Plans afoot to gauge rain real-time for better urban flood management

HYDERABAD: Taking a cue from Chennai and Mumbai, Hyderabad too will soon set up a ‘flood forecast model’ to curb urban flooding that’s become rampant in the city in recent times. The project will be executed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in collaboration with the Telangana State Development and Planning Society (TSDPS) to help crisis management agencies deal with extreme hydrological events, such as floods, more effectively.


This was announced at a workshop on urban flooding – Hyderabad, organised by the TSDPS and Unicef on Friday, where experts said that the forecasting is likely to lessen the impact of such calamities.

As a first step, the GHMC and TSDPS will conduct a study to effectively reduce inundation across GHMC areas with an aim to devise cost-effective solutions. Subsequently, a flood forecast model will be developed in collaboration with other departments such as the Indian Meteorological Department, disaster management department and water board.

“The first step to develop a model will to be collect data on rain gauge network, existing drainage network, terrain, slopes, green areas, paved areas etc. Once we have the data, a standard device in the form of a mobile application will be developed to aid authorities identify flood zones and take punitive action,” said Kapil Gupta, an expert in urban flooding from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

The long term objective, experts said, is to develop a map that identifies areas that are prone to urban flooding. This can be used by disaster risk management and emergency response agencies, to effectively identify the flood zone and number of people at risk.

“Apart from developing a comprehensive policy for waste solid management and construction debris management, we are also developing a flood forecast model to take advance measures in vulnerable areas within GHMC,” said B Janardhan Reddy, GHMC commissioner adding how rampant encroachment of nalas, which blocks the smooth passage of drain water, is a primary reason for urban flooding.