Who Is To Blame For Gurugram's Seasonal Road-Rivers?
But none of Gurugram's well-heeled residents would have wanted their top-of-the-line Beemers and Mercs to gurgle to a standstill in the gushing, muddy waters of the Golf Course Road-River, just like their counterparts in Texas succumbed to the roiling swell of the Guadalupe River. The difference, of course, is that Guadalupe is actually a seasonal river, while the Golf Course Road has no business turning into one every time there is a serious monsoon downpour.
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News18
12-07-2025
- News18
Who Is To Blame For Gurugram's Seasonal Road-Rivers?
For once, the arrival of the monsoon in earnest in Delhi did not result in the usual photo of a bus submerged under the Minto Bridge near Connaught Place. Instead, there were videos galore of the grand roads of 'Millennium City" turning into raging rivers. And the US-oriented residents of the multi-billion-rupee apartments flanking the major arterial roads of Gurugram must have truly felt they were in the same boat—if only metaphorically—with people in Texas. But none of Gurugram's well-heeled residents would have wanted their top-of-the-line Beemers and Mercs to gurgle to a standstill in the gushing, muddy waters of the Golf Course Road-River, just like their counterparts in Texas succumbed to the roiling swell of the Guadalupe River. The difference, of course, is that Guadalupe is actually a seasonal river, while the Golf Course Road has no business turning into one every time there is a serious monsoon downpour.
News18
10-07-2025
- News18
Japan's Kansai Airport Is Sinking Beneath Bay, Continues To Inch Lower Each Year: Report
Last Updated: Japan's Kansai International Airport has sunk over 17 metres since construction, more than initially expected, due to the soft clay foundation, a report has claimed. Japan's Kansai International Airport (KIX), built on a man-made island in Osaka Bay, is sinking. According to the South China Morning Post, while the airport has grown into a major hub for both domestic and international flights, it has already sunk into the clay layers beneath the bay more than engineers initially expected, and it continues to inch lower every year. The report quoted operator Kansai Airports and stated that the surface of the airport's first island is today about 3.84 metres (12.6 feet) lower than when it opened in 1994. Since landfill began for its construction, the airport has experienced an average settlement of 13.66 metres (45 inches), the report claimed. The operator is keen to point out that some 'settling" of the surface level was always expected. The average subsidence measured just 6cm (2.4 inches) across 17 points on the artificial island last year, according to the latest data released in December. The situation is somewhat worse at the second island, where the surface has fallen by 17.47 metres (57.3 feet) since the commencement of landfill work, and the average subsidence at 54 measurement points last year was 21cm (8.3 inches), according to the report. More than US$150 million has been spent on raising the sea walls surrounding the islands, but some engineers still predict that in the next 30 years, sections of the elevated airfield may be at sea level. The islands were constructed atop a 20-metre (65.6-foot) thick layer of alluvial clay, which acted like a sponge. The report also suggested that despite installing 2.2 million vertical pipe drains that were meant to solidify the clay and limit contraction, the weight of the landfill, including more than 200 million cubic metres (7.6 billion cubic feet) of debris and 48,000 tetrapods, has squeezed the clay more than anticipated. The challenges facing the airport became apparent in September 2018, when it had to be entirely shut down after being flooded by storm surges caused by Typhoon Jebi. The strongest typhoon to hit Japan in a quarter of a century caused US$13 billion in damage and led to 21 deaths across the Pacific, it mentioned. The report attributed to a statement on the operator's website, and stated that the rate of subsidence is lessening and it continues to monitor the foundations of the airport, including accumulating data on subsidence and seeking the advice of academics. Hiroo Ichikawa, a professor emeritus of urban planning and policy at Meiji University, said the sinking of the islands remained within acceptable levels and that the entire project had been a valuable learning experience for other similar man-made island plans. In the past, Japan's Kansai International Airport (KIX) has won international awards for its architectural design, efficiency and staff, and was recognised last year as the best airport in the world for baggage delivery after not mislaying a single item of luggage for a decade. Made up of two islands, one covering 510 hectares (1,260 acres) and the second over 1,055 hectares, the airport was built to ease overcrowding at the nearby Osaka International Airport and welcomed its first passenger flight in September 1994. view comments First Published: July 10, 2025, 13:10 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
15-06-2025
- Indian Express
From the Opinions Editor: Dealing with heat waves and floods is a knowledge challenge
Dear Express Reader, The first half of 2025 has been a textbook case of the chaos wrought on weather systems by climate change. It has been another hot year, but the record-breaking temperatures have not been during the summer months. People in India experienced the hottest January since 1958. By February, not only was the cool weather in retreat, but the rising temperatures had also obscured spring in several parts of the country. It was the hottest that India has been in the second month of the year since 1900 – the national average temperature was 1.35 degrees above normal. The IMD issued its first heatwave alert for the summer as early as April. But May had none of the scorching temperatures usually associated with the month. Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru set rainfall-related records. Heat returned to North India in the first half of June. Showers have brought some relief to the people and like parts of South India and Maharashtra, the region could experience an early rainy season if the IMD forecast holds true. In recent years, another factor has made the hot weather more taxing for Indians. In several parts of the country, the summer months are becoming stressful not just because of the high temperature. The moisture in the air inhibits the body's ability to cool down through the natural mechanism of sweating. The strain is felt most acutely by outdoor workers – like construction workers, farmers, street vendors and food delivery partners. A growing body of scholarship shows that their bodies are exposed to heat all day and do not get a chance to cool down even during the night. A World Bank study shows that more than 34 million jobs in India could be at risk in the next five years due to heat exposure. Between 2001 and 2020, India lost around 259 billion hours of labour—worth US$ 624 billion (INR 46 lakh crore) annually—due to extreme heat and humidity. The humidity is the result of multiple weather systems around the country which, in turn, are fuelled by the general warming of the the seas. If this wasn't enough, the atmospheric instability caused by moist winds from the Bay of Bengal has left its mark in several parts of the country. More than 150 people lost their lives due to lightning strikes in March and April – a more than 180 per cent rise compared to last year. Bihar's disaster management authority records show that lightning strikes claimed more than 90 lives between April 9 and April 14. The state has always been a hotspot for lightning-related calamities. But these would typically happen in June-July. Rain brings some relief but also leaves disruption in its wake. This year, the earliest onset of the monsoon over Mumbai coincided with the city breaking a 100-year-old record for rainfall in May. Large parts of India's financial capital, including a newly-built Metro station, went under water reminding policymakers of the vulnerability of the country's economy to climate risks. The downpour exposed at least 50 new waterlogging sites in the city. In the past two weeks, several parts of Pune have been inundated. Bengaluru too has experienced disruptive floods and parts of northeast have been badly hit by landslides. The growing threat of climate stress calls for urgent mid- and long-term strategies—both structural and non-structural—to limit economic and social fallout. But first things first. Climate change and erratic weather are contributing factors: The underlying issues related to many of the problems faced by people relate to longstanding systemic gaps in planning, land use, and infrastructure management. Experts have underlined that most Indian cities are about 2 degrees C hotter than nearby rural areas. The concrete, asphalt and bricks used for urban infrastructure, roads, buildings and pavements, soak up and retain heat. These materials are part of an engineering paradigm that relies on the use of strong materials to construct sturdy offices, houses and roads. The belief that they would withstand all kinds of weather hasn't proved unfounded. But it's increasingly become evident that buildings are a source of extreme nighttime heat worldwide, including India. Cities are both a product of people's aspirations and harbingers of their progress. But urban authorities in India have paid short shrift to the natural capacities of cities to deal with excess water. Whether in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, or Delhi, urban development—planned and unplanned — has meant the loss of natural water sinks, exacerbating their vulnerability to climate risks. It's now evident that most of India will live in cities in the coming years. Will these cities be heat resilient? How will they deal with short but intense bursts of rainfall? Climate science has helped us why we live in unpredictable times. The challenge now is to come to terms with the chaos. Green buildings and climate-friendly planning are now part of the curricula in some of the top engineering and architecture institutes. That will not be enough. Climate-proofing cities require a paradigm shift in construction science curricula across the country. Technology is, however, only a part of the challenge. The weather vagaries pose broader questions to knowledge and pedagogical systems — they are as serious as the questions posed by AI and automation. The environment has become mainstream to an extent. But all too often in educational institutes, it's another box to be ticked. Climate-proofing habitats and making people resilient to weather vagaries requires classrooms to engage with heat, rain, lightning, mountains, oceans, rivers, lakes, and drains as part of the lived realities of communities – the beginning should be made in schools. Till next time, Stay well Kaushik
