The recurring monsoon flooding in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru is a multifaceted issue, rooted primarily in urban planning deficiencies. Inadequate drainage systems are often cited as the immediate cause, but the underlying reasons are more complex and systemic.

Encroachment and Construction: Due to illegal construction on river banks, waterways, and empty plots of land, the land’s ability to absorb water is highly diminished, which puts pressure on the sewage channels, which in turn clog up as they cannot handle the extra load.

Governance and Policy Implementation: As we already know, the government at the district level is very corrupt in India, and they have no intention of improving the old drainage system. Even if repairs are done, the work is shoddy, isn’t made to last a long time, and usually breaks down in a season or two due to rampant corruption.

Old citites: Cities and Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai are very old cities, where Delhi is the oldest as it was founded by Tomars in the early 8th century, while both Mumbai and Bengaluru are 15th and 16th century founded cities. These cities, due to their age and rapid population growth, didn’t get the time to upgrade their facilities with time, and population and old systems are still in place as it is very difficult to upgrade the sewage system without digging on a large scale, which brings the city to a halt.