Incessant[in'se-sunt(continuous,लगातार)] rains inundated[i-nun,dey-tid(flooded,जल प्लावित)] Chennai, lacerated[la-su,rey-tid(cut,फाड़ना)] its fabric, and damaged property and lives. The city, it appeared, was helpless in the face of a natural disaster. At least, that is what the state government wants everyone to believe.
The bitter truth is Chennai was complacent[kum'pley-sunt(self satisfied,आत्मसंतुष्ट्)] about its vulnerability[vúl-nu-ru'bi-lu-tee(weakness,कमज़ोरी)] . The planners and city managers, unforgivably, overlooked the fact that the city was prone to urban floods. While many cities around the world that are susceptible[su'sep-tu-bul(sensitive,सवेंदनशील)] to disasters have planned to reduce risk, mitigate[mi-ti,geyt(lessen,कमी)] damage and increase resilience, Chennai remained underprepared. The question now is what it should do from here on.
Urban floods are relatively more difficult to manage than rural floods. A high concentration of population within a small area, swathes[sweydh(belt,पट्टी)] of impervious[im'pur-vee-us(unaffected,अप्रभावित)] asphalt and indiscriminate[in-di'skri-mu-nut(wholesale,अंधाधुंध)] building over low-lying areas and flood plains makes mitigation and recovery difficult. By wilfully neglecting the first principles of good planning — think ahead and reduce risk exposure — urban areas increase their vulnerability.
Located in a relatively flat area, Chennai depends on natural water bodies, canals and rivers to drain the heavy water runoff during rains. Its drainage and stormwater network, which is absent in many places, is inadequate[in'a-di-kwut(insufficient,अपर्याप्त)] even to convey water during moderate rains. As a result, the city has a high exceedance flow (excess water that cannot be drained through the drainage system). It often inundates neighbourhoods, particularly those in the suburbs, which are built in low-lying areas and poor roads. This scenario was foreseeable[for'see-u-bul(predictable,अनुमानित)] .
The first task for Chennai is to enhance its prevention measures drastically. It can learn a lesson or two from cities in Japan, Malaysia and Europe. Well-prepared cities have mapped flood zones. By combining field surveys, historical records, satellite imagery and infrastructure assessment, they have identified vulnerable areas. Such maps and data are shared with citizens, which help them understand the status of their neighbourhoods and decide where to move or buy new homes.The intention is to prevent a high concentration of population in flood-prone areas, and make buildings safe.
Preparing hazard[ha-zud(dangerous,खतरनाक)] maps probably is the easiest part. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has collated data spanning three decades, starting from the 1980s, for various places in Tamil Nadu including Chennai. The city corporation can quickly build on it. The challenging part will be compliance. The state government has repeatedly condoned[kun'down(excuse,क्षमा)] building and land use violations. The coastal regulation zone offered some form of protection near rivers and the coast, but that too has been overlooked. In this context, promulgating['pró-mul,geyt(announce,घोषणा)] a flood map and new regulations will not make a difference unless the state government is willing to commit to zero tolerance.
The second task for Chennai is to enhance mitigation. Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo have built extensive water discharge tunnels to divert and store floodwater. This reduces the volume of water that washes the city.
The third task is to enhance response measures. In the first week following the heavy rains, ground reports reveal that the government response was inadequate and uncoordinated. The spirited effort of citizens propelled[pru'pe(motivate,प्रेरित)] rescue efforts, without which the damages would have been more severe. As cities increasingly face natural hazards and terrorist attacks, they are investing in setting operation centres for early warning and rescue work. For example, Rio de Janerio has spent $14 million and created a real-time monitoring centre of infrastructure and traffic flows.
Chennai needs not one large centre but a network of smaller centres. The recent experience clearly shows the need for early warning and dissemination[di,se-mu'ney-shun(spreading,फैलाव)] of reliable information about floods and rescue. It also exposed the impediments[im'pe-du-munt(obstructions,problem,बाधा)] multiple authorities and the lack of coordination among them can cause. Improved governance and non-interference of political parties in relief measures are critical. The government must not think that it can monopolise[mu'nó-pu,lIz(fully control,एकाधिकार में लेना)] rescue and relief efforts. Such an attitude would be detrimental[de-tru'men-t(u)(harmful,नुकसानदायक)] . The way Chennai citizens admirably coordinated relief measures using communication technology has to be integrated into any plan.
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