Understanding and tackling urban floods in India

This article is authored by Ramanath Jha, ORF.

Given their frequent recurrence in Indian cities, the problem of urban flooding is gaining focus in policy discussions. Indeed, urban floods can cause massive loss of infrastructure, property, and lives, and have a substantial economic impact. To ensure they remain functional and secure, Indian cities must tackle the issue of floods by examining the urban over-densification problem and adopting innovative mitigation measures with the technical and financial support of the central and state governments.

An inundated area amid floods after heavy rainfall in the aftermath of Cyclone Michaung, in Chennai.(PTI)

The term urban floods refer to instances when a city receives massive levels of water due to heavy precipitation or other causes (such as rapid snowmelt or a storm surge caused by a cyclone or tsunami), which lead to the submergence of parts of or the entire city, and is coupled with the inability of the city infrastructure to drain the water quickly enough (or deal with it in other ways) to prevent inundation. The climate crisis and rising temperatures have intensified the overflow of rivers and lakes, snowmelt, storm surges (such as hurricanes and cyclones), and abnormally heavy rains. This, coupled with locational vulnerabilities, have resulted in increased instances of urban flooding. Flood incidents disrupt normal life, cause economic dislocation, destroy infrastructure, and may even result in the loss of lives. In recent decades, many Indian cities, both big and small, have had to contend with flood incidents, with larger cities such as Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru facing floods nearly every year.

This brief examines the issue of urban floods in India and globally, and recommends policy measures to tackle the problem.

The paper can be accessed by clicking here.

This article is authored by Ramanath Jha, ORF.