2008 Kosi floods, North Bihar,

India
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Overview

The massive Kosi River floods of August 2008

caused unprecedented loss to lives, livelihoods,
infrastructure and property in north-eastern Bihar.
Although floods have been a recurring feature in
parts of the state, the 2008 floods were not
usual.

The Kosi burst its embankments and changed

course, inundating areas of Bihar that had not
experienced such flooding for half a century.

Over 330,000 housing units were damaged and

significant structural impairments to roads,
culverts, and bridges were reported in 412
Panchayats. Approximately
284,000 ha of agricultural land in
the five affected districts were
exposed to the deposition of
coarse sediment.

About 1,000 villages in five

districts (Araria, Madhepura,
Purnia, Saharsa and Supaul)
were affected, involving three
million people, of whom about
one million were evacuated.
 EXISTING SCENARIO
BEFORE FLOODS

The wealthy residents in

the area build brick homes
with reinforced cement
concrete (RCC) roofs.

The quality of RCC is poor and buildings rarely follow earthquake safety requirements.

On the other hand, the poor build incrementally, starting with a foundation and plinth in
bricks.

Bamboo, cement poles, or brick columns make up the walls.

The material for the roof ranges from thatch to corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) sheets
to clay tiles.

RECONSTRUCTION AND REHABILITATION-Owner Driven Reconstruction

An unparalleled effort followed, to reconstruct houses and

settlements and to optimise on the opportunity provided by this
disaster to mitigate future disaster impacts.

An Owner Driven Reconstruction initiative was adopted by the

Government of Bihar (GoB) in partnership with UNDP and was
implemented at pilot stage by a technical committee termed as ODR
Collaborative (ODRC).

As a part of the project, an owner-driven housing reconstruction

(ODR) component to rebuild 100,000 damaged houses was launched.

The positive experience with its application in different contexts has

led the World Bank to recognise the following inherent advantages of
ODR:

Households are mobilised to take an active role in rebuilding, which

speeds recovery from psychological trauma;
 Assistance can be adjusted to the needs of the household related to
income, family size, livelihoods, socio-cultural requirements, etc.;

It is consistent with normal incremental housing construction

practices;

Repair of houses and use of salvaged and local building materials is

encouraged;

Local building industry is involved, thereby contributing to

restoration of local economy and livelihoods;

It helps preserve communitys cultural identity by ensuring

continuity in local building tradition and architectural style;

People can top-up housing assistance with their own savings and
build a house reflecting their specific needs and aspirations;

The proposal of Govt of Bihar was to reconstruct not only flood

resistant housing but also earthquake resistant ( Being in seismic zone
V and VI). Since the area is also prone to winds of highest velocity of
about 170km/h, the reconstruction has to cater for the multi hazard
proneness of the area.

Two technical guidelines were proposed as follows:

Part-I Reconstruction of Multi Hazard Resistant Houses: Brick

Construction

Part-II Reconstruction of Multi Hazard Resistant Houses: Bamboo

Based Construction

Both construction type required proper soil investigation at the

house sites to determine if

i)The soil is erodable under flowing river water

ii)Soil is liquiefable under intensity VIII or IX earthquake.

Based on observations the depth and type of foundation will be

decided.
Earthquake, flood, and high wind velocity resistant house designs
measuring 215 sq. ft. were approved by a technical committee appointed
by Govt of Bihar.

Broadly, there are three types of designs:

i) brick super structure with a RCC roof,

ii) brick super structure with a CGI roof and

iii) treated bamboo super structure with a CGI roof (Figures 1-3).
The designs have common features such as a plinth raised above the
average annual flood level and a useable loft, which serves as shelter
during floods. The loft and roof super structure is built with treated
bamboo, but foundation details vary based on the soil types below the
houses. The technical team and the masons are well trained and the
construction is carefully monitored to assure that all details are properly
executed. Home owners were provided house reconstruction grants worth
Rs. 60,000 in three tranches. The first tranche of Rs 35,000 is used for the

foundation, plinth, and walls up to the

lintel level in brick houses and the entire superstructure in bamboo
houses.