Online training programme: Managing Urban Floods in a climate risk world

Why do our cities flood? What can be done to tackle this issue? Indian cities such as Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai get swamped by swirling floodwaters almost every year with frightening regularity. In 2024, urban floods had ravaged many nations, from Afghanistan, Indonesia, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo to France and Germany. A combination of factors is responsible: erratic and extreme weather phenomena induced by a changing climate, shoddy urban planning and unregulated urbanisation, and a lack of respect for a critical resource – water and waterbodies.

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) invites applications for its two-week online training programme on understanding and managing urban floods – a critical first step in developing sustainable strategies for building flood-resilient cities. CSE’s water and wastewater team, which would be spearheading this training, is one of the oldest and most experienced programmes at the Centre; its vast stock of subject knowledge, practical understanding, information resources and training experience makes it uniquely placed to conceive and conduct this programme.

WHAT THE TRAINING WILL COVER:

Urban water management and extreme weather events Causes of urban floods: Geographic and climatic, and unplanned urbanisation Forecasting and measuring rainfall Understanding urban flood risk and vulnerabilities through spatial land use planning Nature-based solutions for urban flooding Role of communities in reducing flood risk Success stories from different countries on building resilience

TRAINING SCHEDULE: AN OUTLINE

WATER MANAGEMENT IN URBAN AREAS OF THE GLOBAL SOUTH

• Management of groundwater and stormwater
• The state of lakes and waterbodies
• Extreme storm events and their impact on the city and its residents
• Policies, legal framework, guidelines for managing groundwater and stormwater: Case studies from different ecological regions
• Financial incentives available under different government schemes

URBAN FLOODING IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

• Forecasting rainfall in a climate-risked world
• Causes of urban floods: Meteorological and hydro-geological reasons
• Mapping flood hazards using geospatial tools
• Using solutions related to natural ecosystems for managing urban floods: Sponge city concepts

SUCCESS STORIES FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH ON URBAN FLOOD MANAGEMENT

• Water collection systems
• Rainwater/stormwater harvesting and groundwater recharge systems
• Sponge cities
• Community engagement for reducing flood risks

YOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS TRAINING

1. E-Certificate of Participation from CSE on completion of the training
2. In-depth understanding of the phenomena of urban floods and how to tide over them
3. E-alerts for CSE webinars, trainings and workshops on the subject, and subscription to CSE’s weekly e-newsletter
4. Additional 10 per cent discount on upcoming (in 2025) trainings related to water and wastewater management (T&C apply)
5. Preferential access to some of CSE’s key publications on water as a member of CSE’s training alumni under the School of Water and Waste (T&C apply)

WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT

CSE’S TRAINING PROGRAMMES

“The training was extremely useful. It provided valuable insights that directly helped my research interests and broadened my understanding of the key topics related to climate-resilient urban systems. I look forward to applying the knowledge gained in my future research and projects.”

Sushil Kumar
Doctoral Research Scholar, IIT Roorkee, India

“Thank you for an excellent course. The training was well-designed for a beginner like me. All the live sessions were very informative.”

Kathy Eales
Chairperson, Van Wyk’sdorp Water Users Association, South Africa

 

FOR MORE DETAILS, PLEASE CONTACT - TRAINING COORDINATOR

VIVEK KUMAR SAH,
Water Programme, CSE Mobile: +91-9708887214,
Email: vivek.sah@cseindia.org