The Flood, the Nalas and the Election Calendar
During a five-hour spell of 128 mm rain, a tier-2 city of 9.5 lakh people flooded. Eleven people died, 4,000 were evacuated, and the main bus station stood under 1.2 m of water. The stormwater network was designed in 1998 for 25 mm per hour; 38% of the main nala length is built over or narrowed. Two sewage treatment plants have a combined capacity of 30 MLD against about 46 MLD of sewage generated, so untreated sewage backs up into the drains. In the six weeks after the flood, 780 dengue cases were reported. The municipal corporation has a ₹260 crore drainage master plan but only ₹70 crore sanctioned for the current year. Council elections are due in eight months, and the opposition is demanding the commissioner's transfer. Residents' groups in the worst-hit colonies have submitted a list of 14 choke points.
1. With only ₹70 crore available, what should the corporation prioritise in the next 90 days, and on what criteria?
Read the worked answer
With ₹70 crore, the corporation cannot build the master plan, but it can reduce the next flood's damage. First, conduct a hydraulic and CCTV survey of the encroached nala length, ranking reaches by population at risk, depth of flooding and cost per household protected; hospitals, schools and low-lying colonies get priority. Second, desilt and restore the critical reaches before the next monsoon, with photographic measurement of silt removal to deter leakage. Third, clean storm drains of solid waste and enforce segregation at source, since choked drains are a major cause. Fourth, install 20 rain gauges and water-level sensors and an SMS/public-alert system linked to the IMD; map shelters. Fifth, start dengue source-reduction: weekly dry-day checks, larvicide in stagnant pools and rapid testing. These are revenue works, not capital-heavy. Publish a ward-wise list of works and their status. Do not spread ₹70 crore thinly across all wards; concentrate on the flood paths that killed people and on the 14 choke points residents identified, verifying each technically.
2. How should the corporation handle the long-term master plan, encroachment and political pressure in an election year?
Read the worked answer
The master plan needs a five-year phased programme with an O&M budget, not an announcement. Finance it through a mix of state disaster mitigation funds, Finance Commission grants, municipal bonds, betterment charges on newly serviced areas and CSR for retention ponds. Separate sewage from stormwater; upgrade treatment capacity towards 46 MLD; make retention ponds and permeable pavements mandatory in new layouts; enforce floodplain zoning. On encroachment, survey with due notice, distinguish livelihood encroachment from constructed commercial structures, and resettle before demolition; eviction without rehabilitation is both unjust and politically unsustainable. Handle election pressure by publishing the prioritisation criteria and an independent technical audit, and by inviting ward committees to inspect works; this shifts the debate from the commissioner's transfer to verifiable progress. The commissioner should not be transferred mid-monsoon; if the government insists, document the handover. Judge the plan by whether the same rainfall produces fewer deaths and less displacement, not by ribbon-cuttings.