Planning the Key to Manage Flooding
The above-normal monsoons, though great news for the agrarian economy , have exposed the near-total absence of planning that has marked India's urbanisation process, and efforts to adapt to flooding of monsoon-fed rivers in rural areas. India cannot join the ranks of the developed nations without learning to manage, and not just cope with, floods.Managing excess water requires proper assessment, planning and appropriate engineering. Monsoon-fed rivers are prone to flooding during the rainy season, therefore planning should focus on how best to utilise the water and allow the surplus to drain away without causing damage. Build irrigation canals that capture the overflow. Do not allow construction that hinders drainage of surplus waters.
Improved river management systems can help regulate water flows, create ear ly warning systems, to prevent damage to life and property. But it is the increased incidence of urban flooding that exposes the absence of planning resulting in mal development. Excess rains are a problem in part because cities and towns are paved, hindering the natural flow of water. This problem is exacerbated by building towns without taking natural hydrology of the area into account. Developments have been allowed without any regard for the carrying capacity , and without the requisite infrastructure of sewage, drainage and roads. Town planners have to be taken seriously .
The incidence of extreme rainfall events is expected to increase with climate change. As the pace of urbanisation picks up, the country needs to build cities and towns that are resilient.Rural India's capacity to handle the extreme weather events too needs to be augmented. Planning works, as Orissa has shown, after the cyclone damage of 1999.
Source: Economic Times, 2-08-2016
Improved river management systems can help regulate water flows, create ear ly warning systems, to prevent damage to life and property. But it is the increased incidence of urban flooding that exposes the absence of planning resulting in mal development. Excess rains are a problem in part because cities and towns are paved, hindering the natural flow of water. This problem is exacerbated by building towns without taking natural hydrology of the area into account. Developments have been allowed without any regard for the carrying capacity , and without the requisite infrastructure of sewage, drainage and roads. Town planners have to be taken seriously .
The incidence of extreme rainfall events is expected to increase with climate change. As the pace of urbanisation picks up, the country needs to build cities and towns that are resilient.Rural India's capacity to handle the extreme weather events too needs to be augmented. Planning works, as Orissa has shown, after the cyclone damage of 1999.
Source: Economic Times, 2-08-2016
