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I'm not a civil engineer (but I really wish I was).
Uncomfortable fact - risk of recurrence of flooding that we saw in Chennai last year.
I don't live in Chennai, but I'm really interested to know what steps have been taken to reduce the risks to people and property.
(Prevention is better than cure, awareness is the first step towards change & progress, etc.)
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This article was published in The Guardian newspaper: "Cities offer ideas to solve Chennai's flooding problem"..
Here's a few excerpts/quotes from the article:
“The challenge is not resources – the challenge is how will Chennai use its resources?”
“There needs to be a sustained awareness campaign first – people have to understand the dos and don’ts of living near water.”
“Never think about solving a water problem[...] Learn to embrace it and live with it.”
“Don’t work against the forces of nature[...] Study the systems and use the energy of nature.”
“Chennai and New Orleans share the problem of subsidence, and people need to be aware that sucking out the groundwater will cause the city to sink further[...]”
“Engineering systems will fail. Chennai needs to take the ‘least effort approach’ – let nature work for me.”
“Chennai’s residents will benefit if [...] flood warning systems are put in place since this will give them some respite time to move away from the area[...] Water bodies can also be cleaned and restored using the public-private partnership model, as we did in Surat...”
“After big disasters there are windows of opportunity[...] People are shaken out of their comfort zones and come out of their silos. We need to use that momentum to create a strong city."
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"Vulnerability profiling of cities" (published in 2014).
Includes "vulnerability profiles" for Hyderabad and Haridwar.
Am trying to find the relevant information for Chennai.
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It would be nice to have some thoughts and ideas from other commentators here!!
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