Major cities of India are becoming vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss.

Theme

T58 Urban floods

What UPSC asks in this theme

Cross-paper and frequent: why big cities (including smart ones) flood, causes, major floods (Mumbai, Chennai), and policies to tackle them.

What to cover

• Causes: encroachment of water bodies, poor drainage, concretisation, extreme rainfall
• Major floods: Mumbai 2005, Chennai 2015, Hyderabad, Pune
• NDMA urban flood guidelines, sponge cities, early warning

Writing the answer

• Name two floods with features; end with a framework of measures

These notes are for the whole theme, built from all 4 of its PYQs. UPSC does not publish model answers.