The National Remote Sensing Centre is hosting an experimental map showing low-lying vulnerable areas in Hyderabad. The map shows the contours of land and the areas that are likely to be flooded in the eventuality of heavy downpour. “The map if it can be juxtaposed with the 13 watersheds of the River Musi and Doppler radar information it will give a lead of three hours for planners and citizens,” says Marri Shashidhar Reddy former vice-chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority.
The map dovetails perfectly with the wishes of Mr. Reddy. Earlier in 2017, the Disaster Management Cell of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation had released information about 116 water stagnation points in the city. It also identified the number of families that need to shifted to higher grounds in the event of flooding. In contrast, the NRSC map of vulnerable areas of city is actionable. On Tuesday night and Wednesday when the water from Osmansagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs was released, the areas swamped included the exact area which the map showed. It also shows the low-lying area of Manchirevula which was flooded isolating communities in the area.
“The floods will become frequent in urban areas as the intensity of rainfall is increasing and the runoff increases,” said Kapil Gupta of IIT-B at a recent seminar. He shared data about how cities in India have been frequently experiencing rainfall >50mm/hour and even >100mm/hour.
