GUD 681

Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City

MASTER OF PLANNING (URBAN)
(SESSION 2021-2022)

Thesis Guide Thesis Co-ordinator Submitted By

Dr. Kuldip Singh Dr. Gursharan Kaur Rajat Bariwal
27612000918

GURU RAMDAS SCHOOL OF PLANNING

GURU NANAK DEV UNIVERSITY, AMRITSAR

Urban Flooding Scenario
In Asia, urban flooding is a frequent phenomenon. Almost every city is vulnerable to urban
flooding in one way or another, and urban dwellers are at high risk. In urban environments,
farmland, vegetation cover, and bare soil have been converted into built-up areas. As a result,
water runs-off of the concrete structures, sometime known as pluvial flooding or urban flooding.
In urban areas, with rapid increase in impermeable surfaces and urban development, the
likelihood of flooding has increased. Similarly, the intensity of urban floods becomes higher
with prolonged rainfall.
Significant Urban Floods in India in Recent Years
The Year 2005 was recorded as the hottest year of the century. Incidentally, in the same year the
worst urban flooding was reported in Mumbai on 26/27 July, with the historical rainfall of 944
mm. In this year 10 severe urban flooding, were also reported, in which Chennai flooding was
remarkable. It affected more than 5, 00,000 people. The Table2: indicate the rate at which the
states are getting urbanized and the most populated city of the fast-urbanizing state and the no of
floods in past decade with respect to change in population of the city.
Urban Flood Risk In India
There has been an increasing trend of urban flood disasters in India over the past several years
whereby major cities in India have been severely affected. The most notable amongst them are
Hyderabad in 2000, Ahmedabad in 2001, Delhi in 2002 and 2003, Chennai in 2004, Mumbai in
2005, Surat in 2006, Kolkata in 2007, Jamshedpur in 2008, Delhi in 2009 and Guwahati and
Delhi in 2010.
Fig 1. Trend of Urbanization in India
GUD 681: Thesis
(Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City)
INTRODUCTION
NDMA Guidelines
Mumbai floods of July 2005 turned out to be an eye-opener. Realizing that the causes of urban
flooding are different and so also are the strategies to deal with them, NDMA has for the first time
decided to address urban flooding as a separate disaster, delinking it from floods. NDMA
commenced its efforts to formulate the Flood Guidelines in 2006 and released them in 2008.
• It deals with major crises which have serious ramifications
• Measures necessary for the prevention of disasters
• Mitigation, or preparedness and capacity building
• Deals with a threatening disaster situation or disaster
Mitigation
The theory behind disaster mitigation is a simple one: by making an investment of time, money and
planning prior to the occurrence of natural disasters, there can be tremendous savings that result
from reducing the impact of natural disasters when they inevitably occur. Brenner (1993)
Gurgaon: a Brief introduction
The capital city of one of the fastest growing economies, Delhi and its region is the second largest
urban center of the world. Fifteen miles south of Delhi, Gurgaon having ‘gaon’ that means a village
(ancestral village of Guru Dronacharya) as a suffix to its name, now labelled as the Millennium City
of the country.
Gurgaon has developed from a class III town to a city with just over a lakh resident in 1970 to a city
with over ten lakh residents in 2011. As multinational firms began to arrive to take advantage of
India's developing outsourcing industry, demand for housing progressively climbed, followed by
demand for commercial space. Gurgaon was designated as a priority town in the metropolitan area,
supplementing Delhi's requirements. It aided in the establishment of a business and corporate job
centre in the city. By the second half of the 1990s, globalisation had bought jobs in call centres,
KPOs, BPOs, the IT sector, and other areas.
NORTH Scale
Submitted By: Rajat Bariwal Guru Ramdas School of Planning
RF Session 2020-22
Master of Planning (Urban)
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, Punjab
Study Area Selection Criteria:
Gurgaon, India's millennium city, is close to New Delhi, the country's capital. Gurgaon is in
the state of Haryana and is part of the National Capital Region. It has developed into North
India's financial and technological centre. The city's growth and development adventure begin
in the 1970s. However, it is only during the 1990s that a large population has migrated into
the city, providing it a boost in growth.
NEED OF THE STUDY
Urban Flooding in Gurgaon, 2016:
Nearly the entire city of Gurgaon was flooded in July 2016. Sectors 14, 15, 17, 21, 38, 44, 46,
Sushant Lok and DLF areas, Sohna Road, Gold Course Road, IFFCO Chowk, Sheetla Mata
Mandir area, Civil Lines, and Old Delhi Road were the primary areas affected. In numerous
sections, the NH-8 and the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway were completely flooded in water.
Gurgaon is one of the top five cities in India that are prone to flooding. Gurgaon is located in a

Rapid Urban Growth and Physical Infrastructure Issues: low-lying terrain and receives water from both the Aravalli hills and the Chhatarpur

The fact that the drainage pattern of the area has not been taken into consideration is clear as neighbourhood of Delhi. Over the last decade and a half, encroachments along the major

the land use of the area shifted from roughly 9% of area under built-up to more than 66 Badshahpur drain and patchy concretization of drains have exacerbated the flooding situation.

percent built-up in 2008. Construction activities were uncontrolled during the real-estate The loss due to floods caused by heavy rainfall was estimated to be 500 crores with hours of

boom between 2002 and 2012, clogging drainage systems and ponds. overnight traffic jam on NH-8.

Issues due to Master Plan:

There are 120 villages in the Gurgaon master plan area (Gurgaon-Manesar Urban Complex
Development Plan 2031), and each village includes at least one such pond. However, due to
widespread land conversion, there are just 56 such aquatic bodies left today. Natural rivers
have been obstructed and ponds have been filled for real estate development over the previous
15 years. Building activities or dumping of waste and construction material has affected the
Year 1984 Year 2001
water carrying capacity of major drains such as Badshahpur, Kadarpur, and Nathupur.

Other Reasons:
Many blame this on urbanization and rampant real estate development. But a year ago, when
rains flooded Gurgaon, the effects were felt the most in rural areas like Kankrola village. The
dysfunctional dam in Kankrola village, and the clogged drains in Mewat, led to greater
flooding. This suggests that the blame should be largely placed on poor infrastructure and
insufficient drainage system.

Year 2011 Year 2022

Fig 1. Rapid Urbanisation of Gurgaon over the years

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GUD 681: Thesis Submitted By: Rajat Bariwal Guru Ramdas School of Planning

(Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City) RF Session 2020-22

Master of Planning (Urban)
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, Punjab
 AIMS & OBJECTIVES
Aim:
To analyse the existing problems and provide innovative mitigation measures METHODOLOGY
for reducing the impact of Urban flooding in Gurugram city.

• Aims & objectives INTRODUCTION

Objectives: • Introduction of topic and • Definitions
study Area • Causes of Floods
 To identify the major zones of the city sectors affected by heavy rainfall • Need of study THEORITICAL • Impact of Floods
leading to urban flooding. • Losses due to Floods
FRAMEWORK
 Understanding the existing flood management framework followed by • NDMA Guidelines to
• Geomorphological study
prevent flooding
various agencies. • Vulnerability study
• Existing Physical
 To analyse the causes of urban flooding and give mitigation measures for DATA
Infrastructure
urban flooding. • Catchment area IDENTIFICATION
• Present mitigation
measures • Land Use Land Cover
Scope: DATA • Urban Morphology
The study includes various innovative concepts & new mitigation measures. COLLECTION • Built up charge (%)
• Identified water body
The analysis of the affected area will be done based on dividing in different • Migration • Primary Survey: Survey
zones. To analyse the data regarding physical infrastructure, encroachment, • Encroachment of encroachment in the
built up change and identification of water bodies. To find the problems and • Spatial Analysis of the DATA ANALYSIS city, flood dead spots
flood affected areas due Identification
potentials of the selected city. The proposal and recommendation are given for
to rapid urbanisation and • Secondary Survey:
the problems identifies in the city, the major solutions incorporated in the study other factors as per data Satellite data for Land
includes green solutions to the problems of urban flooding. The pre collected Use Land Cover
FINDINGS/
preparedness for flood mitigation is found to be the best practice in the research • Problems and potentials
of the selected city OUTCOMES
study.
• Damage loss estimate
• Findings after the
analysis of the flood
Limitation: LEGAL affected areas due to
FRAMEWORK encroachment, rapid
The area is limited to the heavily affected areas of Gurugram city in 2016 urbanisation and other
• Giving recommendation
Urban floods. and mitigation measures of factors as per data
the problems of urban collected
PROPOSAL/
flooding of Gurugram RECOMMENDATIONS

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GUD 681: Thesis Submitted By: Rajat Bariwal Guru Ramdas School of Planning

(Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City) RF Session 2020-22

Master of Planning (Urban)
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, Punjab
Disaster
Disaster is a sudden, calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, and destruction and devastation
to life and property. The damage caused by disasters is immeasurable and varies with the
geographical location, climate and the type of the earth surface/degree of vulnerability. This
influences the mental, socio-economic, political and cultural state of the affected area.
Vulnerability
Vulnerability may be defined as “The extent to which a community, structure, services or
geographic area is likely to be damaged or disrupted by the impact of particular hazard, on account
of their nature, construction and proximity to hazardous terrains or a disaster-prone area.”
Vulnerabilities can be categorized into physical and socio-economic vulnerability.
Physical Vulnerability: It includes notions of who and what may be damaged or destroyed by
natural hazard such as earthquakes or floods. It is based on the physical condition of people and
elements at risk, such as buildings, infrastructure etc. and their proximity, location and nature of
the hazard. It also relates to the technical capability of building and structures to resist the forces
acting upon them during a hazard event.
Socio-Economic Vulnerability: The degree to which a population is affected by a hazard will not
merely lie in the physical components of vulnerability but also on the socioeconomic conditions.
The socio-economic condition of the people also determines the intensity of the impact. For
example, people who are poor and living in the seacoast don’t have the money to construct strong
concrete houses. They are generally at risk and lose their shelters whenever there is strong wind or
cyclone. Because of their poverty they too are not able to rebuild their houses.
GUD 681: Thesis
(Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City)
Capacity THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Capacity can be defined as resources, means and strengths which exist in households and
communities, and which enable them to cope with, withstand, prepare for, prevent, mitigate or
quickly recover from a disaster. People’s capacity can also be considered.
Physical Capacity
People whose houses have been destroyed by the cyclone or crops have been destroyed by the flood
can salvage things from their homes and from their farms. Some family members have skills, which
enable them to find employment if they migrate, either temporarily or permanently.
Socio-Economic Capacity
In most of the disasters, people suffer their greatest losses in the physical and material realm. Rich
people have the capacity to recover soon because of their wealth. In fact, they are seldom hit by
disasters because they live in safe areas and their houses are built with stronger materials. However,
even when everything is destroyed, they have the capacity to cope up with it.
Risk
Risk is a measure of the expected losses due to a hazard event occurring in a given area over a
specific time period. Risk is a function of the probability of particular hazardous event and the
losses each would cause.” The level of risk depends upon
i) Nature of the hazard
ii) Vulnerability of the elements which are affected
iii) Economic value of those elements
Hazard Identification
The primary step in any Disaster Management planning is the identification and assessment
of the principal hazards. The hazard can be fire, explosion, toxic release, failure of structure
or vessel holding hazardous substances, sudden heavy toxic emissions from exhausts/ vents/
chimneys etc.
Hazard assessment
Hazard assessment is concerned with defining the properties of the hazard and its direct effect. The
first step in hazard assessment is data collection and recording. Tropical cyclones pose three threats,
namely, wind, flood and storm surge. The intensity of a tropical cyclone is measured by its wind
characteristics, which are described by velocity and direction.
NORTH Scale
Submitted By: Rajat Bariwal Guru Ramdas School of Planning
RF Session 2020-22
Master of Planning (Urban)
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, Punjab

Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment in Planning
Vulnerability/capacity assessments are an indispensable complement to hazard assessment
exercises. Despite the considerable efforts and achievements reflected in the improved quality
and coverage of scientific data on different hazards, the mapping and assessment of social,
economic and environmental vulnerabilities of populations are not equally developed.
1. Prevention of danger or threat of any disaster
2. Mitigation or reduction of risk of any disaster or its severity or consequences
3. capacity-building
4. preparedness to deal with any disaster
5. prompt response to any threatening disaster situation or disaster
6. Assessing the severity or magnitude of effects of any disaster
7. Evacuation, rescue and relief
8. Rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Preparedness
1. It refers to measures taken to prepare for and reduce the effects of disasters. That is, to
predict and—where possible—prevent them, mitigate their impact on vulnerable populations,
and respond to and effectively cope with their consequences
2. Conceived of as a goal, rather than as a specialized programme or stage that immediately
precedes disaster response.
3. It is a continuous and integrated process resulting from a wide range of activities and
resources rather than from a distinct sectoral activity by itself.
4. Disaster preparedness is achieved partially through readiness measures that expedite
emergency response, rehabilitation and recovery and result in rapid, timely and targeted
assistance.
5. It is also achieved through community-based approaches and activities that build the
capacities of people and communities to cope with and minimize the effects of a disaster on
their lives
GUD 681: Thesis
(Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City)
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Disaster response
Disaster response is the second phase of the disaster management cycle. It consists of several
elements, for example; warning/evacuation, search and rescue, providing immediate assistance,
assessing damage, continuing assistance and the immediate restoration or construction of
infrastructure (i.e., provisional storm drains or diversion dams). The aim of emergency response is to
provide immediate assistance to maintain life, improve health and support the morale of the affected
population. Such assistance may range from providing specific but limited aid, such as assisting
refugees with transport, temporary shelter, and food to establishing semi-permanent settlements in
camps and other locations. It also may involve initial repairs to damaged or diversion to
infrastructure.
Disaster recovery
Disaster recovery involves a set of policies, tools, and procedures to enable the recovery or
continuation of vital technology infrastructure and systems following a natural or human-induced
disaster. Disaster recovery focuses on the information technology (IT) or technology systems
supporting critical business functions, as opposed to business continuity, which involves keeping all
essential aspects of a business functioning despite significant disruptive events; it can therefore be
considered a subset of business continuity.
Disaster Mitigation
Disaster mitigation is defined as “Measures aimed at reducing the impact of natural or manmade
disasters in a nation or community”
• Mitigation refers to long-term risk reduction measures, which are intended to minimize the effects of
a hazard; for example, dam construction is considered an activity that mitigates the effects of
droughts.
• According to Coburn Spence, Pomonis (1994 in the DMTP, UNDP), Mitigation is defined as “a
collective term used to encompass all activities undertaken in anticipation of the occurrence of a
potentially disastrous event, including long term preparedness and risk reduction measures…. It has
occasionally been defined to include post-disaster response, which makes it equivalent to disaster
management.”
• Pre-disaster planning activity
• Disaster mitigation focuses on the hazard that causes the disaster and tries to eliminate or drastically
reduce its direct effects.
NORTH Scale
Submitted By: Abdul Quadir Guru Ramdas School of Planning
RF Session 2020-22
Master of Planning (Urban)
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, Punjab
 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Floods – Types of Floods
In physical terms, a flood is a high stage in a watercourse, such as a river, drain, or tributary, or a Floods in cities cause significant disruption to city life. In developing countries, urbanisation
water holding body, such as a lake, pond, reservoir, seas, ocean, or other low-lying places, at increased from less than 25% in 1970 to more than 50% in 2006. Asia will account for seven of the
which water overflows its banks and inundates the surrounding areas. world's ten largest economies by 2020. At the same time, Asia in one of the fastest urbanisation
Natural disasters such as riverine floods are the most common and widespread. No country is regions in the world. In 2000, cities accounted for 37% of the population, and by 2025, this figure
completely devoid of flood danger, while flood prone areas are often restricted to specific rivers is expected to rise to more than 50%.
and floodplains, as well as specific estuaries and delta zones.
Causes of Urban Floods
Sea flooding is linked to estuaries and delta areas, which are more vulnerable if they are also in
cyclone-prone locations with sea surges, and/or when the coastal lowlands are subsiding due to
sediment loading and/or man-made deep-well water extraction.
Flash floods are more localized in impact than riverine, rain or sea floods. They are experienced
in both humid and semi-dry regions where landscape combinations of steep slopes and sparse
vegetation lead to intense short-duration rainfall.

Riverine floods Sea flooding Flash floods Causes

Urban Floods
Urban floods are a result of inadequate or poor
maintenance of storm water drains, improper planning,
encroachment on drains and water bodies, occupation of
low-lying areas, modification of catchments, and climate
change.
Bengaluru floods
Urban floods are caused by natural events and anthropogenic activities. In Indian cities flooding
is becoming frequent due to both human factors and meteorological/hydrological factors, with the
former factor being more predominant. some of the issues contributing to urban floods are listed
below:
1. Planning issues: Increasing population, habitations coming up in low-lying areas,
Mumbai floods encroachment on drainage channels and immediate upper catchment of hilly urban areas.
2. Technical issues: Increased imperviousness leading to increased runoff as compared to
drainage capacity, improper waste disposal resulting in clogged drains, high intensity – high
load of runoff.
3. Meteorological issues: Exacerbated by changing climate, resulting in extreme events, NASA
studies indicate that the urban heat island effect also results in increased rainfall over urban
areas.
4. Policy issues: Lack of integrated flood control implementing agency

NORTH Scale
GUD 681: Thesis Submitted By: Abdul Quadir Guru Ramdas School of Planning

(Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City) RF Session 2020-22

Master of Planning (Urban)
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, Punjab
 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Impacts - Flooding in urban areas affects more than one sector
1. Traffic jams Solutions
2. Damage to public and private property An integrated approach combining watershed and land use management with development
3. Mixing of solid waste in flood waters causing further choking of drains planning, engineering measures, flood preparedness, and emergency management should be
4. Vector and water borne disease adopted for controlling urban floods. Three aspects viz. flood avoidance, flood tolerance and
5. In coastal cities, increased inundation of low-lying areas during high tide, reduced capacity flood resilience should be addressed in an integrated way for flood management in cities.
of drains to discharge storm water Technical measures include:
6. Disruption of power supply and telecommunication a. Planned and proper construction of drainage network
7. Mixing of faecal matter in the flood water due to open defecation b. Regular maintenance of storm water drains
c. Use of porous construction material for pavements
d. Putting in place water sensitive infrastructure
Consequences of Urban Flooding
Urban flooding is caused by heavy rainfall overwhelming drainage capacity. It already has large e. Taking drainage basin as the base for city master plans.
economic and social impacts. These are very likely to increase if no changes are made to the f. Protecting lakes/water bodies from encroachments and clearing existing encroachments by
management of urban drainage. Urban floods are a great disturbance of daily life in the city. the departments/ agencies concerned.
Roads can be blocked; people can’t go to work or to schools. The economic damages are high, g. Rejuvenating water bodies back to their original state
but the number of casualties is usually very limited, because of the nature of the flood. The
water slowly rises on the city streets. When the city is on flat terrain the flow speed is low and
you can still see people driving through it. The water rises relatively slow, and the water level
usually does not reach life endangering heights (Aggarwal, 2014). Then, if an intense rainfall
burst occurs, causing a large amount of rain within a brief period, flash flooding may occur with
little or no warning.

Significant Urban Floods in India in Recent Years

The Year 2005 was recorded as the hottest year of the century. Incidentally, in the same
year the worst urban flooding was reported in Mumbai on 26/27 July, with the historical rainfall
of 944 mm. In this year 10 severe urban flooding, were also reported, in which Chennai flooding
was remarkable. It affected more than 5, 00,000 people. The Table2: indicate the rate at which
the states are getting urbanized and the most populated city of the fast-urbanizing state and the
no. of floods in past decade with respect to change in population of the city.

Fig 1. Examples of green solutions for Urban Flooding

NORTH Scale
GUD 681: Thesis Submitted By: Rajat Bariwal Guru Ramdas School of Planning

(Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City) RF Session 2020-22

Master of Planning (Urban)
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, Punjab
 Author
District Disaster Management Plan, Gurugram 2020
District Disaster Management Authority, Gurugram
COMPARISON OF FRAMEWORK
Source District Disaster Management Plan, Gurugram 2020
Gurugram District falls in the southern most region of the state of Haryana.Being in the vicinity of Delhi, Gurugram falls under National Capital Region. On
Introduction its north, it is bounded by the District of Jhajjar and National Capital Territory of Delhi; Faridabad District lies to its east; Palwal District lies to its Report of the Committee Constituted for Formulation of Strategy for Flood Management Works in Entire Country
southeast. On south it shares boundaries with Mewat whereas Rewari lies to its west. To its South, lies the state of Rajasthan. Its spreads over 1254 sq. km. and River Management Activities and Works Related to Border Areas (2021– 26)
Vulnerability Analysis Parameters
Author NITI Aayog (2021)
Flood prone area
1. Physical Vulnerability Improper condition of infrastructures Report of the Committee Constituted for Formulation of Strategy for Flood Management Works in Entire Country and River Management Activities and
Source Works Related to Border Areas (2021– 26)
Inappropriate materials used for construction
2. Social Vulnerability Affected due to hazard by age, gender, caste, disability The Ganga-Yamuna basin states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal are prone to floods. Also, Assam gets affected due to
3. Economic Vulnerability Slum population, health and hygiene hazards floods in Brahmaputra river. The delta parts of river basins of Mahanadi (in Odisha), Godavari, Krishna, Pennar (In Andhra Pradesh), Narmada,
4. Environmental Vulnerability Rapid urbanization Introduction Sabarmati and Tapti basin areas in Gujarat are identified as prone to floods. However, of late, the upper reaches of river basins of Krishna, Godavari
Pollution and environment degradation caused severe floods in the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Even states like Kerala received significant rainfall in 2018 causing widespread floods
Components Capacity Analysis Parameters and damage to life and property in almost entire state.
Human resources
Institution Name Roles/ Functions
Capacity Analysis Equipments
Forecasting and flood warning in India
Critical life saving facilities and infrastructure
Risk Analysis Parameters Non-structural measures for flood mitigation and management
Central Water Commission
Flood plain zoning
Frequency of occurrence
Flood forecasting
Probable impact
Risk Analysis Institutions Provide long term plans for managing flood in Ganga Basin
Major elements at risk: Human, cattle, crops, livelihood, property and other Ganga Flood Control Commission (GFCC)
public infrastructure Mechanism Monitoring of the schemes with latest technology using remote sensing tools
Institution Name Roles/ Functions Brahmaputra Board (BB) Monitoring of the schemes with latest technology using remote sensing tools
Disaster Management Act, 2005 Lays down institutional mechanisms at the National, State, District and Local Laws and guidelines to define and mitigate the risk of floods
levels Guidelines prepared for the flood management in urban areas and whole
Central Government National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
Ministry of Home Affairs country
Cabinet Committee on Management of Natural Calamities (CCMNC) and Assessment of the situation Mitigation, or preparedness and capacity building
the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) Identification of measures and programmes considered necessary to reduce its Structural Measures for Flood Management Non-structural Measures for Flood Management
impact The structural measures for flood control which bring relief to the flood The non-structural measures to mitigate adverse impact of floods involve
Long term measures for prevention of such calamities prone areas by reducing flood flows and attenuating the flood levels are: the following:
Formulate and recommend programmes for public awareness for building up i. A reservoir created behind a dam across a river i. Disseminating advance warning of incoming flood through a flood
society’s resilience to them ii. A natural depression suitably improved and regulated, if necessary forecasting system and facilitating timely evacuation of the people to safer
Institutions
High Level Committee (HLC) Assessment of damage caused by the calamity and the amount of relief assistance iii. By diversion of a part of the peak flow to another river or basin, where grounds.
Mechanism required such diversion would not cause appreciable damage. ii. Discouraging creation of valuable assets/settlement of the people in the
National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) Deals with major crises which have serious ramifications iv. By constructing a parallel channel by-passing a particular town/reach of areas subject to frequent flooding i.e., enforcing flood plain zoning regulation.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Measures necessary for the prevention of disasters the river prone to flooding.
Mitigation, or preparedness and capacity building The structural methods of flood protection/anti erosion, which do not
Deals with a threatening disaster situation or disaster reduce the flood flow but reduce spilling are:
National Executive Committee (NEC) Executive committee of the NDMA i. Embankments which artificially raise the effective riverbank and thereby
National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) Capacity development prevent spilling.
Training, research, documentation and development of a National level ii. Channel and drainage improvement work, which artificially reduce the
information base flood water level so as to keep the same, confined within the riverbanks and
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Specialized response force to tackle a threatening disaster Prevention thus prevent spilling.
Structural Measures Non-structural Measures iii. Anti-erosion measures which prevent further loss of valuable land.
&
i. Strengthening/construction of embankments, flood walls and flood i. Flood plain zoning to regulate land use in the flood plains iv. River channelization works to train the braided rivers to flow in a
Mitigation desired course to prevent further loss of land and to induce siltation.
levees ii. Flood proofing
iii. Flood forecasting and warning Measures Other Measures Other Measures
ii. Proper regulation of lakes, dams and other water storage reservoirs
iii. Improvement of channels iv. Integrated Water Resource Management such as water resources i. Reservoirs i. Flood Plain Zoning
iv. Proper desilting/dredging of rivers in order to keep the rise of the assessment, socioeconomic assessment, water resources planning, ii. Detention Basins/ Wet Lands ii. Flood Forecasting
riverbeds minimum implementation of action plans, day-to-day water resources management iii. Embankments a. Modernization of Data Collection and Transmission System
v. Drainage improvement in order to avoid congestion (adjustments of the plans) and water resources protection and conservation iv. Channelization of Rivers: b. Advancements in Flood Forecast Formulation
vi. Diversion of flood water in order to lower water levels in the rivers v. Medical preparedness in terms of after-effects of floods requiring medical v. Channel Improvement c. Modernization of Forecast Dissemination
vii. Catchment area treatment/ afforestation, building up of check attention vi. Drainage Improvement iii. Reservoir Operation
vi. Creating awareness to the type of illnesses and other health problems that vii. Diversion of Flood Waters/ Interlinking of Rivers iv. Integrated Reservoir Operation (IRO)
Prevention & dams/detention basins in order to reduce the flood peaks and control the viii. Watershed Management v. Dam Safety and Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
suddenness of the runoff can result in the aftermath of floods, to all the medical teams and the community
Mitigation at large ix. Anti-Erosion Works vi. Application of Space Technology
viii. Anti-erosion works such as revetment or pitching along with
Measures launching apron and spurs of earth protected by armour of stones or spurs vii. Creation of trained medical first responders for first aid and resuscitation x. Coastal Erosion a. Spatial Flood Early Warning Development of spatial flood early warning
of loose stones or stones in wire-mesh crates measures models using very high-resolution Digital Terrain Models
ix. Alignment, location, design and provision of waterways i.e. vents, viii. Preparing of medical stores and medical kits b. Near Real-Time Monitoring and Mapping of Floods Space technology
culverts, bridges and causeways in National Highways, State Highways, ix. Development of patient evacuation plans c. State Level Flood Hazard Atlases using Historic Satellite Data Preparing
District and other roads and Railways embankments flood hazard maps
x. Inspection, rehabilitation and maintenance programme vii. Adherence to Coastal Zone Regulations
Other Measures Parameters
i. Retrofitting Retrofitting or seismic strengthening
ii. Land Use Planning i. Compatibility iv. Favourability Conclusion
ii. Comfort v. Health The study comprises of the comparison of two different framework and working of flood mitigation or flood
iii. Efficiency vi. Safety
Short Term Reconstruction Activities i. Repair management measures at the District and the National Level. It shows that the structured and non-structured
ii. Restoration measures for mitigation of flooding are found to be much similar and there needs to be some shortcomings of the
Post Disaster iii. Strengthening of Existing Buildings
framework. This study concludes that emphasis should be laid on updating of measures for pre-preparedness
Reconstruction Long Term Reconstruction Activities i. Design & Material iii. Owner-Driven Approach
ii. Disaster Resilient Construction iv. Relocation rather than post disaster measures. Some measures can be adopted from the best practices internationally used.

NORTH Scale
GUD 681: Thesis Submitted By: Rajat Bariwal Guru Ramdas School of Planning

(Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City) RF Session 2020-22

Master of Planning (Urban)
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, Punjab

A CASE OF WUHAN, CHINA
Wuhan is the capital city of the Chinese province of Hubei It is the most populous city in Central China,
with a population of over 10 million, the seventh most populous Chinese city, and one of the nine
National Central Cities of China. the Yangtze River is largest river in China, and its largest tributary is
Han River they meet in the city, forming a magnificent landscape. Wuhan occupies a land area of
8,494.41 square kilometres (3,279.71 sq. miles), most of which is plain and decorated with hills and a
great number of lakes and pools Wuhan is also known as the “city of hundreds of lakes” and has the
largest lake in the country – the East Lake and numerous lakes.
The metropolitan area comprises three parts—Wuchang,
Hankou, and Hanyang—commonly called the "Three
Towns of Wuhan" (Hence the name "Wuhan",
combining "Wu" from the first city and "Han" from the
other two).
Fig 1. Wuhan city with Han River and Yangtse River Fig 2. Connecting rivers to Han River and Yangtse River
The Yangtze River is categorized as the storm flood river where the gush flood can either be at whole
basin or at local areas. For the section of Yangtze River in Wuhan, there are four factors affecting the
flood:
1. Flood from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River (above Yichang);
2. Flood around the Dongting Lake basin;
3. Flood from the numerous tributaries along the Yangtze River within Hubei province
4. Backwater of the flood around the Poyang Lake basin
• In China, the urbanization rate (the percentage of urban
population) has increased from 12.5% to 50% from 1952
to 2011. The rapid expansion of built-up area has become
the major feature of land-use changes in China, which
has led to a built-up area vacancy and inefficient land
uses.
• Wuhan was once known as “the city of a hundred lakes”.
It had 127 lakes in its central area alone in the 1980s, but
decades of rapid urbanization mean only around 30
survive. Located at the merging of the Yangtze and Han
rivers, this low-lying city, the capital of Hubei province,
has always been prone to floods, especially in the
summer monsoon months.
• The reality is often further complicated by the installation
of storm water retention systems, and the import/export
of water to/from a catchment.
Fig 3. Urbanization from 1990-2013 (Wuhan city)
GUD 681: Thesis
(Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City)
CASE STUDY
• Urbanization: urban population from 36.22%
in 2000 to 54.77% in 2014.
• Affected by the plum rain and other changing
climate trends, over the recent 20 years, the
Yangtze River basin has shown more
consecutive rainy years with higher volumes
of rainfall in general.. Fig 4. Waterlogged areas -258 locations (2-3 days)
• The area of those Yangtze River-connected lakes
from Yichang to Hukou has already shrunk from the
13450 square kilometres at the early years since
establishment of the New China to the current 6600
square kilometres. Among them, the area of Dongting
Lake diminished from 4350 square kilometres to
2625 square kilometres while its volume dropped
down to 16.7 billion cubic meters from the former
29.3.
• The combined discharge of the tributaries of
Dongting Lake is decreasing, with shrinking
capabilities to regulate and reduce the flood peak.
• In 1950s, the average was 13246m3/s; in the 70s, Fig 5.. Flood affected locations in Wuhan city
10182m3/s; in the 80s, only 5660m3/s.
RECOMMEDATIONS
The Sponge City Programme was developed over just two
years: conceived in 2013, its first batch of funding for 16
cities was released in 2015.
• It is also key to approach water management at an
integrated watershed scale (i.e., the entire drainage
basin or catchment area), and to better incorporate
sponge projects into other infrastructural and urban
developments in the region.
• The Sponge City Programme is not only about
improving flood control, but also about water security,
environmental restoration and improving the urban
realm for citizens.
• Ensure public buy-in and ownership of urban green
infrastructure
• Innovative fiscal and regulatory mechanisms to
support green infrastructure and ensure private-sector Fig 6.. Award-winning example of sponge
design: Yangtze River Beach Park
participation in sponge interventions.
• Actively enable experimentation and city-to-city
learning on nature-based solutions.
NORTH Scale
Submitted By: Rajat Bariwal Guru Ramdas School of Planning
RF Session 2020-22
Master of Planning (Urban)
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, Punjab
A CASE OF AMARAVATI CITY, ANDHRA PRADESH
Government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) has embarked ‘Amaravati’, as a world class
capital city for the newly formed State. The capital city development is proposed to be
over an area of about 217 km2. The capital city area is bestowed with rich natural features
including hillocks, river islands, abundant water, fertile soil and greenery. While
abundance of water is a boon for the capital city, seasonal flooding driven by Kondaveeti
Vagu and river Krishna poses a threat to the city.
EXISTING FLOOD SITUATION
The major streams of KV and PV flow across the Capital city area, currently cause floods
in its surrounding region during the times of heavy rains and cause inundation in low lying
areas in the city.
This is due to inadequate sizes of cross drainage structures, sharp bends of streams,
meanders near Krishnayapalem and absence of bunds at few places along the alignment,
which makes the vagus to burst its banks and cause inundation in adjacent areas/fields and
overtopping of several causeways.
There is an outfall sluice on KV at Krishna River confluence. The sluice gates at Undavalli
are normally in closed condition to prevent the back flow from Krishna River flooding.
When River Krishna is in floods and to relieve the flooding situation within KV, there is an
escape regulator to divert the part flood flow to Krishna Western Delta Canal (KWDC)
with a design capacity 170 cumecs (6000 cusecs). The design capacity of KWDC is 232
cumecs (8200 cusecs). It is observed that even on Oct 5, 2009, when heaviest flood in over
a hundred years hit the Prakasam barrage on Krishna River, the capital city area was not
flooded thanks to the existing bund between Seethanagarm hill and Vykunthapuram hill on
the right bank side of the river and the sluice arrangements
Existing Flood scenarios in
capital city with different
flooding conditions are:
(a) KV Vagu flood:
Kondaveeti Vagu is a minor
stream joining River
Krishna, just upstream of
Prakasam Barrage. It
originates from Kondaveeti Figure 1. Kondaveeti Vagu Catchment Area and capital city area
hill ranges near Pericherla village in Guntur district and drains a total catchment of about
421 km2. Kondaveeti Vagu has a steep gradient for a short length, i.e., in its upper reaches
and is mostly flat for rest of the catchment.
(b) River Krishna flood: The Krishna is the second largest Eastward draining River in
Peninsular India covering vast area in the States of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh. The basin drains an area of 2,58,948 km2. This is nearly 8 % of the total
geographical area of India. Based on review of historical flood records of Krishna River at
Prakasam Barrage at Vijayawada for the recent 25 years period, a maximum flood
discharge of 31,447 m3/s (which corresponds to 100 year peak flood of Krishna River) Based on the above analysis and limitation on the availability of land it is concluded that option – I is selected for the
was observed on 05th October 2009.
GUD 681: Thesis
CASE STUDY
Calibration:
The 100-year peak flood discharges modeled at
various locations along the KV considering the
current flood mitigation scenario is shown in Figure 2
Inundation Details:
Western Area - No inundation
Southern Area - Marginal/No Inundation
Northern Area - No inundation
Eastern Area - Expected depths - 0 to 2.4 m
(predominantly in the eastern part of city along the Figure 2.Peak Discharges at Various Figure 3. Maximum Inundation Levels
Kondaveeti Vagu). Locations of KV (Current Scenario) for T100 Flood Under Current Flood
As shown in Figure 4, based on the flood discharges computed, this
option involves flood discharge of 5650 cusecs (160 m3/s) being
disposed at Vykuntapuram and a flood discharge of12350 cusecs (350
m3/s) at Undavalli and 4000 cusecs (113 m3/s) being discharged
through Krishna Western Delta (KWD) Canal. The discharge from the
upper catchment is realized through a gravity canal taking off from
Lam Reservoir upto the Vykuntapuram Reservoir via another Reservoir
located at Pedaparimi. Thus, the upper catchment area of Kondaveeti
Vagu is catered to by a gravity canal and three new reservoirs, namely
Lam (existing), Pedaparimi and Vykuntapuram Reservoirs.
Figure 4. Option-1 for Flood Disposal
As indicated in Figure 5, there is no gravity canal planned outside the
capital city as in Option1 but instead the flood flow corresponding to
5650 cusecs is planned to be disposed of through the proposed
Secretariat Canal starting from Neerukonda Reservoir till the
Secretariat Area before disposing to River Krishna. This Option does
not involve any new land acquisition for the gravity canal as in Option-
1 but since the same is planned through the capital city and that too
through the Government Complex of the city, the same is uncalled for.
Figure 5. Option-2 for Flood Disposal
Amaravati flood mitigation works. Further within Option-1, only Phase-I activities as noted below are being taken up now and
part of proposed Bank project.
NORTH Scale
Submitted By: Rajat Bariwal Guru Ramdas School of Planning

(Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City) RF Session 2020-22

Master of Planning (Urban)
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, Punjab

International Case studies for better flood management
1. Flood Resilience: Coupling with ever-changing local, basin, and
global conditions, rivers will continue to change by interacting human
and natural processes to make flood control difficult. It is risky for
cities to continue to count on FCI to prevent flood damage.
Resilience—the capacity to cope with whatever the future brings—is
the best policy to survive in a stochastic world. Flood resilience is not
about flood prevention but concerns survival through flooding.
Tolerance of flooding is thus important to prevent flood damage in the
first place, and it depends on whether the city is adapted to floods.
There exist communities that live with floods, functioning normally
through periodic flooding and even harnessing the ecological benefits
of it. Resilience to a disturbance is cultivated through learning from
and adapting to that very same disturbance over time
2. Flood Proofing the Buildings: Some traditional strategies are still kept in
the modern concept of flood proofing. Flood proofing involves permanent or
emergency techniques to prevent or minimize floodwater damage to the
building. Techniques such as building on fills and flood barrier shields simply
push floodwater elsewhere. Techniques allowing floodwater to enter the
structure without damaging it are more socially responsible. These include
building with pilotis or on buoyant foundation (present in Yokohama, Japan);
using water-resistant building materials and water-tight seals to resist moisture
and mold; and flexible uses of the lower floors
GUD 681: Thesis
(Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City)
BEST PRACTICES
3. Revamping the Modern Infrastructure: Modern infrastructure is often characterized by rigid structures
and operational schemes that they cannot respond quickly to disturbances. One strategy of flood adaptation is
to break entire inflexible system into small, simple and flexible pieces which can fit together to form new but
advanced system. Take the transportation system for example. Flooding would not disrupt mobility if the
transportation system does not depend solely on roadways and vehicles. The transportation system could be
‘‘amphibious,’’ incorporating both land based and waterborne transportation modes that can be easily
switched back and forth. Within a community, mobility could be maintained simply by putting up
temporarily raised walkways, as is practiced in Venice, Italy. Flood adaptation of infrastructure may not
require advanced technology but requires redesigning it at the system level.
4. Open spaces in Urban Areas: It is increasingly common to direct excess
floodwater/ stormwater to green spaces to prevent buildings and
infrastructure from flooding. These sunken grassy areas between buildings
also function for temporary stormwater retention. Designed creatively, urban
open spaces can function for floodwater conveyance and storage while
maintaining recreational and esthetic values. These open spaces could be
interconnected through surface and underground trenches to become a
network to hold a significant amount of floodwater to prevent buildings and
infrastructure from flooding. A strategic rearrangement of different types of
open spaces could maximize human access. More intensively used spaces
such as sports fields, playgrounds, and parking lots can be assigned to higher
ground that floods less frequent in the network, while passive recreation can
take place at lower ground that floods more often.
5. Flood Plain Restoration: Floodplain restoration refers to excavating channels and ponds, planting aquatic and terrestrial native
vegetation, and placing cobbles, boulders, and large woods to resemble the natural floodplain landscape. Floodplain restoration is
carried out in all existing open spaces except in the flood control zone, such that they are either larger wetlands parks or smaller
wetland gardens. Processes naturally accompanying flooding, such as spontaneous succession, erosion, sedimentation, and debris
deposition, are allowed to occur to periodically rework the landscape. These processes are known to contribute to diverse
topography, high species diversity, and intensified ecological processes in natural rivers. The ecologically functioning floodplain
and riparian zone could bring a host of ecosystem services to benefit the city directly, such as water purification through trapping
sediments and processing diffuse nutrient pollutants brought by floods, storm water runoff, and groundwater from upstream and
upland areas.
NORTH Scale
Submitted By: Rajat Bariwal Guru Ramdas School of Planning
RF Session 2020-22
Master of Planning (Urban)
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, Punjab
 DATA IDENTIFICATION KIT
S. No. Aspect Data Requirement Assessment Sources Primary Data Secondary Data Gap
Number of people/ population ward wise and number of % of urban population affected in
1 households. Total population ward wise. each ward and city level MCG
Urban population Profiling (city level Presence or absence of basic services: water, sanitation
2 Assessment) and electricity Accessibility to basic services MCG, PHED
3 Urban Morphology Transformation of city MCG
4 Land Use Land Cover
5 Past floods data Identify the major flood events NDMA, MCG
6 Temporal Data of Disasters Spatial Maps of past flood Areas vulnerable to floods NDMA, MCG
7 Water bodies Temporal Data Result of depletion of water bodies MCG
Evolution of Disaster management
8 Disaster management Plans (Most) over the years NDMA, MCG
Disaster mitigation
9 Past events how they were controlled NDMA, MCG
10 Success / Failure rate
11 Reasons
12 Ward wise household data Housing Board
Past floods data
13 Spatial Maps of ward most affected Housing Board
Housing Data
14 Measures taken to mitigation of disaster Framework Housing Board
15 Slum data in the city Housing Board
Vulnerable areas identification
16 Slum rehabilitation measure after flood Housing Board
17 Migration Data MCG
18 Built up change MCG
19 Urbanisation change over the years Municipal area change Urbanisation changes MCG
20 Encroachments MCG
21 No. of building approval MCG
22
23 Funding Criteria for different disaster MCG
24 Funding received by Municipal body for flood mitigation MCG
Institutional Framework and working Schemes and policies for Urban flood Mitigation and
25 measures MCG
26 Control Measures MCG
27
28 Evacuation routes To access the capacity of the people NDMA
Knowledge and training/ survival skills/ disaster and the area. Higher capacity will
29 Capacity Assessment preparedness of the individual and the area surveyed reduce vulnerability at the poor NDMA
30 Barriers used for protection from Urban Floods against Urban floods. NDMA
31
List and type of hazards affecting the city: flood, fire, Flood map for the city, Overlay
32 earthquake, landslide, coastal hazard, environmental analysis of urban poor on map will
pollution, drought, industrial hazards, epidemic outbreaks show exposure of the poor to Urban MCG, NDMA
33 Location of environment sensitive zone floods. MCG, NDMA
For assessment of environment
Urban flood Assessment (City Level)
34 Spatial extent of flood and riverbanks, drainage channels. vulnerability MCG, NDMA
To assess frequency of hazard
35 occurrence in the city. MCG, NDMA
Past incidents of hazards: Map showing location of Critical infrastructure mapping of
36 hospitals, schools, fire stations, police stations the city. MCG, NDMA
NORTH Scale
GUD 681: Thesis Submitted By: Rajat Bariwal Guru Ramdas School of Planning

(Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City) RF Session 2020-22

Master of Planning (Urban)
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, Punjab
 Key Map:

Legend:

Gurugram Zonal Map

Observations:
1. Gurgaon has developed from a
class III town to a city with just
over a lakh resident in 1970 to a
city with over ten lakh residents
in 2011.
2. It aided in the establishment of
a business and corporate job
centre in the city. By the second
half of the 1990s, globalisation
had bought jobs in call centres,
KPOs, BPOs, the IT sector, and
other areas.

Gurugram Land Use Map

NORTH Scale
GUD 681: Thesis Submitted By: Abdul Quadir Guru Ramdas School of Planning

(Urban Flooding and Mitigation Measures in Gurugram City) RF Session 2020-22

Master of Planning (Urban)
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, Punjab