Flood-related damage can be reduced if early alert systems are in place.
For more than 15 years now, Indian cities have been failing the monsoon test. This year, several parts of Delhi have been submerged on more than one day, Guwahati has faced a crippling flood, and last week, torrential rains brought lives to a standstill in several parts of Maharashtra, including Pune and Mumbai. All these cities have distinct geographical features. However, there are at least three things that are common to their flood-related woes: Outdated drainage systems that cannot take the stress of more than normal rainfall, planning that does not account for local hydrology and civic agencies whose role seems limited to organising relief and rescue. Maximum casualties are caused by overflowing nullahs, incidents of wall or building collapse and electrocution. In Pune, for instance, three people lost their lives after receiving an electric shock in a waterlogged part of the city. On July 22, a 26-year-old civil services aspirant was electrocuted in an inundated street in the national capital — the National Human Rights Commission has asked Delhi’s chief secretary, Commissioner of Police and the head of the city’s power distribution company to submit a detailed report on the incident.
Climate change, it’s now well known, has increased the intensity of extreme weather events. Pune and Mumbai received nearly 45 per cent excess rainfall on Thursday and Friday, last week. Maharashtra’s capital does have a Climate Action Plan and a similar project is reportedly underway in the state’s second largest city. The problem is that there has been very little conversation on institutional mechanisms to make Indian cities climate resilient. Mumbai’s Climate Action Plan does mention the need for a collaborative mechanism involving the industry, academia and civil society organisations. However, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation — the plan’s nodal agency — is yet to get its act going. The country’s richest municipality, which administers a city whose climate vulnerabilities have been underlined by more than one IPCC report, has not had elections in the past two years.
Flood-related damage can be reduced if early alert systems are in place. Flood prone Buenos Aires, for example, has installed sensors in over 30,000 stormwater drains to issue flood warnings much in advance. Indian cities will, of course, need to have their own mix of natural and technological solutions. They will need to start with the basics: Stormwater drain improvement projects in most Indian cities, including Mumbai and Pune, have progressed in fits and starts. The country’s latest monsoon woes are a signal that such projects cannot be put off.
