Urban flooding - Question of Cities

Dehradun: Infrastructure development or the
ghost of greed?

The aggressive push for infrastructure projects – specifically the Char Dham Yatra road, Dehradun’s airport expansion, and an elevated corridor to Mussoorie – threaten the fragile ecology of the Himalayan region. Despite studies advising caution, the government pushes ahead with…

Gurgaon and its private
city-making model crumble. What next?

Promoted as a haven of urbanisation and India’s showcase of private entities building a city, Gurgaon turned out to be a case study of the limitations and shortcomings of this model. Barely two-three decades later, the cracks are showing. Perennial…

Research: How local communities can assert voice in mapping

Marginalised urban communities bear disproportionate impacts of climate change with heat stress, floods and so on, but they are hardly consulted in the formal climate action plans. Community-led climate mapping and action can actively shape local understanding of climate change…

‘Developing countries are struggling to get climate-related finance’

As the global powers work out the finance needed to address devastating climate change impacts in the developing world, for which the developed world is largely responsible, the focus has to be within India too. What kind of resources are…

Rain anxiety trumps the ‘spirit of Mumbai’ for millions

For many in Mumbai who lived through or know of the devastating flood on July 26-27, 2005, every monsoon brings back the nightmare. Those living in informal settlements, the homeless, the millions of commuters, show great anxiety about a possible…

Karachi, choking on plastic, searches for solutions as climate impact looms

Plastic pollution and urban flooding go hand in hand. In 2022, catastrophic floods in Karachi claimed many lives and devastated the city. Even as climate change increased the frequency and intensity of rain, the widespread misuse of plastic was reportedly…

The green does not have to lose the battle to the grey in our cities

Large swathes of green cover are being cleared to make way for construction and infrastructure across cities in India. Trees are being cut, large canopies felled, old trees badly and unscientifically pruned. Urban plans and projects do not take trees…

Climate justice eludes the displaced from Karachi’s Orangi Nala

After the heavy floods in 2020, the decision to remove illegal settlements along one of Karachi’s streams, Orangi Nala, to make way for water was a double blow to the residents. Three years later, they await justice. With climate-related catastrophes…

‘We are scared that the polluted Mithi might flood again’

As Mumbai’s most prominent river and natural drainage channel, the Mithi has mostly been struggling to flow despite the restoration work after the destructive 2005 floods. The pollution, concretisation and encroachment that led to Mithi’s pathetic state have also impacted…

Frequent flood hazards show the downside of urbanisation

The northern hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and the north-eastern state of Assam have been reeling under massive floods this monsoon. The large-scale destruction all around, and the loss of lives and property, exceeded what has come to…