Major cities of India are becoming more vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss. (200 words)

Indian cities face increasing flood risk because intense rainfall meets impermeable surfaces, encroached drainage and weak urban planning.

Urban vulnerability

• Wetland loss, blocked drains, construction on floodplains, inadequate capacity and poor solid-waste management intensify runoff.
• Sea-level rise, storm surges, tidal backflow and changing rainfall extremes compound coastal risks.
• Floods damage housing, transport, electricity, health services and informal livelihoods while spreading disease.

Resilience

• Restore wetlands and blue-green corridors; enforce floodplain zoning and permeable, water-sensitive design.
• Upgrade drains using basin-level modelling, maintain outfalls and improve solid-waste collection.
• Early warning, evacuation, resilient infrastructure and coordinated municipal governance are essential.

Keywords: urban runoff, wetlands, floodplains, stormwater drainage, blue-green infrastructure, early warning.