Chennai in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu is in chaos at the moment as more than 40 cm of rainfall inundated the city in just 48 hours by December 4. The circumstances, triggered by Cyclone Michaung, highlights the escalating climate crisis facing urban India.
The storm has killed more than a dozen people and left a trail of destruction in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Residential buildings got submerged and cars got washed away in water currents on inundated roads.
Chennai Floods A Wake-up Call
The situation highlights how susceptible Indian cities have become to climate-induced disasters. Although the chaos in Chennai was sparked by a cyclone, it isn’t the only reason. Inadequate urban planning and poor institutional capacity are also in the limelight.
This event was a wake-up call. Heavy rainfall, inadequate drainage systems and incapacity of rivers to manage high charge levels sparked the crisis. Urbanisation exacerbated the situation. And the flat terrain in Chennai further complicated the matters.
But the southern city’s struggles are part of a broader narrative of climate vulnerability across Indian cities. For example, the densely populated metros of Kolkata and Mumbai fase risks from sea-level rise, tropical cyclones and riverine flooding.
A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2021 had raised serious concerns over 12 coastal cities in the country potentially getting submerged by rising sea levels by the end of the century. The cities could be nearly 3 feet underwater, it noted.
Inland, Too, The Story Is No Different
The risks are not theoretical. More than 7 million coastal farming and fishing families are already struggling. Coastal erosion is eating away at valuable agricultural areas and putting the very existence of coastal communities at risk.
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But it’s not just Indian coastal cities that are being threatened by flooding. Inland, too, the story is no different. Cities in Bihar, Uttrakhand and Himachal Pradesh have tremendously suffered from flooding and landslides. The capital, New Delhi, also saw heavy flooding in July.
