Flood management & Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)

Devastation by floods is a recurrent annual phenomenon in India. Floods cause considerable damage to life, property – public and private, and disruption to infrastructure, besides causing agony to the people. As per the estimation made by Rashtriya Barh Ayog (RBA) in 1980, the total area liable to floods in the country was 40 mha. Subsequently, the extent of maximum area affected in a year by floods was updated by XII Plan ‘Working Group on Flood Management and Region Specific Issues’ as 49.81 mha. As per the data for the period 1953-2021 maintained by Central Water Commission (CWC), the average annual area affected in the country due to floods is 7.4 million hectares (mha), average annual human lives lost are 1,671 and the average annual damage due to floods including crops, houses and public utilities is worth about Rs. 17,564 crore.

In order to protect human life, land and property from flood fury in the country, State Governments undertake flood management works. Government of India supplements the efforts of the State Governments by providing technical guidance and financial assistance through Flood Management & Border Area Programme (FMBAP). The scheme has two components. Under the Flood Management Component (FMP) component of FMBAP, central assistance is provided to State Governments for taking up works related to flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, anti-sea erosion, restoration of damaged flood management works, etc. Expenditure on these schemes are shared between Union Government and State Government on a certain funding pattern approved by Cabinet. Under River Management and Border Areas(RMBA) component of FMBAP, hydrological observations and flood forecasting on common border rivers with neighbouring countries, investigation of water resources projects in neighbouring countries, pre-construction activities for water resources projects on common border rivers, and activities of Ganga Flood Control Commission (GFCC) are taken up with 100% central assistance.

The scheme was initially launched during XI plan & has continued thereafter. 522 projects were taken up for funding under the FMP component of the scheme. 427 projects have been completed which have provided area benefitted of 4.99 mha and protection to 53.57 million population in the country.