Urban Flooding Crisis in Small Cities
- connect2783
- Sep 24
- 7 min read
Updated: Sep 25
Why do small cities in India flood so often?
India’s smaller cities face a growing urban flooding crisis driven by outdated drainage systems, unmanaged solid waste, and blocked natural waterways. Frequent waterlogging occurs due to clogged open drains, unchecked waste management, and inadequate pre-monsoon desilting. Some of our smaller cities regularly experience flooding even during moderate rains. Judicial interventions and local innovations, such as trash barriers and river clean-ups, show promise. However, sustained year-round maintenance, better waste management, and community involvement are essential to prevent recurrent flooding and protect urban infrastructure and livelihoods.
1. Introduction
Across India’s smaller cities, waterlogging has become a recurring urban crisis. With increasingly intense rainfall events and poorly maintained & outdated drainage infrastructure, storm/rainwater has nowhere to go. Clogged drains, inadequate infrastructure, and neglected waste management combine to flood streets, homes, and marketplaces with alarming frequency. While major metros often receive attention and investment, it is the smaller cities and towns that are quietly struggling with failing drainage systems.
2. Inadequate Infrastructure Unable To Meet Rising Rainfall
Urban drainage systems in many smaller cities are outdated, fragmented, or not equipped to handle the intensity of today’s monsoonal rains. Short bursts of heavy rainfall quickly overwhelm these systems, while even moderate showers can lead to prolonged waterlogging in poorly maintained or low-lying areas. With no effective outflow, stormwater accumulates on roads, disrupts mobility, and enters homes and shops, affecting daily life and public health.
While there is growing documentation of drainage challenges in large metros, there’s still a lack of strong, detailed research that explicitly analyses reasons as to why stormwater has nowhere to go in smaller towns.
However, several regional examples help illustrate the pattern. In Trichy, a short but intense spell of rain in 2023 exposed faulty stormwater drains in multiple parts of the city, resulting in widespread flooding. In Nagpur, the municipal commissioner admitted in 2024 that the existing, fragmented drainage network fails even during moderate rainfall. Similarly, in Guwahati, even modest rainfall regularly leads to significant waterlogging across various neighbourhoods due to chronic drainage issues.
These cases reflect a common challenge: while rain intensity is rising, the drainage infrastructure in smaller cities remains largely underdeveloped and poorly maintained. Without fixing drainage systems, even light rainfall keeps flooding the streets.
3. Clogged Drains and Solid Waste: The Key Factor
A key contributor to urban flooding in smaller cities is the rampant dumping of plastic waste, construction debris, and silt into open drains. Without regular pre-monsoon cleaning or year-round enforcement of waste rules, drains get blocked, reducing their carrying capacity.
During the 2024 floods in Vijayawada, over 30 municipal wards experienced severe waterlogging, largely due to plastic and debris blocking stormwater drains. In Jamshedpur, localities like Kadma and Bistupur face frequent waterlogging because the city’s drains are choked with garbage and construction debris, blocking stormwater flow and increasing flood risk. Similarly, Nashik continues to struggle with clogged drainage, especially in densely populated areas. In 2025, even light but persistent rainfall caused severe waterlogging in over 100 locations. Residents blamed poor maintenance and municipal delays in clearing garbage-filled drains.
Data and reports reveal a clear pattern: uncollected waste, poor maintenance and improper disposal of solid waste directly contribute to urban flooding by blocking drains. In Chennai, engineers estimated that solid waste alone reduced canal drainage capacity by 30%, and sewage sludge by another 40%. This turns what should be escape channels into traps that redirect floodwater into homes and streets.
3.1. Drainage Neglect Turns Routine Rain into Disasters
The lack of consistent cleaning and oversight means that even routine rains can cause a lot of hindrances in smaller cities. In Lucknow, despite crores spent on pre-monsoon desilting, much of the silt was left on roadsides, only to wash back into the drains during the first rain, rendering the entire effort futile. Without effective follow-through, desilting becomes a performative exercise.
In Vadodara, the failure to clean stormwater drains led to severe backflow during the 2024 floods. Drains that should have carried water away became bottlenecks, pushing water back into residential areas.
3.2. Vulnerable Open Drains in Small Cities
Unlike larger metros with covered drainage networks, many smaller cities still rely on open or informal drains. These are extremely vulnerable to both intentional dumping and natural clogging. Informal settlements and peripheral areas often lack structured drainage entirely, forcing rainwater to accumulate until it evaporates or seeps away creating both flood and health hazards.
In Shimla, a hill town already challenged by steep terrain, open or poor drains clogged with illegal dumping worsened waterlogging during the 2023 deluges.
3.3. When Natural Channels Are Blocked, Cities Flood
Rivers and natural streams are essential for draining excess rainwater, especially during monsoons. In smaller cities, they act like natural escape routes, helping reduce waterlogging. But when these rivers are treated like dumping grounds or built over, their flow is blocked, causing stormwater to back up into streets and neighbourhoods.
In Guwahati, the Bharalu River, which once drained much of the city’s rainwater, still remains heavily polluted and clogged with solid waste and encroachments. This has led to frequent flooding even during moderate rains. Similarly, in Trichy, garbage dumped along rivers like Koraiyar and Uyyakondan has slowed water flow and worsened waterlogging in nearby areas. At present, the issue and its impact on urban flooding still remains a significant concern. In Pune, the narrowing of the Ramnadi River due to illegal construction and debris dumping has increased local flooding, especially during heavy rain.
4. Judicial Interventions Reflect the Urgency
In 2025, the Kerala High Court criticised the uncontrolled dumping of plastic waste into drains and canals, noting that clogged urban drainage systems were a major factor in repeated flooding across cities like Kochi. Despite large public investments in drainage infrastructure, poor maintenance and lack of accountability led to repeated waterlogging and backflow in residential areas.
Similarly, in Himachal Pradesh, the High Court has ordered that no waste or debris be dumped into rivers, streams or rivulets (which act as natural drainage channels), making local bodies personally responsible. This ruling aimed at preventing water flow obstruction and related flooding risk.
5. Emerging Practices in Smaller Cities to Address Urban Floods
Recently, several smaller cities in India have undertaken significant initiatives to address urban flooding and waste mismanagement, demonstrating that targeted actions can lead to meaningful improvements. The efforts address the capacity of both, the city’s drainage infrastructure as well as natural channels.
Many practical measures are now being experimented and employed that include floating trash barriers and nets to intercept plastics before they move downstream to capture floatables and coarse debris during rains. At inlets and along drains, cities are adding or planning to add trash screens to keep litter out of drainage lines, guided by national storm‑water design manual and on‑ground deployments. Many of these efforts are being paired with pre‑monsoon desilting, ward‑level clean‑ups with civil society to keep waste out of drains.
In Vadodara, the Vishwamitri River, a key watercourse, has been impacted by encroachments and waste accumulation. In response, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has initiated a project to deepen and widen the river, aiming to enhance its capacity to manage stormwater. This project includes removing obstructions and encroachments along the riverbed to facilitate better water flow and reduce flooding risks.
Nashik has faced challenges with waterlogging and pollution in its drainage systems. To address these issues, the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has launched special drain cleaning drives across the city, focusing on identified waterlogging-prone areas. These efforts aim to ensure clearer stormwater routes before the monsoon season. Additionally, the NMC has finalised the Godavari purification project, which includes constructing new sewage treatment plants and upgrading existing infrastructure to reduce pollution and improve water quality in the Godavari River.
6. The Way Forward
Urban flooding in smaller Indian cities is no longer just a seasonal inconvenience, it is a structural crisis driven by neglected drains, unmanaged waste, and disrupted natural drainage like rivers and rivulets.
While major metros often get policy attention, the recurring examples from cities like Vijayawada, Nashik, Guwahati, and Jamshedpur highlight that smaller cities are equally, if not more, vulnerable due to fragmented infrastructure and limited municipal capacity.
6.1. What Can We Learn?
Learning from urban flooding in smaller cities reveals clear steps for change. By understanding the causes and solutions, we can protect lives, homes, and the dignity of our communities.
Firstly, drains must be cleaned regularly, not just before the monsoon but throughout the year. Without this, even normal rainfall can cause waterlogging.
Secondly, plastic waste, construction debris, and silt should never end up in drains or rivers. When we block natural water paths, the water has nowhere to go and floods our streets and homes.
Thirdly, we have also learnt that rivers and canals are not just water bodies, they are important parts of the city’s drainage system. If we dump waste or build over them, they can no longer carry away extra rainwater, making flooding worse.
Fourthly, technology and simple tools can help stop trash from getting into drains such as nets and barriers to catch floating waste and trap litter, and regular cleaning of clogged sewer and drain lines.
Finally, we see that good flood management needs both strong government action and public support. When communities, city workers, and leaders work together, the results could be better and longer-lasting.
In conclusion, if we take care of our drains, manage waste properly, protect natural drainage channels, and work together, our cities will be safer and better prepared for future rains. Without these changes, smaller cities will remain highly vulnerable to seasonal floods, economic disruption, and health hazards caused by stagnant water and sewage overflow. Solving drainage problems is not just about infrastructure, it’s about urban dignity.
References:
Assam State Disaster Management Authority. (2014). Guwahati floods. Assam State Disaster Management Authority. https://asdma.assam.gov.in/sites/default/files/Guwahati%20floods.pdf
Dey, A. K., Kalita, U., & Hazarika, A. K. (2023). Pollution induced‑stress on biodiversity and restoration strategy for India’s heavily contaminated Bharalu River. International Journal of Environment and Climate Change, 13(11), 3065‑3079. https://doi.org/10.9734/ijecc/2023/v13i113476
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. (2019). Manual on Storm Water Drainage Systems: Part A – Engineering Design (Vol.I). https://mohua.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/Volume%20I%20Engineering%283%29.pdf
National Disaster Management Authority. (n.d.). Urban floods. Government of India. Retrieved September 19, 2025, from https://ndma.gov.in/Natural-Hazards/Urban-Floods
Vishwakarma, R. K., Joshi, H., & Goonetilleke, A. (2023). Sustainability evaluation of the stormwater drainage system in six Indian cities. Sustainability, 15(20), 14906. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014906
Research Team: Riya Bhardwaj and Prashant Srivastava.
Comments