Waterlogging is not just a monsoon inconvenience for Kolkata residents. It’s a persistent issue mostly due to a combination of factors, like its challenging topography and an outdated colonial-era infrastructure. But what contributed to Tuesday’s deluge involved decades of unplanned urban development, according to town planners.
“Kolkata was built on the eastern side of the Hooghly, which gradually slopes down towards the east. This topography, combined with the construction of the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, created a saucer effect. The Bypass acts like a dam, trapping the rainwater in the core city area,” Urban Designer Partha Pratim Das told The Indian Express.
This makes drainage immensely difficult, especially during heavy rainfall, Das said. “If the water level in Hooghly and all its tributaries is high, there is no way you can pump this water out of the city,” he added.
Unplanned development and wetland destruction
The city’s sporadic and haphazard growth, lacking any overarching plan, has only accentuated the problem.
According to town planners, Kolkata is the only Tier 1 Metro city in the country that does not have a Master Plan or a Development Plan.
“This has led to severe infrastructure strain. The drainage system, originally designed for small residential buildings, suddenly has to bear a lot of pressure with a rise in population density,” noted another town planner.
Furthermore, the destruction of natural water buffers has eliminated the city’s natural defence against flooding.
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“Salt Lake was a wrong decision. Yes, it has been built on wetlands… In those days, people did not have any idea about the benefits of wetlands, so they were quickly filled up… It’s a planned city, but very poorly planned. This time, Salt Lake was inundated because the drainage system was not cleaned,” said Das.
“….there is no master plan. There is no planned development for non-residential areas or social infrastructure. Everything came up in a very unplanned way. On the same road, you will find schools, colleges, as well as hotels and nursing homes. There is no land use pattern,” he added.
Neglect by civic body
Beyond the structural issues, the day-to-day civic neglect severely reduced the efficiency of the existing drainage network, said the experts, stressing the lack of regular maintenance.
“Our drainage system needs to be cleaned. There are areas like Salt Lake and some other parts of Calcutta where the drains are not regularly cleaned. They are silted, so their drainage capacity reduces,” said Das.
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Plastic waste plays a major role in exacerbating blockages, choking the sewers and canals. “Public awareness really has to improve. It is absolutely pathetic. People just don’t care,” he said.
“The civic body is definitely at fault. They should clean the drains before the monsoon,” the town planner added.
According to the experts, extreme rainfall can overwhelm any city’s drainage system globally.
However, the geographical hurdle in Kolkata is not without solutions, primarily centered around urban planning and natural resource management.
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“We should not fill up any of the wetlands, and perhaps we should dredge them and increase the depth of the wetlands so they can take some of the drainage,” said an urban designer.
A Master Plan is vital to guide future urban expansion. This plan should include creating water bodies in the city’s periphery,” said Das. Waterlogging is not just a monsoon inconvenience for Kolkata residents. It’s a persistent issue mostly due to a combination of factors, like its challenging topography and an outdated colonial-era infrastructure. But what contributed to Tuesday’s deluge involved decades of unplanned urban development, according to town planners.
City’s topography & EM Bypass
“Kolkata was built on the eastern side of the Hooghly, which gradually slopes down towards the east. This topography, combined with the construction of the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, created a saucer effect. The Bypass acts like a dam, trapping the rainwater in the core city area,” Urban Designer Partha Pratim Das told The Indian Express.
This makes drainage immensely difficult, especially during heavy rainfall, Das said. “If the water level in Hooghly and all its tributaries is high, there is no way you can pump this water out of the city,” he added.
Story continues below this ad
Unplanned development and wetland destruction
The city’s sporadic and haphazard growth, lacking any overarching plan, has only accentuated the problem.
According to town planners, Kolkata is the only Tier 1 Metro city in the country that does not have a Master Plan or a Development Plan.
“This has led to severe infrastructure strain. The drainage system, originally designed for small residential buildings, suddenly has to bear a lot of pressure with a rise in population density,” noted another town planner.
Furthermore, the destruction of natural water buffers has eliminated the city’s natural defence against flooding.
Story continues below this ad
“Salt Lake was a wrong decision. Yes, it has been built on wetlands… In those days, people did not have any idea about the benefits of wetlands, so they were quickly filled up… It’s a planned city, but very poorly planned. This time, Salt Lake was inundated because the drainage system was not cleaned,” said Das.
“….there is no master plan. There is no planned development for non-residential areas or social infrastructure. Everything came up in a very unplanned way. On the same road, you will find schools, colleges, as well as hotels and nursing homes. There is no land use pattern,” he added.
Neglect by civic body
Beyond the structural issues, the day-to-day civic neglect severely reduced the efficiency of the existing drainage network, said the experts, stressing the lack of regular maintenance.
“Our drainage system needs to be cleaned. There are areas like Salt Lake and some other parts of Calcutta where the drains are not regularly cleaned. They are silted, so their drainage capacity reduces,” said Das.
Story continues below this ad
Plastic waste plays a major role in exacerbating blockages, choking the sewers and canals. “Public awareness really has to improve. It is absolutely pathetic. People just don’t care,” he said.
“The civic body is definitely at fault. They should clean the drains before the monsoon,” the town planner added.
According to the experts, extreme rainfall can overwhelm any city’s drainage system globally.
However, the geographical hurdle in Kolkata is not without solutions, primarily centered around urban planning and natural resource management.
Story continues below this ad
“We should not fill up any of the wetlands, and perhaps we should dredge them and increase the depth of the wetlands so they can take some of the drainage,” said an urban designer.
A Master Plan is vital to guide future urban expansion. This plan should include creating water bodies in the city’s periphery,” said Das.
