Faced with increasingly frequent rainfall and flash flooding, the Gorakhpur district in India developed an Urban Flood Management System to battle the onslaught.
In early 2023, the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation partnered with Canarys Automations to develop its system that brings together processes, technology, and people to better handle the growing crisis of flooding in the region, according to a report by the Better India.
"Every monsoon, it was the same dreadful story. The water would not just flood the streets; it entered our homes, flowing right into the kitchen and living room," Ratna Devi, from Ashoknagar in the Gorakhpur district, recounted in the piece.
"We were stranded, sometimes waist‑deep in water, watching helplessly as our belongings were ruined. The floodwaters would remain for days, and often, the officials took time to help us out."
India is not alone in facing an increased frequency of extreme rainfall and flooding; it's becoming a global problem.
Stefan Uhlenbrook of the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shared that while flash flooding isn't new, the frequency and severity are increasing due to factors such as rapid urbanization, land-use change, and the changing climate.
As temperatures rise, each degree Celsius of warming allows the air to hold about 7% more water vapor, the UN reported.
Gorakhpur mayor Dr. Manglesh Kumar Srivastava acknowledged that the district is "a naturally low-lying region, surrounded by rivers and drainage channels that easily swell during the monsoon," making the area especially susceptible.
"When heavy rain falls, the water has nowhere to go, so it accumulates and sits," he added, per the Better India.
In the years that followed the initial partnership, an Urban Flood Management Center was established as a dedicated operational hub that incorporates real-time data analysis, predictive forecasting, and close coordination with municipal teams able to respond swiftly to flooding reports.
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Pretty regularly 😠 A citizen-facing app called "Varuna" was also launched as part of the initiative, which has helped reduce residents' sense of helplessness.
"Now, if I see blocked drains or rising water, I report it immediately, and municipal teams respond quickly. I finally feel at peace," Devi told the outlet.
Additional elements include an Early Warning System that uses weather forecasts, live data, sensor readings, and historical flood records to identify danger zones, activate pumps early, and deploy field teams where they'll be most useful, the report detailed.
In addition, the Decision Support System helps analyze structural weaknesses and identify areas in need of improved drainage, flood barriers, and urban redesign to improve the area's resilience to these extreme weather events.
An AI-powered forecasting model was also developed specifically for the region to help anticipate problem areas before they become dangerous, sometimes up to 24 hours in advance.
The WMO has developed its own global Early Warnings for All initiative and real-time guidance platform that already provides flood forecasting to 70 countries.
A 2022 World Bank study estimated that 1.81 billion people across the world are directly exposed to one-in-100-year flood events, with 89% living in low- and middle-income countries.
This global system uses satellite data, radar, and high-resolution weather models to provide advanced warnings, and it's being expanded into a globally interoperable framework that's slated to be completed by 2027.
As for Gorakhpur, Srivastava told the Better India that they "will expand this Urban Flood Management System, deploy more sensors, and strengthen community outreach."
"Our goal is to set a national standard for flood-ready cities," said the mayor.
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