Imagine Indian cities without any waterlogging, flooding problems

Last December, Chennai and its suburbs received abnormally heavy rain that exposed not only the creaking public infrastructure but also the administration’s lack of planning in allowing construction of multi-storey buildings over natural drainage systems such as lakes or canals. In its smart city plans, Chennai has drawn up proposals for flood mitigation, solid waste management, non-motorised transport, smart parking management and improved water supply and drainage systems. The city has chosen T Nagar, a prominent commercial hub for the area based development plan for which it has proposed storm water management, including flood warning and monitoring systems. A few days ago, Delhi too virtually came to a standstill as heavy rains threw several parts of the city out of gear, leading to massive traffic jams, damaged footpaths and potholed roads. Out of the 33 cities selected under the Smart Cities Mission so far, 70% have proposed improving basic infrastructure and providing solutions to problems such as waterlogging, says Jitesh Brahmkshatriya, general manager, head master planning, Tata Consulting Engineers Limited.