Could you imagine seeing crocodiles swimming across submerged roads? Have you witnessed a river flood so heavily that you lose access to basic utilities for days? Residents of Vadodara, India, don’t have to imagine—that is exactly what they experienced a week ago.

This bizarre event is not something that is deemed weird or out-of-the-ordinary for residents of Vadodara. Rather, it is an annual phenomenon that takes the lives of numerous people each rainy season. Every monsoon period, crocodiles leave their usual habitats of the river and make their way into the city’s residential areas aided by flooded streets, forcing the residents to face double threats of floods and crocodiles that venture into human settlements. The reason behind this is the Ajwa Dam, which is responsible for the hydroelectric power of the city. The dam empties into the Vishwamitri River, which stretches 17 kilometers through the city. Due to fear of the dam overflowing and crumbling, the river is voluntarily flooded into the city causing residents to panic due to food and water shortages, allowing filthy water to enter inside houses, and depriving people of basic utilities such as power. But the actual question lies somewhere else: is this situation actually inevitable due to uncontrollable rainfall or could it be mitigated? Well, the response is simple: with the implementation of stricter law enforcement, better infrastructure, and most importantly, prohibition of corruption through illegal residencies under gubernatorial bodies, this situation can be avoided completely.

We all know the implications of climate change, how increases in global temperatures can drastically increase the chances of unprecedented natural calamities including flooding and hurricanes. However, as we start to see the entire climate situation go out of control, with the increase in average global temperature, it is crucial to not only encourage climate activism, but also ensure that residential areas are not built in flood prone zones, or else have proper storm water drainage systems in place in conjunction with climate activism efforts. These dangerous conditions are not just due to extreme weather but also a result of the failure of drainage systems, poor infrastructure management, and the creation of residential arenas in places which are unfit for facilitated evacuation. When cities lack the capacity to handle rising waters, the chaos that follows is a stark reminder of the urgent need for better planning in the face of climate change. 

This issue of the “rising tides” is not restricted to a single place, however. Rather, it is better viewed as a global flood crisis. The reasons behind the disastrous death tolls and injuries are not solely rainfall, but also the lack of proper law enforcement in the building of residential areas in highly flood-prone areas for the sake of economic profit. 

In recent weeks, torrential rains in Afghanistan, Brazil, and East Africa have inundated towns and villages, destroyed homes and livelihoods, and brought increasing hardships for the most vulnerable populations. Refugees and displaced people have seen their shelters swept away, while host communities have lost their homes and been displaced themselves. China and Vietnam together account for more than half of the planet’s recent expansion of cities, towns, and villages into areas with major flood hazards. Other quickly-urbanizing middle-income countries, such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Thailand, built on large areas of high-risk land. In the United States, plenty of development in geographically vulnerable areas of these countries took place earlier as well. In New York City, for instance, streets were turned into raging rivers last week after record downpours overwhelmed drains and sewers.

The issues of illegal residential development in flood-prone areas and clogged drainage systems, which lead to urban floods, have become global concerns. Illegal construction in flood-prone areas continues to exacerbate flood risks in various parts of the world. For example, in Kaduna, Nigeria, over seven hundred illegal structures were identified in flood-prone zones, significantly blocking drainage systems and contributing to the intensity of floods. Despite government efforts to mitigate flood impacts, such unauthorized developments often hinder effective flood management​. In places like Malaysia, illegal structures, especially in low-lying and risk-prone areas, contribute significantly to flooding. These developments often lack proper planning and flood mitigation measures, which compounds the risks during heavy downpours. Moreover, blocked drains—primarily due to inadequate waste management and the narrow drainage systems in rapidly urbanizing regions—further exacerbate flooding issues​.

The collapse of dams if overflowed also poses a risk, as evidenced by the event that occurred in Libya, where catastrophic rainfall caused the collapse of two dams, unleashing a seven-meter (23-foot) wave, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The water rushed toward the coastal city of Derna, wiping out entire neighborhoods and sweeping homes into the ocean, resulting in a death toll of more than 11,000 with 10,000 still missing. The scale of such disasters has been greatly magnified by a combination of factors including crumbling infrastructure, inadequate warnings, and the impacts of the accelerating climate crisis along with illegal constructions in flood prone zones. 

The majority of the world’s climate refugees, people who have been forced out of their natural habitats by marked environmental disasters–either temporarily or permanently–dwell in highly climate-vulnerable situations where they are exposed to increasingly frequent and extreme weather events. The past decade saw on average 24 million displacements caused by natural disasters every year, and 92 percent of displacements were triggered by weather-related hazards (with floods accounting for nearly half of these), and the rest by geophysical hazards, such as earthquakes. In 2023, floods caused 9.8 million displacements. It is the most vulnerable people of the world who are disproportionately affected by flooding and other climate shocks and stresses. This includes climate refugees and displaced people who lack basic resources, permanent shelters, and robust social safety nets, and those who may be excluded from government measures to strengthen flood preparedness. But why would it be that way? It's because worldwide, humans now occupy more than twice as much land in flood-prone areas as they did four decades ago, according to a new study in the journal Nature. The reasons construction takes place despite the possibilities of danger are numerous. In some nations, the safest land might already be occupied, forcing new development to occur in hazardous areas that were once avoided. Governments also want property-tax revenues, which leads to a residential area that would be drastically affected by calamities which occur. 

For many of these displaced populations, refugee camps have become the only option. However, these camps are often ill-equipped to handle the growing numbers of people. In Bangladesh, the Rohingya refugee camps, already stretched thin by political crises, are now also hosting climate refugees. Poor sanitation, lack of clean water, and overcrowding in these camps exacerbate the crisis, leaving people vulnerable to disease outbreaks and malnutrition.

Fixing the global flood crisis requires immediate and coordinated action. Governments must invest in resilient infrastructure, from flood defenses to sustainable urban planning, to mitigate future flood risks. Furthermore, there is an urgent need for a global framework to support climate refugees. This means recognizing individuals displaced by environmental disasters and providing them with resources they need.

The world is witnessing the early stages of a crisis that will only worsen without action. As floods continue to reshape coastlines and displace millions, it is clear that climate change is no longer a distant threat, but a present reality. 

Sources retrieved from The New York Times, Southern Environment, Firstpost, and CNN.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/04/climate/global-flood-risks.html

https://www.southernenvironment.org/news/why-are-we-still-building-in-flood-prone-areas/

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/gujarat-floods-how-hundreds-of-crocodiles-have-taken-over-vadodara-13809817.html

https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/16/world/global-rain-flooding-climate-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html