Follow the rains, not the calendar, to fight floods

E ach year, urban India braces for the monsoon — contractors are deployed, drains desilted, and emergency protocols rehearsed. Yet, when the rain finally arrives — often untimely and more intense than expected — headlines are dominated by flooded roads, waterlogged homes, and stranded commuters. The deeper issue is that our cities are often still designed for a climate that no longer exists.

Northern States are seeing heavy flooding even in September, with all of Punjab’s 23 districts being hit by floods. Delhi and Gurugram have been inundated by intense rains, and Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are experiencing frequent cloudbursts. In the east, Kolkata is facing torrential rains.

Timing, amount, and intensity

But the rains came early too. In May, Mumbai recorded 135.4 mm of rainfal