HYDERABAD: A research scholar in BITS Pilani (Hyderabad) might have come up with a cost-effective way to manage urban flooding in Hyderabad. The model, however, is computer simulated and is yet to be tested on ground.As part of the project ‘Integrated Urban Flood Management in India: Technology-driven Solutions’ by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), a consortium of institutions including BITS Pilani Hyderabad, IISc-Bangalore and NIT-Warangal are examining various ways to mitigate flooding in cities. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is also a part of the project.
In BITS Pilani (Hyderabad), the study was done by Swathi Vemula along with her guide K Srinivasa Raju. They found that a two-step solution can curb urban flooding in Hyderabad at least till 2040.
The two steps are: a) Ensuring existing network of storm water drains are clear of solid waste and b) taking up some effective Low Impact Development (LID) techniques as suggested by Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) of US Environment Protection Agency. The data for the study was provided by GHMC. About 650 sq.km. area under GHMC is divided into 16 storm water zones, which are further divided into micro-watersheds. These watersheds and storm water drainage network were tested in a computer-simulated model by Vemula for various rainfall scenarios.
Speaking to Express, Vemula said, “Existing storm water drainage system is robust. Most areas in Hyderabad are well-connected with storm water drains, except a few areas in IT corridor. If we take last year September’s 16.5 centimeter rainfall as an example of high-intensity-short-duration rainfall in the city, then it can be easily handled by existing storm water drains if two things are done - clearing these drains of waste and silt, and installing LID measures like permeable pavements in building cellars, rain water harvesting pits, developing vegetation swales along roads and having trenches in open spaces. It was observed that these measures cannot handle the next higher intensity rainfall prediction of 28.2cm for the year 2040. Till then, nothing more is required.”