SR-5/2000-2001 : Urban Hydrology: A state of the art report

Abstract

Due to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, urban population of the country is increasing year after year posing a major challenge to the concerned with planning, development and management to cope up with the problem of providing the basic amenities such as safe drinking water, sanitation, drainage, solid waste management, etc. During the last 50 years considerable progress has been made in providing the safe drinking water supply and hygienic sanitation facilities to the urban population, it is still a long way to go in order to achieve 100 percent coverage in all the basic amenities.

Under the circumstances, there is an urgent need to initiate action for effective perspective planning for the next 25-30 years keeping in view the targets to be achieved in respect of water supply, sanitation, solid waste management and drainage facilities. The main objective of this report is to present the status of urban hydrology and to highlight some of the hydrological problems related to urbanisation in India. This report includes the trends of urbanisation in World and in India, and discussion on urban hydrologic cycle, hydrological and related problems of India, impact of urbanisation on stream flow, and urban water management. Some information on available urban hydrological models and the recommendations for the management of urban areas is also included.