Extreme water events are affecting cities in various parts of the world. During rainy seasons or in the event of typhoons or cyclones, the sudden inflows of large volumes of rainwater into cities, combined with inadequate preparedness of administrative agencies, result in injuries, loss of lives, and damage to property. This brief examines excess-rainwater-related incidents in select global cities, reviews innovative practices for managing flooding and related calamities, and offers recommendations for better management of rainwater in India. It emphasises the need for strengthening rainwater resilience in cities.
The students created a water-level surveillance system to preserve water by decreasing waste and encouraging rainwater collection. (Photo by Amritanshu Sikdar on Unsplash)
Cities are generally not designed nor adequately prepared to absorb the water and channel it properly, especially during extreme weather events that cause excessive inflows. This can often lead to a disaster. The challenge has intensified in the recent years, as a result of worsening climate change.
The water received from rains, and other sources such as breaches in river or canal embankments, can inundate large areas of a city and disrupt daily life. Due to the resultant flooding and waterlogging, mobility is restricted and civic activities could come to a standstill for prolonged periods. It also leads to overflowing drains, power outages, damage to property, roads, infrastructure, and vegetation; physical injuries, and loss of lives. Although every city has a drainage system to channel water to treatment plants and surface water bodies, there is evidence that existing systems are failing to cope with the large inflows.
This brief seeks to provide a strategy for India for mitigating the adverse impacts of extreme rainfall. It is based on a review of recent rainfall-related incidents in cities of India and Spain, as well as the United Arab Emirates (the UAE). It outlines lessons from the innovative methods applied in Shanghai and Rotterdam to manage the excessive inflow of rainwater in congested cities.
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