Urban Flood Risk Management Programme: Phase II in 11 cities incl. Lucknow and Kanpur

The Urban Flood Risk Management Programme: what happened?

Heavy rain now floods Indian cities every year. Drains are old and choked, and lakes and floodplains have been built over. The UFRMP funds projects to carry stormwater away and cut waterlogging. It comes from a fund meant for disaster mitigation, not relief.

• Phase I cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.
• Phase II cities: Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Jaipur, Kanpur, Patna, Raipur, Trivandrum, Visakhapatnam, Indore and Lucknow.
• All seven Phase I cities and Guwahati are implementing projects; other Phase II cities have got no release yet.
• Projects aim to improve stormwater flow, reduce flooding and improve road links.
• MHA and NDMA review progress; a final outcome review will come after implementation.

Why fund mitigation separately?

• Relief money comes after a disaster; mitigation money is spent before it to reduce damage.
• The NDMF finances such risk-reduction projects.
• NDMA has given cities a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for reporting.
• Central aid per city: up to ₹500 crore in Phase I (Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai) and ₹200 crore in Phase II (₹180 crore for Guwahati).

What do the numbers show?

How does a UFRMP project move?

1. City prepares flood mitigation project
2. Centre approves under NDMF
3. Central aid released in instalments
4. State implements drainage works
5. NDMA framework tracks outcomes

Why does the Urban Flood Risk Management Programme matter?

What are the challenges in the Urban Flood Risk Management Programme?

• Ten Phase II cities have received no funds yet.
• Phase I releases are a fraction of approved aid in most cities.
• Outcomes can be judged only after projects finish.
• Drains alone cannot fix lost wetlands and encroached floodplains.

What should be done next on the Urban Flood Risk Management Programme?

• Speed up releases and project starts in Phase II.
• Train city engineers to plan for heavier rain spells.
• Link drainage work with protection of lakes and floodplains.
• Publish city-wise outcome reports under the NDMA framework.

What can Prelims ask on the Urban Flood Risk Management Programme?

• UFRMP: funded from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund.
• Phase I: 7 cities, ₹3075.65 crore; Phase II: 11 cities, ₹2444.42 crore.
• UP cities in Phase II: Lucknow and Kanpur.

How to write about the Urban Flood Risk Management Programme in Mains

Practice question (15 marks, 250 words): Urban flooding in India is a governance failure more than a natural disaster. Discuss with reference to the Urban Flood Risk Management Programme.

• Intro: recurring urban floods; UFRMP phases.
• Causes: drains, encroachment, planning.
• UFRMP: NDMF funding, city projects, NDMA framework.
• Gaps: slow releases, wider planning issues.
• Way forward.

What should UPPCS aspirants note?

• Lucknow and Kanpur are in UFRMP Phase II: each has an outlay of ₹222.22 crore with ₹200 crore of central aid from the NDMF; no release had been made as on 11 August 2026.