Urban floods

Context: flood warning system iFLOWS(integrated flood

warning system) launched in Mumbai. It predicts floods 3
days before they happen based on the data provided by
NCMRWF, IMD , IITM
NEED: According to the Global Report on Internal
Displacement 2020, nearly 5 million were displaced in india in
2019 due to SW monsoon & cyclones and 2019 monsoon was
the wettest in 25 years.
PYQ - 2016

 It is an Integrated Flood Warning system to enhance the resilience of Mumbai by

providing early warning for flooding specially during high rainfall events and
cyclones.
 Developed by: Ministry of Earth Sciences 
 Significance: Mumbai will be the second city to get such a warning system in India
after Chennai.

DEFINITION: Flood is defined as “an overflow of a large body of water over

areas not usually inundated”. Thus, flooding in urban areas is caused by
intense and/or prolonged rainfall, which overwhelms the capacity of the
drainage system.
Urban flooding Vs Rural flooding:

- Risk 3 times
- Flooding very quick due to peak flow
- Affects large nod of people due to high population density

Causes: MHA

M for Meteorological - Heavy rainfall, cyclonic storms and thunderstorms

H for Hydrological - high tides in coastal cities, river bank overflow

A for Anthropogenic –

1. Unplanned Urbanization is the key cause: blocking of natural

drainage pathways, encroachment of catchment areas, riverbeds,
lakebeds. As a result, Reduced infiltration due to paving of surfaces
which decreases ground absorption and increases the speed and
amount of surface flow
2. Climate change: various anthropogenic events has led to extreme
weather events – cloud bursts,
3. Drainage system- Old and ill maintained
4. Poor solid waste management- clogging of storm water drains

Impacts: on HEET

H for humans- Loss of life & injury, Increased stress & psychological trauma,
Rise in mosquito borne diseases

E for environment- Loss of tree cover, Impact on animals in zoo, stray

animals

E for economy-

 Damage to buildings, roads and other infrastructures

 Disruptions to industrial production
 Disruptions to utility supplies
 Impact on heritage or archaeological site
 Post-disaster rescue and rehabilitation adds to financial burden of the
government

T for transportation and communication-

 Increased traffic congestion, disruption in rail services

 Disruption in communication- on telephone, internet cables

Notable urban flooding events:

 2015 Chennai

2017 Mumbai, Bengaluru

National Disaster Management (NDMA) Guidelines on Urban Flood

Management: issued in 2010
1. To create a National Hydro-meteorological Network by CWC

2. Use of Doppler Weather Radars to be expanded to cover all urban

areas in the country
3. All future road and rail bridges in cities crossing drains to be designed
such that they do not block the flows resulting in backwater effect
4. Every building in an urban area must have rainwater harvesting as an
integral component of the building
5. Low-lying areas in cities have to be reserved for parks and other low-
impact human activities
6. Pre-monsoon desilting of all major drains to be completed by March
31 each year.
7. Suitable interventions in the drainage system like traps, trash racks
can be provided to reduce the amount of solid waste going into the
storm sewers
8. Concept of Rain Gardens to be incorporated in planning for public
parks and on-site storm water management for larger colonies

Measures to address urban flooding:

 Better forecasting of rainfall events; timely dissemination of information

to the mass. Ex: Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has installed 60
automatic weather stations for recording the rainfall every 15 minutes.
This information is disseminated through the GMDMA (Greater Mumbai
Disaster Management Authority) web portal in real-time during the
monsoon.
 Drainage & SWM: Installation of proper, functional drainage system &
Proper solid waste management system
 Utilising International best practices: Develop ‘sponge’ cities in line with
cities in China (replacing concrete pavements with porous pavements ),
‘Mobile Walls’ like in Germany
 Rain water harvesting and other check measures: artificial recharge
trenches, retention basins, deepening of ponds and lakes.
 Sustainable usage of land: Low-lying areas in cities have to be reserved
for parks and other low-impact human activities, Restrict encroachments
& proper implementation of Coastal Regulation Zone rules
 Policy making and city planning: Each city should have their Flood
mitigation plans strongly embedded within the master plan of the city.

Conclusion: Floods have become a more common phenomenon in the wake

of the climate change and unorganised urban development has worsened the
situation. India has to learn its lessons from recent floods, in Assam, Bihar,
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. Need to address underlying causes and
take effective corrective steps.