{"id":43875,"date":"2025-05-22T20:19:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T14:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=43875"},"modified":"2025-05-22T20:19:48","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T14:49:48","slug":"urban-flooding-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-05-2025\/urban-flooding-2","title":{"rendered":"Urban Flooding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Urbanisation and related challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Bengaluru <\/strong>rain has led to<strong> widespread waterlogging<\/strong>, severe damages and traffic disruptions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Environmentalists and water conservationists have flagged the<strong> poor status of the city\u2019s current drainage system, <\/strong>which is outdated and ill-equipped to handle the city\u2019s current population and rainfall intensity.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are Floods?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Floods are the most frequent type of natural disaster and occur when <strong>an overflow of water submerges land that is usually dry.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Types of Floods<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Flash floods<\/strong> are caused by rapid and excessive rainfall that raises water heights quickly, and rivers, streams, channels or roads may be overtaken.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>River floods<\/strong> are caused when consistent rain or snow melt forces a river to exceed capacity.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coastal floods<\/strong> are caused by storm surges associated with tropical cyclones and tsunamis.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Urban flooding<\/strong> occurs as a result of land development. Permeable soil layers are being replaced by impermeable paved surfaces, through which water cannot infiltrate.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This leads to greater runoff being generated, which can make rivers out of roadways and ponds out of car parks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Causes of Urban Flooding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Heavy or intense rainfall in a short period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blocked or undersized drainage systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Encroachment of natural drains, lakes, or wetlands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Loss of green cover, leading to reduced water absorption.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rapid urbanization without proper planning or zoning regulations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outdated infrastructure that can\u2019t handle current population or rainfall levels.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Solutions to Mitigate Urban Flooding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Upgrading and maintaining stormwater drainage infrastructure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Protecting and restoring wetlands, lakes, and natural waterways.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Promoting green infrastructure: rain gardens, green roofs, permeable pavements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Implementing urban planning policies to prevent construction on flood-prone areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rainwater harvesting and better solid waste management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban): <\/strong>While primarily focused on sanitation, this mission also emphasizes solid waste management and pollution control, which contribute to preventing waterlogging and flooding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National smart cities mission: <\/strong>It promotes the measures to manage urban flooding through rainwater harvesting, green spaces and proper drainage system.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT): <\/strong>The Mission focuses on developing basic urban infrastructure in cities and towns, particularly in the areas of <strong>water supply<\/strong>, <strong>sewerage and septage management<\/strong>, and <strong>stormwater drainage<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Guidelines and Regulations: <\/strong>The government has issued guidelines for sustainable urban development, encouraging the incorporation of features like permeable pavements, green roofs, and retention ponds to enhance water absorption.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Global Models Related to Mitigating Urban Flooding<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Singapore<\/strong>, a global leader in <strong>managing urban flooding despite its high rainfall and dense urban environment.<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>China \u2013 &#8220;Sponge Cities&#8221; Initiative<\/strong><br>1. <strong>Challenge: <\/strong>Urban flooding due to rapid city expansion and impermeable surfaces.<br>2. <strong>Solution: <\/strong>Cities designed to absorb and reuse rainwater like sponges.<br>&#8211; <strong>United States \u2013 New York City (Post-Hurricane Sandy)<\/strong><br>1. <strong>Challenge: <\/strong>Severe coastal flooding from hurricanes and storm surges.<br>2. <strong>Solution: <\/strong>The \u201cBig U\u201d project in Manhattan.<br>3. Raised parks, floodwalls, berms, and green infrastructure wrapping around the city.<br>4. Multi-functional public spaces that act as flood barriers.<br>&#8211; <strong>Japan \u2013 Tokyo\u2019s Underground Floodwater System<\/strong><br>1. <strong>Challenge:<\/strong> Flooding from typhoons and river overflows in a dense urban area.<br>2. <strong>Solution: <\/strong>Built the world\u2019s largest underground flood diversion system.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Combining engineering solutions, smart urban planning, real-time technologies, and community participation is key to building flood-resilient cities and effectively mitigating the challenge of urban flooding in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/bengaluru-rains-frequent-flooding-waterlogging-10019529\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Bengaluru rain has led to widespread waterlogging, severe damages and traffic disruptions.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Types of Floods<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Flash floods are caused by rapid and excessive rainfall that raises water heights quickly, and rivers, streams, channels or roads may be overtaken.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">River floods are caused when consistent rain or snow melt forces a river to exceed capacity.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Coastal floods are caused by storm surges associated with tropical cyclones and tsunamis.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Urban flooding occurs as a result of land development. Permeable soil layers are being replaced by impermeable paved surfaces, through which water cannot infiltrate.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-05-2025\/urban-flooding-2\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43875"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43875\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43899,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43875\/revisions\/43899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}