Kerala is deemed an ecological hotspot as studies have suggested that the south-western state, flanked by the Western Ghats, is likely to bear the brunt of climate change. However, the coastal state truncated with numerous rivers and streams doesn't have a flood map or a management plan to counter natural calamities like the recent floods. Both the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Kerala government are groping in the dark on the ways to manage challenges posed by downpours and floods.

The recent experience proved that neither the CWC nor the state water resources department had a plan to manage the after effects of the deluge. The revenue department, KSEB and the disaster management authority had no clear idea where the flooding could take place.

The rivers that have dams need special flood mapping and management plan. A flood map shows the map of the area which could get flooded and the intensity of flooding if the water level rises to a particular level. There are high-tech electronic equipment to do this.

The flow of the river and the terrain of river banks too are considered for this, besides the amount of rain received in the plains. There is no flood map even for the Idukki dam, one of the highest arch dams in the continent.

The flood map and management plan have to be prepared by the CWC. State agencies too can prepare them on their own for important rivers.

The Centre for Water Resources Development and Management in Kozhikode and the National Centre for Earth Science Studies in Thiruvananthapuram have the technical know-how to prepare them. A flood map is also needed to predict the possibility of floods and make a fool-proof flood warning system.

The lack of a flood map and management plan have left state government departments and agencies without an effective flood management plan, which resulted in the current mess.