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Home / IAS Preparation / Urban Flooding In India

Urban Flooding - Overview, Anthropogenic & Natural Cauyses, Its Impact On India & More

Last Updated on Jan 22, 2024
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Urban flooding is the flooding of land in an artificial environment, often in places with a high population density. It occurs when heavy rainfall or associated events exceed the capacity of drainage systems. In recent years, Urban Flooding in India has become a serious problem in many Indian towns. Urbanization results in developed catchments, which raise flood peaks from 1.8 to 8 times and flood volumes by up to 6 times, making urban flooding markedly different from rural flooding. As a result of the quicker flow periods, flooding in India happens extremely quickly.

Urban Flooding in India is one of the most important topics for the UPSC IAS exam. It covers a significant part of the GS paper-3 syllabus. In this article, we shall discuss in detail about overview, causes, impact and more about urban flooding.

Recent Update on Urban Flooding

  • Over the past few years, India has seen an increase in the frequency of urban flood disasters, which have severely impacted the country’s largest cities.
  • For instance, Hyderabad in 2000 and 2020, Ahmedabad in 2001 and 2020, Delhi in 2002, 2003, 2009 and 2010, Chennai in 2004 and 2015, Mumbai in 2005, Surat in 2006, Kolkata in 2007, and Srinagar in 2014 are a few of the most prominent ones.
  • According to a recent analysis on urban planning capacity in India by NITI Aayog, just 63% of the 7933 urban settlements have master plans, indicating that urban planning has not received enough attention.
  • Urban India has waterlogging frequently during the monsoon, which is a precursor to urban flooding.
  • Due to the altered weather pattern, urban flooding has also become a more frequent occurrence. This is because there has been a reduction in the number of rainy days.
  • As of 2021, the waterlogging issue has been made worse by COVID-19 because drains were not fully desilted prior to the monsoon.

You would also like to read the Water Scarcity in India here!

What is Urban Flooding?

Urban flooding refers to the inundation of land in densely populated artificial environments. During urban flooding, typically dry urban areas become submerged due to various factors, including rainfall, inadequate drainage systems, and waste buildup.This flooding occurs when heavy rainfall or related events exceed the capacity of drainage systems, and it has become a significant issue in many Indian cities in recent years.Urbanization leads to developed catchments, causing flood peaks to increase from 1.8 to 8 times and flood volumes to grow by up to 6 times, setting urban flooding apart from rural flooding. One notable characteristic of urban flooding is its rapid onset, as flooding occurs very swiftly due to shorter flow periods.

Check out the article Urbanization in India here!

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Urban Flooding in India
  • In recent times, largest cities have been severely impacted by urban flooding in India. The Mumbai Floods of 2005, Kolkata in 2007, Delhi in 2009, Bangalore in 2015, and the Hyderabad floods of 2020 are a few of the most notable instances of urban flooding.
  • During the monsoon season, flooding in India is at its worst. Flooding can occasionally also be brought on by storm surges in coastal cities.
  • Failure to discharge water from dams is another factor that can have a serious effect.
  • The urban heat island effect has also led to more rain falling over urban areas.
  • Weather patterns are shifting due to global climate change, which also causes more high-intensity rainfall events to occur more frequently and for shorter durations.
  • The problem of sea-level rise is also quite real and poses a hazard to all coastal cities.

Study in detail Natural Disasters in India with this linked article!

Causes of Urban Flooding

The causes of urban flooding can are as follows:

Natural Factors

  • Strong downpours, cyclonic storms, and thunderstorms allow water to move swiftly through paved metropolitan areas and pool in low-lying locations.
  • Urban flooding is mostly caused by hydrological reasons, such as overbank flow channel networks and high tides that prevent coastal cities from draining properly.
  • Changes in rainfall patterns brought on by climate change: According to the International Panel on Climate Change, future rainfall will be more intense, last longer, and occur more frequently.
  • The frequency of cyclonic circulations and cloud bursts is a major contributor to flash floods.

Check out the article on Cyclones in India!

Anthropogenic Factors

  • Unplanned urbanization causes overstressed city infrastructure, including drainage systems, less seepage, and encroachment by builders and contractors. It does this by causing excessive and unplanned use of the resources that are already accessible.
  • Lack of community involvement: From the planning stages to the implementation phases, there is a lack of community involvement in Indian cities. This is partly because city residents are unaware of the problem and so are government officials and members of local organizations.
  • The accumulated non-biodegradable trash, a poor waste management system, clogged storm-water drains from silt, and building debris are all serious issues.
  • Uncontrolled encroachment on waterways and wetlands: As towns and cities grew along rivers and watercourses, they were encroached upon, resulting in urban flooding during periods of heavy rainfall.
  • Poor Implementation: Despite the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) inclusion of provisions for rainwater harvesting, sustainable urban drainage systems, etc., user uptake and enforcement remain poor.Poorly implemented flood control plans, such as the Narmada River Project, which took 56 years to complete.
  • Unauthorized colonies and excessive building slow down infiltration and ground absorption and speed up and increase surface flow, which results in urban flooding.
  • Poor waste management practices: The dumping of construction debris into drains without proper collection and treatment as well as household, commercial, and industrial trash all severely lower the drainage system’s capacity
  • Lack of upkeep of the current drainage infrastructure, such as clearing the storm-water drains prior to monsoon season, causes the drainage system to malfunction and causes urban floods. Cities don’t have enough drainage infrastructure, which causes floods when there is a lot of rain.
  • Reducing Seepage: Indian cities are getting more water-resistant due to increased built-up areas as well as the types of materials being employed.
  • Pre-disaster planning is neglected: In India, post-disaster relief activities are prioritized over proactive preparations to address urban flooding
  • Deforestation: According to research published in March 2015 by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the amount of forest cover in the MMR had decreased from roughly a third of the total area in 1987 to 21% in 2015.
  • The impact of Urban Heat Island Rainfall in and around metropolitan areas has increased as a result.
  • Segregation is the primary cause of insufficient solid waste disposal. Drains become clogged as a result.

Also, study in detail bout Forest Resources here!

Impact of Urban Flooding in India

The impacts of Urban Flooding in India are as follows:

  • Transport and power disruptions result from damage to essential urban infrastructure.
  • Loss of life and property damage.
  • Exposure to aquatic and vector-borne illnesses increases the risk of epidemics.
  • Decline in the quality of the water.
  • Economic losses brought on by supply chain disruptions, industrial activity, etc.
  • Population displacement in low-lying areas.
  • Short circuit-related mishaps and fires.

Suggestive Measures: Diminution of Urban Floods

Steps taken to mitigate Urban Flooding are as follows:

  • Framework and Contacts for Early Warning: It is necessary to distribute flood alerts utilizing a variety of modern technologies. Whereas traditional systems struggle, this will help transmit information in real-time.
  • Protection of water sources: Urban water bodies, such as ponds, tanks, and reservoirs, are crucial for reducing stormwater runoff and managing urban flooding because they collect it.
  • Urban Drainage System Design and Maintenance: It’s critical to carefully maintain the drainage system to prevent water from accumulating in one spot. Solid trash exacerbates hydraulic roughness by causing blockages and overall lowering flow capacity. These drains must be regularly cleaned in order to permit the free passage of water.
  • Rainwater collection: Because of urbanization, groundwater recycling has decreased, but peak runoff from rainfall and related flooding has grown. It will be possible to achieve the twin goals of reducing peak runoff and increasing groundwater level. In India, a number of local corporations have already made collecting rainwater mandatory.
  • Government initiatives like the Smart Cities Mission and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) can go a long way in helping civic authorities to plan cities keeping flood risks in mind. Further, residential and commercial stakeholders can be further motivated to install green infrastructure options like rain gardens, green roofs, and rainwater harvesting systems.
  • The general population must also be aware of the risks associated with purchasing homes in low-lying areas or next to floodplains, in addition to the government adopting these actions.Three

Phases for Managing Urban Flooding

  • Prepare for a reduction in urban flooding during the pre-monsoon phase.
  • Early Warning Response and Management for the Monsoon Phase
  • Planning and carrying out relief

Restoration and Rehabilitation During the Post-Monsoon Phase

The NDMA offers recommendations for managing urban flooding effectively. The State’s Nodal Department and ULB’s Urban Flood Cell have a plan of the action thanks to these rules.

Study in detail about Water Harvesting Structure here!

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Guidelines on Urban Flooding

  • The Ministry of Urban Development is the nodal ministry for Urban Flooding in India
  • The two most important key provisions of the guidelines are Early Warning System and Communication
  • To provide early warnings in all urban centers, and to establish a national hydro-meteorological network.
  • To establish a “Local Network Cell” at the IMD headquarters to create local networks for the collecting of real-time rainfall data.
  • Create a framework for rainfall forecasting for urban areas based on watersheds and subdivide cities and towns according to watersheds.
  • Assessments of the flood risk should be based on future projections of rainfall intensity, duration, and changes in land use.
  • To develop an inventory of the current stormwater drainage system based on watersheds and wards.
  • All major drains must be desilted prior to the monsoon by March 31 each year.
  • Rainwater harvesting must be a standard feature of every construction in an urban area.
  • Planning for public parks will include the Rain Garden concept.
  • Water and solid waste management interactions and integrated planning.

Study in detail about National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) here!

Way Forward
  • Drainage Management: A precise statement of the emergency drainage plan and watershed management should be included in policy and legislation.
  • Construction of Sponge Cities: A sponge city is designed to increase a city’s ability to absorb and use the water that falls upon it. Rainwater is absorbed by sponge cities, where it is organically filtered by the soil before entering metropolitan aquifers.
  • Wetland management needs to be prioritized, and local communities need to be included.
  • Holistic Management: The municipal authorities cannot control urban floods of this magnitude by themselves. Without coordinated and targeted investments of time, effort, and money, flooding cannot be controlled.
  • Water Sensitive Urban Design: These techniques include geography, surface types (permeable or impermeable), natural drainage, and environmental effect to a very low degree.
  • Government Initiatives: Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), and Smart Cities Mission.

Testbook provides a set of comprehensive notes for different competitive exams. Testbook is always on the top of the list because of its best quality assured products like live tests, mocks, Content pages, GK and current affairs videos, and much more. To study more topics from Environment India for UPSC, download the Testbook App now!

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Urban Flooding in India FAQs

"An overflow of a huge body of water over areas not typically inundated" is known as a flood.

Urban flooding is the flooding of land in an artificial environment, often in places with a high population density. It occurs when heavy rainfall or associated events exceed the capacity of drainage systems.

Urban Flooding is caused by various factors, some of them are Unplanned urbanization, Lack of community involvement, the accumulation of non-biodegradable trash, poor waste management system, and clogged storm-water drains from silt.

The effects of Urban Flooding in India are Transport and power disruptions, loss of life, damage to property, and decline in quality of water.

Yes, Urban Flooding is considered a disaster.
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