Urban Flooding in India: A Crisis of Outdated Planning in a Changing Climate
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Environment & Ecology (Climate Change, Extreme Weather Events); Disaster Management; Geography of India (Indian Monsoon, Urbanization).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 1 (Geography/Society): Urbanization, their problems and their remedies; Important Geophysical phenomena such as floods.
General Studies Paper 3 (Disaster Management & Environment): Disaster and disaster management (specifically Urban Flooding as a man-made disaster); Environmental pollution and degradation; Climate Change.
Key Highlights from the News
The article argues that the main reason for increasing urban flooding in Indian cities is outdated planning, designed for "a climate that no longer exists."
Due to climate change, changes in rainfall timings and increased intensity are causing urban drainage systems to fail.
The main challenge is short-duration, high-intensity rainfall.
To overcome this crisis, the article proposes three main suggestions:
Incorporate sub-daily rainfall analysis into urban planning, considering intense rainfall over hours.
Implement cleaning of storm water drains and solid waste management simultaneously and in a coordinated manner.
Update Intensity, Duration, Frequency (IDF) curves every 5-10 years, according to changing rainfall patterns, which include data on rainfall intensity, duration, and frequency.
COMMENTS