4.1.

1 RESERVOIRS
Dams and reservoirs can be of both types i.e. natural and manmade. These are the effective
means for reducing flood peak in rivers. These reservoirs play an important role in flood
prevention and mitigation. Mostly dams and their associated reservoirs are designed to aid in
flood protection and mitigation in hilly areas. Human issues involved in the case of dams and
reservoirs are evacuated and re-habitation of people in the reservoir area, environmental impacts
due to developmental activities and increase in population etc. Mostly dams have flood control
reservations in which the level of a reservoir must be kept below a certain elevation before the
onset of the rainy or summer melt season so as to allow a certain amount of space in which
floodwater can fill. The result of dam failure can damage to life and property in the downstream
and human encroachment on the flood plains. Therefore, security provided by dams is also to be
taken into account. While planning all these above works, impact due to the scheme on its
surrounding environment and on the settlements in the downstream area need be taken into
account.
Maximum attention is to be given while framing reservoir regulation policies so that more
utilization of water resources is possible and at the same time flood control and issues related to
the people living in the downstream of the reservoir are taken in to account.
Construction of dams and reservoirs is adopted as a major activity to control floods by storing
flood water so that the stored water could be released subsequently when the flood has receded
and the downstream river channel is in a position to contain the flow without causing floods. The
main advantage reservoirs is that apart from moderating the flood peaks, the stored water can be
used for multipurpose uses such as irrigation, power generation, industrial requirements and
domestic uses etc. In the case of flood control reservoirs, proper reservoir regulation schedule
can be worked out for optimum benefit from the project as a whole from the flood control point
of view, and it is advisable that specific flood cushion is allocated in the reservoir although
incidental benefit of flood control to some extent is available from any reservoir scheme.

4.1.2 EMBANKMENTS
The constructions of embankment are the most basic and generally form of mitigation measures
to provide immediate relief from floods and flash floods. These are generally quick, cheap and

most popular method of flood protection and mitigation and have been constructed at large scale
in the past. These are reported to have given remarkable protection at relatively low costs,
especially in the lower reaches of large rivers. In many places, embankments may be the only
attainable method of protecting flooding. Embankments are designed and constructed to afford a
degree of prevention against the flash floods of a certain magnitude and frequency or against the
maximum recorded floods or flash floods till the time of their planning only depending upon the
location prevented and their economic explanation. The raising and strengthening of present
embankments have also been taken up in many of the flood prone areas. In order to this work is
done adequately it is necessary to adopt the flood frequency approach in their re-design, taking
into account the data of past floods and flash floods, which is now available. The embankment
system along the river is planned to restrict the river in its existing course and they are designed
to avoid over-flowing of river banks by increasing the channel capacity to pass the probable
floods. Generally, these are constructed with easily available earth in the nearby area. The
embankments of the pre-independence period and those came up after independence through
plans has provided considerable protection to life and property of people living in flood plains.