Firm up action plan to tame flood fury

THE ongoing monsoon season has witnessed above-normal rainfall across the country, in line with the forecast of the India Meteorological Department. There has been heavy rainfall in many states, with hilly regions reporting rain-triggered disasters like landslides and flashfloods.

The Himalayan belt — Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir — has seen persistent, widespread and intense rainfall. One of the worst disasters of the season has occurred at Dharali in Uttarkashi district, where flashfloods supposedly caused by a cloudburst have led to the loss of lives and property. It is a grim reminder of the danger of unbridled development in the ecologically fragile region.

In the plains too, the monsoon is causing havoc, with major cities reporting flooding of roads, casualties and collapse of old structures. Social media is flooded with images of killer traffic jams due to waterlogging; cars and trucks going down in sink holes on city roads and highways; schoolchildren and office-goers stranded for long hours; and tragic incidents such as electrocution.

Some newly built airport buildings have not withstood incessant rains. Affected cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai are hubs of significant economic activity and centres of outsourcing activities.

Brushing aside rain-related impacts as ‘nature’s fury’ would be fallacious. What Indian cities are experiencing during the monsoon is an accumulated and combined result of poor urban planning, neglect of basic infrastructure, violation of municipal regulations, erosion of green and open areas, large-scale concretisation, etc. On top of all this we have climate change — which itself is a man-made phenomenon. For decades, scientists have been warning of a rise in extreme rainfall events as a result of climate change.

An extreme weather event occurs when the amount of rain or snow experienced in one location substantially exceeds the normal quantum, as is happening in many of our cities. The average rainfall for a city or region may remain within the normal range, but some days or places get high rainfall in a short time, resulting in waterlogging and local flooding.

The situation is only going to worsen as India is urbanising at a rapid pace. Nearly one billion Indians would be living in cities by 2050, as per current projections. But Indian cities will be unable to reach their full potential if they stay on their current development trajectory, warns a recent report from the World Bank. Indian cities, according to the report, are highly vulnerable to climate impacts due to high human density and massive concentration assets. Cities are facing higher climate impacts and disasters compared to villages as they depend on highly interconnected systems. When key infrastructure like a highway or electricity grid breaks down, it can cause a chain reaction resulting in cascading infrastructure failure and paralysing the city. Flooding can cause road closure and disrupt traffic flow, affect electricity lines and lead to economic losses, as being seen currently.

Going by the monsoon chaos every year, it is clear that our cities are ill-prepared for the twin challenges of further urbanisation and climate change. They have limited capacity to manage these impacts. Their planning and management systems are unable to keep pace with rapid urbanisation, climate impacts and the demand for development and services.

The existing systems are outmoded — in many cases, they date back to the British and princely eras. For instance, the drainage and stormwater system for Hyderabad was designed a century ago by Sir M Visvesvaraya for a population of about five lakh. The system was considered modern at that time and accounted for future growth and concerns like aesthetics and urban planning. Hyderabad was considered a city of lakes and gardens with a well-connected natural drainage system. All this has got destroyed due to rapid expansion of physical infrastructure and high density of population. The result is flooding.

This is pretty much the story of every major Indian city. Many cities are along the coast or in the floodplains of major and minor rivers. Urbanisation increases impermeability, making areas with previously low flood risk prone to flooding. Cities are encroaching upon floodplains. Between 1985 and 2015, built-up or settlement area grew by 82 per cent in flood-safe areas and 102 per cent in high flood-risk areas, according to the World Bank report. Stormwater-related or pluvial (surface water) flooding risk is projected to rise manifold due to the combined effect of climate change and urbanisation.

The solution lies in preparing our cities to be climate-resilient. For this, we need city-specific climate action plans. At present, these efforts are fragmented. All states have generic state action plans, most of which are poorly implemented or just remain on paper. The challenges of urban areas are varied, requiring an integrated approach. Specific strategies need to be devised to address urban flooding, based on the local risk profile. Similar action plans are needed for hilly areas.

Cities need watershed-based flood protection plans to regulate floodplain development and stormwater management. Urban authorities must prioritise investments in drains and flood embankments, and in protection or creation of open spaces that can absorb flood water or sustainable urban drainage systems. Chennai has made a start in developing a city-specific Climate Action Plan based on risk assessment. Kolkata is working on a flood forecasting and early warning system.

Climate action plans for cities can’t work without related governance reforms. At present, multiple agencies handle issues related to flood protection, urban planning, drainage, etc. often working at cross-purposes. In addition, government agencies will have to work with scientists, civil society and businesses to draw and implement climate action plans. There are no easy solutions to urban flooding or continuing disasters in the hills.

Dinesh C Sharma is a science commentator.

Comments