Recent urban flooding in India has increasingly become a big problem for India, with several states having witnessed rainfall over 20% higher than the average this monsoon season. This is partly because of the climate crisis. Over 64% of Indian sub-districts have been seeing more heavy rainfall days in the last decade than in the previous three decades. Although this problem is exacerbated by human activities, poorly conceived land-use policies and inefficient handling of solid wastes, in addition to insufficient stormwater drainage systems, contribute to increased water runoff and waterlogging in urban areas.
Indian cities need to change from a reactive system of flood risk management to a proactive approach to avoid these kinds of cities experiencing the hazard of urban flooding. It requires a redesign of the patterns of rainwater, renovated stormwater infrastructures, and determination of prone-to-flood areas through comprehensive risk assessments. With year-round and risk-informed water planning, India’s urban areas can better safeguard lives, livelihoods, and investments in urban infrastructure against floods.
| GS Paper | General Studies III |
| Topics for UPSC Prelims | Urban flooding, Extreme weather events, Eco-sensitive zones, Climate change, Malaria, Leptospirosis, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), Amrit Sarovar Mission, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 |
| Topics for UPSC Mains | Factors Behind Increased Urban Flooding in India, Major Impacts of Urban Flooding. |
This editorial is based on “Mitigating risks, impact of flooding in the cities,” published in Hindustan Times on 07/05/2024. The article highlights the pressing issue of urban flooding in India, exacerbated by climate change and poor urban planning. It emphasizes the need for proactive, risk-informed flood management to safeguard cities from increasing flood threats.
For UPSC students, understanding the causes and impacts of urban flooding, as well as the strategies for effective flood management, is vital for GS Paper 3 (Disaster Management). This topic is relevant for both Prelims and Mains and provides insights into urban planning, environmental sustainability, and disaster risk reduction. It also helps in developing an analytical perspective on current urban challenges and policy measures.
Urban flooding has gained significant attention recently due to its increasing frequency and severity in Indian cities, driven by climate change and rapid urbanization. For UPSC aspirants, understanding urban flooding is critical as it intersects with disaster management, urban planning, and climate change—key areas in GS Paper 3. Previous UPSC questions have focused on flooding in major cities and lasting remedial measures, making this topic highly relevant for comprehensive exam preparation.
Urban flooding is an overflow of land or property in crowded areas due to heavy rain, rivers overflowing, bad drainage systems, or other water-related accidents. Unlike floods in rural areas, urban flooding makes the problem worse as impervious surfaces within cities, such as roads and pavements, are built and prevent water from being absorbed into the ground.
Heavy rainfalls, poor drainage, and impervious surfaces in the city are the main causes of urban flooding. People also don’t have adequate water absorption areas; the water gets collected in one place and is accelerated as surface runoff. Overwhelmed drainage further worsens the condition, thus causing significant flooding in the urban areas.
Consequences: The impacts of urban flooding are numerous. They vary from waterlogging and dislocation of transportation systems to widespread infrastructural degradation and health hazards. These may cripple life in cities, resulting in economic losses and posing severe health risks.
The main causes of increased flooding in Indian cities are rapid urbanization and climate change. Owing to this, the cities have become so large that the natural surfaces are not able to absorb excessive water, leading to an increase in surface runoff. As a result of old drainage systems and more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events, the risk due to floods has gone up considerably.
Rapid urbanization has come along with concretization to the extent that water is very little absorbed, leading to significantly increased runoff. For example, the built-up areas in Mumbai have increased drastically, meaning that the flood risk is significantly amplified, largely because of drainage overflows and minimal natural absorption.
Obsolete drainage systems, conceived decades ago, don’t cut ice to deal with present population densities and intensities of the rainfall. The system causes frequent flooding because the population and intensity of rain have increased.
Climate change causes heavy rainfall, which always leads to more frequent and catastrophic weather events. For instance, Chennai had record-breaking rainfall by any measurement that caused catastrophic floods and overwhelmed even the existing infrastructure.
Lakes, ponds, and wetlands are considered ‘flood buffers’. Encroachment of natural water bodies at the hands of urbanization reduced the ‘flood management capacity’ of Bengaluru. Largely, Bengaluru has lost its water bodies. Hence, the city has lost its flood management capacity.
Unregulated construction in environmentally sensitive areas like hill slopes creates problems in natural water flow regimes and accelerates landslide possibilities. However, dehradun and Shimla are just a few cities that suffer heavily from the consequences of unplanned development.
Improper disposal of solid waste causes clogging of the drains, and subsequently, the capacity of water flowing comes down. The generation of waste in rapid urbanization has increased but improper collection and treatment worsen the case of flooding.
Cities like Mumbai have higher vulnerabilities toward sea level rise and land subsidence, causing a higher risk of flooding. According to reports, the intensity of floods in Mumbai is likely to increase much more by the year 2050.
Urban flooding includes both varying and intense impacts on cities. These include economic instability and health issues for the public, distortion of means of transport, as well as erosion of cultural heritages. Moreover, this type of flooding causes severe destruction to infrastructure and disrupts everyday life in a way not suitable for long-term inhabiting in an urban context.
Urban floods result in heavy destruction of the economy, distort businesses, damage infrastructure, and incur long-term setbacks concerning financial dealings. For instance, the 2005 Mumbai floods incurred an economic loss of USD 2 billion, thus indicating a major financial loss in such a scenario.
Floodwaters are usually contaminated with the effluents of sewages and industries, leading to waterborne diseases. The Patna floods of 2019, for example, saw immense outbreaks of malaria and diarrhea that indicated how the floods create health hazards in the urban parts of the city.
Floods paralyze transport networks, resulting in low productivity and economic loss. For example, the 2022 Bengaluru flood resulted in IT companies losing millions of dollars as employees could not report to work.
Slum dwellers and the poor majority remain amongst the highest hit in cases of urban floods. The 2005 floods in Mumbai found the worst devastations in slum areas, leading to the exacerbation of socio-economic inequalities and maintaining the poverty cycle.
Recurring floods cause extreme psychological effects among residents. Among the flood-affected populations, huge numbers are diagnosed with PTSD and other serious mental health disturbances, affecting productivity and social cohesion.
Urban flooding is known to pose a significant threat to cultural heritage sites, which reflect the city’s identity and are a source of tourism. That was what happened exactly when, in 2019, Hampi experienced flooding, extending massive damage to this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The government has initiated several programs to mitigate the risks and impacts of urban flooding. These initiatives aim to enhance water conservation, improve urban infrastructure, and manage flood risks more effectively.
The government must innovate and take sustainable measures for urban flood management in India. This will involve nature-based solutions, integrating smart technologies, and getting communities involved in flood management.
| Political: Policies like Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Amrit Sarovar Mission, and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 are political recognition and response to urban flooding. These policies envision high-order management of water resources along with that of urban planning but pose the challenge of effective implementation. Economic: After urban flooding, the loss is extremely economic in the sense of physical infrastructure and business activities. For example, losses of billions of rupees occurred in the 2005 Mumbai and 2015 Chennai floods, which affected the economy’s safety and growth. Social: It is the socioeconomically poor and, more so, those in informal settlements who suffer most from urban floods. Psychological consequences are leading to increased PTSD cases and other mental disorders, hence a critical need for community-oriented resilience strategies. Technological: The application of smart IoT technologies for the smart management of storm waters in “Sponge Cities,” which innovate design within cities to better handle rainwater, can easily be introduced. Environmental: Natural loss and increased impervious surfaces speed up the risk of flooding. Environmental impact features have to be factored in urban planning, through green architecture and the revival of wetlands in the urban setting, which has always been known to restore ecological balance and mitigate risks of flooding. Legal: Regulatory measures must be altered with the increase in problems triggered by climate change and rapid urbanization. Flood resilience must be added to building codes, while controls through zoning laws can be enhanced to prevent development to flood-prone areas. |
Rapid urbanization and adverse impacts of climate change precipitated urban flooding in India, which created tremendous economic damage and health-related and infrastructure loss. In contrast, positive measurements entail adopting “Sponge City” concepts, integration of smart stormwater systems, revival of wetlands, and flood-resilient architectural development. Community-led initiatives can further enhance resilience to safeguard the city.
| UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs) Mains Q.Discuss the frequency of earthquakes in the Indian subcontinent and evaluate India’s preparedness for mitigating their impact. (GS Paper III, 2015) Q. Define eco-sensitive zones and discuss their significance in environmental conservation. How can development in such areas be balanced with the need for economic growth? Provide suitable examples. |
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