What is Sponge Cities Mission in India?

Sponge Cities Mission in India is crucial amidst the increasing urbanisation. It is a mission centred on preventing floods in the urban areas of India. Sponge Cities Mission is a trending topic for students preparing for competitive exams. Sponge Cities Mission has gained headlines due to some recent incidents across the country. One may encounter questions regarding the Sponge Cities Mission in competitive exams of 2022. Consider the example of an unfortunate event in Hyderabad. In October 2020, around 50 people died due to torrential rains in Hyderabad.

Approximately five years ago, Chennai experienced a massive flood causing damage to life and property. Similarly, many cities face issues during the monsoon season. For example, Gurugram and Mumbai experience massive floods during the monsoon season. There was a need for a better plan to prevent floods in urban cities of India. It is why the Sponge Cities Mission in India was launched to make cities more permeable. Several initiatives have been taken under the Sponge Cities Mission in India. Read on to know the significance of the Sponge Cities Mission in India.

About Sponge City

A sponge city uses and absorbs the rainwater in an eco-friendly way. A sponge city absorbs most of the rainwater to prevent polluted runoff. Some common practices followed by a sponge city to absorb and use rainwater are permeable roads, rooftop gardens, blue spaces, and harvesting. The main idea is to either use or absorb the rainwater falling over the city. The Sponge Cities Mission in India can be implemented with other schemes/missions in India.

Other Sponge Cities Mission in India

Sponge Cities Mission can be delivered along with:

• AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation).
• HRIDAY (National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojna)
• Smart Cities Mission

Need of Sponge Cities Mission in India

One must wonder why there is a need for sponge cities in India. Well, the need for Sponge Cities Mission in India is as follows:

• Indian metros are repeatedly experiencing floods. Unfortunately, our nation’s land policy hasn’t helped much eradicate floods in urban areas. Even the WMO (World Meteorological Organisation) has pointed out the need for a better land policy in India.
• Sponge Cities Mission is needed due to the lack of a proper drainage system in urban cities of India.
• More than trillions of litres of rainfall are wasted in the urban areas of India. Rainwater is either channelled into gutters or rivers. It leads to the waste of a precious natural resource, i.e., rainwater.

Pros of Sponge Cities Mission in India

Some advantages of Sponge Cities Mission in India are as follows:

• Every inch of rainwater can be captured, absorbed, and reused.
• Urban farms and gardens can be recharged with the help of rainwater.
• Water saved by sponge cities can replace drinking water.
• Open green spaces and interconnected waterways can be developed in urban areas.

Waterways, channels, and ponds across a sponge city can automatically absorb rainwater. The Sponge Cities Mission in India will eliminate floods in urban areas.

FAQs on Sponge Cities Mission in India

Q.1. Does a Sponge Cities Mission in India funnel away the rainwater?

The Sponge Cities Mission in India absorbs the rainwater instead of funnelling it away.

Q.2. How Sponge Cities Mission in India will help the green spaces?

By reusing the rainwater, a Sponge Cities Mission in India can keep green spaces verdant.

Q.3. Why there is a need for Sponge Cities Mission in India?

Sponge Cities Mission is needed to prevent floods in urban areas of India.

Q.4. With regards to the Sponge Cities Mission in India, why rainfall is getting stronger in urban areas?

With regards to the Sponge Cities Mission in India, A rise in the global temperature has made rainfalls stronger, thus increasing the flood level.

Q.5. In the context of the Sponge Cities Mission in India, name some cities that have struggled with floods?

In the context of the Sponge Cities Mission in India, the Gurugram, Chennai, Mumbai, and Hyderabad are some cities that have experienced floods due to rainwater.