Cities offer ideas to solve Chennai’s flooding problem

By Sandhya Ravishankar

When the floods came last December, the city of Chennai and its surrounding districts in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu were caught cold. Amid dramatic scenes of flooded streets and devastated homes, 347 people died across the state and damage valued at more than 20,000 crore rupees ($3bn) was sustained – with Chennai the largest city affected.

After the most intense flooding in a century in the city, 100 Resilient Cities partnered with the Greater Chennai Corporation to convene an Urban Flood Management Summit, bringing together a diverse range of international and local experts to identify best practices and surface tangible ideas that could help Chennai and other cities that might face similar threats.

In the aftermath of the disaster, the city’s authorities were quick to seek advice from other cities whose experience of flooding – and pioneering plans to alleviate flood risk – could ensure Chennai is less badly affected the next time the rains hit with such force.

This article explores solutions and experiences from Georgetown (Guyana), Lent (Netherlands), Jakarta (Indonesia), New Orleans (United States), and Surat (India).