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Case Study-Chennai Floods

(1) In December 2015, torrential rains caused catastrophic flooding in Chennai, submerging 80% of the city under 4 meters of water and killing over 500 people. (2) Rapid urbanization over recent decades destroyed Chennai's natural flood sinks like marshes and river channels, obstructing water flow and trapping water to intensify floods. (3) Encroachment of wetlands and water bodies prevented water absorption, and untreated sewage and waste clogged drainage, exacerbating the disaster through the constant struggle between nature and human development.

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434 views2 pages

Case Study-Chennai Floods

(1) In December 2015, torrential rains caused catastrophic flooding in Chennai, submerging 80% of the city under 4 meters of water and killing over 500 people. (2) Rapid urbanization over recent decades destroyed Chennai's natural flood sinks like marshes and river channels, obstructing water flow and trapping water to intensify floods. (3) Encroachment of wetlands and water bodies prevented water absorption, and untreated sewage and waste clogged drainage, exacerbating the disaster through the constant struggle between nature and human development.

Uploaded by

mitika
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CASE STUDY: Chennai Floods

Relevance: Rapid urbanisation is the cause of increasing urban floods

Unplanned urbanisation can lead to catastrophic disasters,


bringing to fore the constant tussle between nature and
human encroachments
ON DECEMBER 1, 2015 houses on the ground floorin Jafferkhanpet, a neighbourhood in
southern Chennai, started to inundate because of torrential rains gradually engulfing 80
per cent of the city under four metres of water. The situation continued for the next 72
hours, killing over 500 and destroying infrastructure worth %500 crore. On December 1,
Chennai received 300 mm rainfall, making it the wettest December day ever recorded in
the city. The normal rainfall for Chennai in December is 191 mm. The India Meteorological
Department (IMD) in mid- October issued a forecast that predicted 11-12 per cent above
normal rains in the southern states with a probability of about 90 per cent.

Enough reasons for disaster


A 2014 analysis by the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, shows that the rate of
urbanisation in Chennai has increased by 20 times in the past four decades—and the city
has expanded at the cost of destroying the city’s natural flood sinks, such as marshlands
and river channels. The concrete jungles obstruct and encroach upon the natural flow of
waterbodies and create pockets that trap water, which increases the flood intensity.
Concerned citizens groups have moved courts several times to save the wetlands. In
September 2015, the Madras High Court ordered all the authorities concerned to remove
encroachments from the marsh of Pallikaranai lake. Laws, such as the Tamil Nadu
Protection of Tanks and Eviction of Encroachment Act, 2007, have not been able to save the
wetlands in the city, say experts.
The existing rules and regulations are not strong enough to protect the urban lakes. This is
the reason the three he in Chennai—the Cooum, Adyar and the Kosathallaiyar—are highly
encroached upon..The city has four Sewage treatment plants, but the treated water that
flows through natural channels often gets mixed with untreated wastewater from colonies
and industries on the way. The sewage generated by the people gets mixed with the water
runoff and clogs the natural channels and storm water drains, Even the city’s numerous
water bodies and marshlands that should have acted as sponges are either encroached
upon or over polluted.
The management of untreated sewage and solid waste should be done on a war footing to
avoid choking of drains, Strong regulations should be implemented to stop encroachment
of the wetlands and water channels.
LESSONS
 Urban floods can happen due to unplanned urbanisation as it hardly leaves space
for natural flow of water
 Encroachment of wetlands and other small water bodies does not let water to be
absorbed; results in flooding
 Improper sewage treatment results in the clogging of storm water drains which
lose their canacity to carry extra load of water
Question:
Compare Chennai Flood with any other regions in India and comment on possible steps to
be taken to avoid such catastrophic disaster bringing constant tussle between nature and
human encroachment.

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