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The TREADS Initiative at CPR invites you to a TREADTalk on:
Integrated Flood Risk Management in India: Bridging River Basin Science and Urban Planning
Friday, 31st October 2025, 4:00 PM IST
Speaker:
Prof. A. K. Gosain, Professor Emeritus, IIT Delhi, and Founder & Director, INRM Consultants
Moderator:
Dr. Srinivas Chokkakula, President and Chief Executive, CPR
This event will be held in a hybrid mode at the CPR Conference Room and online via Zoom. Please register to attend.
About the talk:
India faces recurring and increasingly severe flood events driven by the combined effects of intense monsoonal rainfall, rapid urbanisation, and changing climatic conditions. Nearly 12 percent of the nation’s land area and a huge proportion of its population are exposed to flood risk each year, with annual economic losses exceeding thousands of crores. This talk explores the hydrological, urban, and policy dimensions of both riverine and urban flooding, emphasising the need for a systems-based, multidisciplinary approach to flood resilience.
The talk will begin with the hydrological causes of flooding such as catchment degradation, siltation, and extreme rainfall patterns followed by the unique challenges of urban flooding caused by impervious surfaces, encroachment of floodplains, and inadequate drainage. Case studies from Delhi, Kolkata and Patna will illustrate how poor land-use planning and insufficient maintenance compound natural flood hazards and how appropriate solutions were formulated and recommended for implementation. The talk will then outline a suite of structural (embankments, detention basins, drainage networks) and non-structural (zoning, early warning flood forecasting, community awareness) mitigation measures, while highlighting the growing importance of nature-based solutions such as wetland restoration, green buffers, and the “sponge city” approach.
Technological advancements such as remote sensing, IoT-based monitoring, and machine learning for flood forecasting offer new opportunities for early warning and decision support. The talk will delve into their appropriateness and efficacy. Policy frameworks from NDMA, CWC, and the National Hydrology Project and their shortfall will be discussed in the context of integrated urban and basin management. The talk will conclude by emphasising the need to embed flood management within climate-resilient planning, leveraging carbon sequestration and co-benefits from green infrastructure. Ultimately, achieving long-term flood resilience in India requires coordination across disciplines and institutions, coupling scientific data with urban design and community stewardship to build adaptive, water-sensitive cities.
About the speaker:
Dr. Ashvani K. Gosain is Professor Emeritus in the area of Water Resources Engineering and GIS Technologies at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. He is a pioneering expert in climate change impact assessment on Indian water resources, having led the modeling studies incorporated in India’s First and Second National Communications (NATCOM I & II) to the UNFCCC. He is currently associated with the Fourth National Communication, focusing on adaptation options for the water sector, and has served as a reviewer for the IPCC Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports (AR4 and AR5).
Prof. Gosain has contributed to numerous prestigious national and international initiatives. He was a member of the Task Group on Water, Agriculture, and Food Security constituted for formulating India’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020). He played a leading role in the Ganga River Basin Management Plan (GRBMP) as Team Leader of the Water Resources Management Group, and formulated the Drainage Master Plan for the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
He continues to serve on expert committees of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) addressing pollution challenges in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers and was instrumental in drafting the Ganga Act for the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Prof. Gosain recently led a major international research project on Water Security and Sustainable Development for NCT of Delhi, funded by the Global Challenge Research Fund (UK).
Recipient of the Global Excellence Award 2021 in the Water Sector by the Energy & Environment Foundation, Prof. Gosain also serves as Founder and Director of INRM (Integrated Natural Resource Management) Consultants, a company incubated at IIT Delhi. He has previously served as Head of the Department of Civil Engineering and Head of the Computer Services Centre at IIT Delhi.
