Urban flooding is increasingly impacting critical infrastructure and economic investments in Indian cities, with urban poor bearing the brunt of its effects. This vulnerability is exacerbated by challenges in adapting to flooding, impacting essential services like water supply and transportation, and leading to health hazards.
Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe), a climate resilience think tank and research institute, and Mahila Housing Trust (MHT), focusing on empowering women in urban informal sectors, are developing community-led urban flooding management strategies, that prioritize engagement with vulnerable communities, particularly women.
IRADe and MHT have received a microgrant from Adaptation Research Alliance and UK Aid to develop the guidelines, which aim to assist state and national agencies in developing tailored urban flood management templates for vulnerable communities, co-created with the communities themselves with a focus on the inclusion of women. The microgrant also seeks to facilitate the adoption of the templates by larger government stakeholders by formulating a SMART advocacy plan.