Enhancing Urban Resilience to Flood in Chennai : Strategies for Sustainable and Adaptive Cities

Abstract

Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu is located in the South East of India and lies at a mere 6.7m above mean sea level and well developed and highly vulnerable city in India especially to floods. Chennai is in a vulnerable location due to storm surges as well as tropical cyclones that bring about heavy rains and yearly floods. The 2004 tsunami had a significant impact on the shoreline, and increasing urbanization together with the ground's declining natural drainage capacity as a result of encroachment on wetlands, marshes, and other ecologically delicate and permeable places have contributed to have more floods in the city. Canals and rivers that have been filtered through the Waste and informal settlements have made the situation worse. Organic and artificial water systems, such as those for collecting and storing monsoon water infrastructure like the reservoirs and tanks at Temple have been contaminated and have fallen into abuse. This dissertation involves the study of various geographical contexts that are similar to Chennai context and to analyze urban flood resilience. The various case studies that are discussed and analyzed. The outputs can be recommended to city Chennai to become better urban resilience to floods.