Heavy monsoon rains have been affecting different parts of Delhi for decades.
This September, the capital city received the highest rainfall in 12 years, with weather stations in the city recording 112.1 mm rainfall in 24 hours.
The heavy burst of rain submerged low-lying areas in knee-deep water and affected traffic movement.
Many parts of the city went under with just half an hour to one hour of rainfall.
What causes this waterlogging and urban flooding?
There are several reasons for this
The main reason is the problems related to the city’s stormwater drains.
Delhi works on a drainage master plan made in 1976
A new plan was prepared by IIT Delhi for the government in 2018, but it is yet to be implemented.
The run-off water from the local rainfall is supposed to drain into the Yamuna through stormwater drains.
But due to a combination of reasons, including sewage flowing in stormwater drains, the run-off water does not properly drain into the Yamuna and leads to urban flooding .
The drains were made decades ago to handle a particular amount of run-off water.
If earlier, a particular amount of rainfall generated 50% of run-off water now, it is about 90%.
Over the years, many areas have been developed without a proper street-level drainage system
The intensity of rainfall has also increased due to climate change which results in an increase in the amount of water.
But the drainage system is the same and it is unable to handle the excess water.
Experts say a master plan is needed to study why flooding is happening even with light rain and the govt must come up with a plan to fix it.
Published - October 16, 2021 05:27 pm IST
