Chennai & Bengaluru join 100 Resilience Cities (100RC)

Chennai

Recent immigration has made Chennai the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the world. Informal peripheral settlements in low-lying coastal areas that lack access to infrastructure and services house many of these recent arrivals. To protect these in the face of a high flood risk, officials have begun developing coordinate disaster response plans.

In addition, Chennai is making efforts to build on that experience, learning from past events and continuing to provide best-practice solutions to other regions. This is similar to how it responded in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, when developed an early warning system. The city is budgeting resources to improve waste collection to minimize  its impact as an environmental threat and during flooding.

Bengaluru

Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore, is one of India’s major economic centers. An annual populate growth of 4% means the city is expected to have over 12 million residents by 2020. A considerable amount of this growth is driven by Bengaluru’s strong investment in the tech support industry. However, disruptions to infrastructure, such as those caused by seasonal monsoon flooding, can have serious negative consequences for industry and the city’s economic stability. Flooding also overwhelmingly threatens poorer sections of the city, increasing the risk of disease and provoking class tensions.

Even with regular monsoonal rains, Bengaluru struggles with water shortages. Officials have warned that a worsening of the water supply situation could lead to evacuations or even abandonment of parts of the city. Bengaluru has already launched both regular desilting projects and public awareness campaigns, but the city needs to develop a comprehensive water supply and recovery strategy.

Resilience Issues