57.44%) 12 (25.53%) 06(12.76%) 01 (2.12%) 01 (2.12%) 47(100%)--------------------------------------------------------Total 68(43.31%) 48(30.57%) 30 (19.10%) 07(4.45%) 04(2.54%) 157 (100%)

I. &. R;/['-:":'

TABLE ~Lt

Case Study: Morbidity Pattern by Years

Diseases Numberof Cases--1978 1979 1982 1983 1988 1989 1990 1991

Fever 1130 1045 217 837 167 215 1036 1245Dysentry/ 1200 2600 345 542 2600 2130 1236 3600Diarrhoea

Hookworm 1025 45 26 20 - - 1265 685Hydrasil 30 NA - - 1350 - 258 25Asthama/ 360 NA 2436 652 200 175 435 310Respiratory

Tonsil 1500 NA 273 445 1500 2125 1300 536Influenza 120 NA 168 277 178 170 NA NACough 325 1500 1350 625 1110 70 342 - NAEye 1500 3200 2321 1245 NA NA 1520 NAEar 1000 1260 - 1167 1530 1625 1060 NATeeth 160 NA 210 227 215 1375 - 165Skeleton - NA 4825 3310 2500 1765 1036 310Pheumonia 25 NA 218 104 NA NA NA NAMensutral . 1000 NA 3064 3747 2500 1235 3400 1350-NO : Source Pile, Il~rhalg~nj.

.1

:i

45

Table35:Morbiditypatternbymonths

Diseases Aug.91 Sept.91 Oct.91 Nov.91 Dec.91 Jan.92 Feb.92 May92 June92 July92

Tuberculosis 08 04 02 01 05 01 02 02

Entericfever 45 21 35 19 19 04 03 11 35 119

Influenza 365 461 645 213 309 211 214 219 221

Dysentery 421 543 295 311 249 149 206 209 415 318

Encephalitis 15

Others 429 388 563 428 446 267 269 374 618 372

46

Table36:Morbiditypatternbyvillagecategory/agegroup

Age Gastrointestinal Respiratory Nervous

Diarrhoea Dysentery Others Asthma TB Fever Others

Cardiovascular

Headache JE Paralyse Others

Skeleton Skin Eyes&

Ears

Others Total

Study

45

01 01 10 04 03 04 01 05 03 01 01 01 35(18.13%)

Control

48

02 03 05 01 02 01 02 16(28.07%)

TABLE,' '"37

Villagewise Distribution of Households Reporting Migration by Caste and Reasons of Migration__ .i ___ .___ ~___ ...... _._

Village Total 1-11-1 HH reporting/ ~ Caste Reasons--ed migration/ed. SC Be OC Total Lacko! Higher Others

Employment wage

Subedarnagar 105 52 16 25 11 52 19 28 05(100%) (49.52%) (30.76%) (48.07%) (21.15%) (100%) (36.53%) (53.84%) (9.61%)

Patwania 126 43 18 16 09 43 18 21 02(100%) (34.12%) (41.86%) (37.20%) (20.93%) (100%) (41.86%) (48.83%) (4.65%)

Rampur 130 36 18 09 09 36 20 16 02(Two Harnlet) (100%) (27.69%) (50.50%) (25.00%) (25.00%) (100%) (55.55%) (44.44%) (5.55%)

--------------------------------------------------------Sub Total 361 131 52 50 29 131 57 65 09

(100%) (36.28%) (39.69%) (38.16%) (22.13%) (100%) (43.51%) (49.61%) (6.87%)-----------------'-----------------------------------------Harijana 101 42 20 12 10 42 10 26 06

(100%) (41.58%) (47.61%) (28.57%) (23.80%) (100%) (23.80%) (61.90%) (14.28%)-

Total 462 173 72 62 39 173 67 . 91 15(100%) (37.44%) (41.61%) (35.83%) (22.54%) (100%) (38.72%) (52.60%) (8.67%)

MAP \

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