Water and Sanitation is State subject and Management of urban flooding including cleaning and desilting of drains falls under the purview of the State Governments and the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)/ Urban Development Authorities, who are responsible for maintaining the drainage and sewerage system. Government of India supplements the efforts of the States through schematic interventions/ advisories. It provides financial and technical support to the States to strengthen Urban Planning ecosystem. 

Usually, increased incidence of high intensity rainfall in short duration is mainly responsible for urban floods, which is further compounded by unplanned growth, encroachment of natural water bodies, inadequate sewer systems, inadequate rainwater drainage systems, etc.

The pre-monsoon activities for cleaning and desilting of drains, etc. are functions of the ULBs and the details of funds allocated, released and utilised by the ULBs for these activities are not centrally maintained.

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has published the following documents/advisory guidelines for improving urban drainage and flood management:

1. Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) Guidelines, 2014

(https://www.mohua.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/10/1813403503fbec280e7648c0ae692512.pdf) & (https://www.mohua.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/10/dd392b7781e668614ae0446cfd114bc6.pdf)  

ii.  Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Urban Flooding (https://www.mohua.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/11/580e35ec9fae474aaa96bec087e76553.pdf)   

iii.    River Centric Urban Planning Guidelines in 2021 to enable cities in the development of conjunctive water management approaches including nature-based solution

(https://www.mohua.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/10/eb2bdfc0d54766fbbc52e56fe77ca687.pdf)

iv. Guidance Document on Creation of Rain Water Harvesting Parks (https://www.mohua.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/10/b0b5705fe04d5c0c9c33187aeef85823.pdf )   

v. Manual on Storm Water Drainage System (https://www.mohua.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/10/8a2456c722036d78c72a698898ef846d.pdf) 

Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) launched in the year 2015, inter alia, has a component on storm water drainage, which involved construction and improvement of drains/ storm water drains in order to reduce and eliminate flooding and creating green spaces and parks. Under AMRUT, 838 Storm Water Drainage projects worth ₹3022.39 crore have been taken up by the States/Union Territories (UTs).

Further, 2,522 green spaces and park projects worth ₹1,604.13 crore have been taken up by the States/UTs under AMRUT and 5,400 acres of permeable green space area have been developed through these projects.

Under AMRUT 2.0, projects for green spaces and parks and rejuvenation of water bodies are taken up by the States. Under AMRUT 2.0, proposals of the States/ UTs for 2,951 water body rejuvenation projects worth ₹6,003.34 crore covering around 1.21 lakh acres of area and 1,649 green spaces and park projects worth ₹1,087.12 crore covering around 12,750 acre have been approved.

Besides, under AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0 sewerage and septage management projects have been undertaken, which inter alia help in evacuation of storm water. Under AMRUT, as updated by State/UTs on AMRUT portal, 888 sewerage/septage management projects have been grounded, which has led to creation of approx. 22,539 km length of sewer network. Under AMRUT 2.0, the State/UTs have taken up 605 Sewerage and Septage Management projects covering 40,021 KM of sewer network.

The written reply was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry Of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Tokhan Sahu in the Rajya Sabha today.

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SK

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