Coping with Urban Flooding: a Study of the 2009 Kurnool Floods, India

This paper describes the flooding of Kurnool town in Andhra Pradesh, India, in October 2009 and explains how several factors combined to cause one of the worst floods in 100 years. Several areas were submerged in more than 30 feet of water and it took more than three days for the water to recede completely from the town. Drawing on official information and on the responses of affected people, the paper discusses the situation during and after the floods, especially around water and sanitation services, the distribution of relief materials and the post-flood recovery process. Based on this information, the paper proposes several recommendations that are relevant to the policy framework to handle urban floods in similar situations.