Urban flooding: Poor planning to blame

Flooding is a significant issue, affecting not just riverbeds but major cities in India. The country receives 80 per cent of its annual rainfall during the monsoon season from June to September.

- Dhurjati Mukherjee

Environmentalists are worried about frequent heavy rains in short periods. They attribute these extreme weather patterns to climate change and warming seas that carry more moisture, causing intense and unpredictable rainfall.

Urban flooding is rising due to multiple factors, partly climate change, and partly poor planning. While total rainfall hasn’t changed much over the decade, it’s now falling in fewer hours, making it harder for cities to cope.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN's climate science body, India is projected to be one of the most vulnerable regions to escalating heatwaves, humid heat stress, and other extreme weather events in a 1.5 degree C warmer world -- threats that could bring irreversible consequences. Added to this, is the occurrence of erratic rainfall and early monsoons that have been observed over many years. However, what has changed is the intensity and concentration of rainfall in short periods.