Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

                trigger_error($message, E_USER_WARNING);

            } else {
$response = object(Cake\Http\Response) {

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</span></span></code>
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-Huffington Post blog&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Planning in tatters&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city&#039;s growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India&#039;s City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &amp;quot;hopeless&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;good for nothing&amp;quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city&#039;s growth patterns.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &amp;ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-Huffington Post blog

A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.

The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Huffington Post blog&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Planning in tatters&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city&#039;s growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India&#039;s City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &amp;quot;hopeless&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;good for nothing&amp;quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city&#039;s growth patterns.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &amp;ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot; title=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Planning in tatters&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city&#039;s growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India&#039;s City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &amp;quot;hopeless&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;good for nothing&amp;quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city&#039;s growth patterns.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &amp;ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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-Huffington Post blog

A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.

The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Huffington Post blog&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Planning in tatters&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city&#039;s growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India&#039;s City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &amp;quot;hopeless&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;good for nothing&amp;quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city&#039;s growth patterns.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &amp;ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot; title=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
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A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.

The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&mdash;there is..."/>
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                <strong>India&#039;s Urban Floods Are More Acts Of Man Than God -VR Vachana</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-Huffington Post blog<br /><br /><em>A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.<br /></em><br />The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.<br /><br /><em>Planning in tatters<br /></em><br />The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .<br /><br />Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city's growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India's City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &quot;hopeless&quot; and &quot;good for nothing&quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city's growth patterns.<br /><br />Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.<br /><br />Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.<br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/" title="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>               </font>
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-Huffington Post blog&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Planning in tatters&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city&#039;s growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India&#039;s City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &amp;quot;hopeless&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;good for nothing&amp;quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city&#039;s growth patterns.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &amp;ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
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-Huffington Post blog

A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.

The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Huffington Post blog&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Planning in tatters&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city&#039;s growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India&#039;s City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &amp;quot;hopeless&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;good for nothing&amp;quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city&#039;s growth patterns.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &amp;ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot; title=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-Huffington Post blog&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Planning in tatters&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city&#039;s growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India&#039;s City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &amp;quot;hopeless&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;good for nothing&amp;quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city&#039;s growth patterns.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &amp;ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
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-Huffington Post blog

A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.

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A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.

The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&mdash;there is..."/>
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                <strong>India&#039;s Urban Floods Are More Acts Of Man Than God -VR Vachana</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-Huffington Post blog<br /><br /><em>A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.<br /></em><br />The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.<br /><br /><em>Planning in tatters<br /></em><br />The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .<br /><br />Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city's growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India's City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &quot;hopeless&quot; and &quot;good for nothing&quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city's growth patterns.<br /><br />Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.<br /><br />Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.<br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/" title="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>               </font>
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-Huffington Post blog&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Planning in tatters&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city&#039;s growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India&#039;s City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &amp;quot;hopeless&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;good for nothing&amp;quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city&#039;s growth patterns.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &amp;ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
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-Huffington Post blog

A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.

The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Huffington Post blog&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Planning in tatters&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city&#039;s growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India&#039;s City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &amp;quot;hopeless&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;good for nothing&amp;quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city&#039;s growth patterns.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &amp;ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot; title=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-Huffington Post blog&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;Planning in tatters&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city&#039;s growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India&#039;s City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &amp;quot;hopeless&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;good for nothing&amp;quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city&#039;s growth patterns.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &amp;ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-Huffington Post blog

A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.

The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Huffington Post blog&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&amp;mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Planning in tatters&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city&#039;s growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India&#039;s City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &amp;quot;hopeless&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;good for nothing&amp;quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city&#039;s growth patterns.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &amp;ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot; title=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/&quot;&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt; to read more. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
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-Huffington Post blog

A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.

The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&mdash;there is..."/>
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                <strong>India&#039;s Urban Floods Are More Acts Of Man Than God -VR Vachana</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-Huffington Post blog<br /><br /><em>A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.<br /></em><br />The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.<br /><br /><em>Planning in tatters<br /></em><br />The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .<br /><br />Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city's growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India's City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &quot;hopeless&quot; and &quot;good for nothing&quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city's growth patterns.<br /><br />Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.<br /><br />Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.<br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/" title="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>               </font>
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-Huffington Post blog<br />
<br />
<em>A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.<br />
</em><br />
The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.<br />
<br />
<em>Planning in tatters<br />
</em><br />
The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .<br />
<br />
Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city's growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India's City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.<br />
<br />
Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &quot;hopeless&quot; and &quot;good for nothing&quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city's growth patterns.<br />
<br />
Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.<br />
<br />
Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.<br />
<br />
Please <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/">click here</a> to read more. <br />
</div>',
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	'metaTitle' => 'LATEST NEWS UPDATES | India&#039;s Urban Floods Are More Acts Of Man Than God -VR Vachana',
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-Huffington Post blog

A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.

The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&mdash;there is...',
	'disp' => '<div align="justify">-Huffington Post blog<br /><br /><em>A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.<br /></em><br />The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.<br /><br /><em>Planning in tatters<br /></em><br />The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .<br /><br />Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city's growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India's City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &quot;hopeless&quot; and &quot;good for nothing&quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city's growth patterns.<br /><br />Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.<br /><br />Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.<br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/" title="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>',
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	'title' => 'India&#039;s Urban Floods Are More Acts Of Man Than God -VR Vachana',
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-Huffington Post blog<br />
<br />
<em>A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.<br />
</em><br />
The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.<br />
<br />
<em>Planning in tatters<br />
</em><br />
The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .<br />
<br />
Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city's growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India's City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.<br />
<br />
Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &quot;hopeless&quot; and &quot;good for nothing&quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city's growth patterns.<br />
<br />
Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.<br />
<br />
Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.<br />
<br />
Please <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/">click here</a> to read more. <br />
</div>',
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-Huffington Post blog

A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.

The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&mdash;there is...'
$disp = '<div align="justify">-Huffington Post blog<br /><br /><em>A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance.<br /></em><br />The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises&mdash;there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future.<br /><br /><em>Planning in tatters<br /></em><br />The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity .<br /><br />Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city's growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India's City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as &quot;hopeless&quot; and &quot;good for nothing&quot;, emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city's growth patterns.<br /><br />Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city &ndash; where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people.<br /><br />Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater.<br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/" title="http://www.huffingtonpost.in/v-r-vachana/india-s-urban-floods-are-more-acts-of-man-than-god_a_23191850/">click here</a> to read more. <br /></div>'
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India's Urban Floods Are More Acts Of Man Than God -VR Vachana

-Huffington Post blog A result of dysfunctional municipal planning and governance. The flooding woes of Indian cities have hit the headlines yet again, with Mumbai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Agartala being among the worst affected. As for the response to these crises—there is enough evidence to indicate that the patchwork solutions that have been employed will work like steroid shots that might mitigate the issue temporarily, but worsen it in the future. Planning in tatters The fundamental issue behind recurrent urban flooding can be traced to the lack of a comprehensive masterplan that is properly implemented and enforced. According to the Green Economy report (UNEP, 2011), poor urban planning can cost a country 3% of its GDP. It is a known fact that the planning process in Indian cities is flawed at various levels. Chandigarh, often touted as our best planned city, was intended to house half a million people but now bears the load of over 1.5 million residents, clearly overwhelming its governance and infrastructure capacity . Unmanaged urban sprawl is a clear indication of failure to accommodate the actual pace of a city's growth, placing undue stress on land. And, with the absence of mechanisms for plan implementation and enforcement, cities end up with encroachments and violations that block natural drainage systems, resulting in urban flooding. The Annual Survey of India's City-Systems (ASICS) 2016, an urban governance benchmarking study across 21 major Indian cities showed that 14 Indian cities scored zero on a scale of 10 in their ability to successfully implement plans while the remaining seven cities scored a meagre 0.9. The study also showed that no cities have an effective mechanisms to deter plan violations. Not surprisingly, the Union Minister for Transport, Nitin Gadkari, recently described the Town Planning Department in Maharashtra as "hopeless" and "good for nothing", emphasising the need for agencies to chalk out plans in tandem with the city's growth patterns. Indian cities do not aim for equity and resilience. Inequitable planning results in a divided city – where areas facing minimal flooding end up well-planned and serviced, while vulnerable areas that are low-lying and comprised of informal settlements are left out. Furthermore, they are not equipped with robust indicators to measure success and failure of plans. This can be further attributed to the fact that India has a dearth of town planners, sectoral planners and plan enforcement staff. According to UN-Habitat (as cited in the ASICS report), India has only one planner per 4,00,000 population in comparison to the UK, which has 148 planners for the same strength of people. Robust planning and design standards would also help implement scientific design of drains, separation between sewage and storm water and adequate capacities of storm water drains. No city in India has adopted a design standard for drainage systems. Most cities also lack adequate drainage coverage. For example, Chennai has 855km of storm water drains against 2,847 km of roads, resulting in floods after minimally heavy rain. In Mumbai, storm drains receive almost 40% of sewage from the city either by direct discharge/overflow from sewers or by drainage across the ground, leading to reduction in its capacity to drain rainwater. Please click here to read more.