Urban Flooding

Floods in urban areas differs greatly from flooding in rural areas because developed catchments result from urbanisation. As a result of the quicker flow periods, flooding happens extremely quickly. Urban regions are heavily populated, and residents of susceptible locations suffer as a result of flooding, which can occasionally result in fatalities. In addition to the primary event of flooding, the secondary consequence of infection exposure also takes a toll on people’s well-being, loss of way of life, and  loss of life itself. 

• In recent years, urban flooding has become a typical occurrence in India. A number of million cities in the country, including Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Bengaluru, have suffered catastrophic flooding situations over the past few years. The latest victim of flooding is Hyderabad and Pune. According to recent studies, more than fifty per cent of smart cities in India are prone to floods.
• Poor urban planning, usurping of natural water bodies, lack of preparedness, inefficient infrastructure coupled with unusually high rainfall due to the impact of climate change were some of the reasons for the recent floods in Hyderabad.
• The number of natural water bodies in Hyderabad has drastically reduced over the past few decades, which has been a major reason for flooding in Hyderabad.
• In the case of Pune, another smart city in India, the major reasons for flooding are unchecked and spreading construction activities and the destruction of natural water bodies, hills and mountains. The main water stream of Pune, which is Ambil Odha, has drastically suffered a reduction in its width and depth.

Some of the Most Common Reasons for Frequent Flooding in Urban India are as below: 

• Inadequate drainage infrastructure: Cities like Hyderabad and Mumbai rely on a century-old drainage system that only covers a small portion of the central metropolis.
• Terrain alteration: Property developers, property owners, and government agencies have flattened the ground and altered natural drainage routes, causing lasting damage to the city.
• Reducing seepage: Cities in India are getting increasingly water-resistant, not only as the population grows but also due to the materials employed (hard, a non-porous construction material that makes the soil impervious).
• Lax implementation: Even though rainwater harvesting, sustainable urban drainage systems, and other provisions are included in regulatory frameworks such as the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), adoption by users and enforcement agencies remains low.

Urban planners around the world have a significant issue due to the rising tendency of urban floods. Urban floods can cause a variety of issues, from little problems to significant problems, which can cause cities to flood for several days or for only a few hours. As a result, the effects could be significant and wide-ranging, causing temporary relocations of people, harm to public amenities, worsening of water quality, and the possibility of epidemics.