Over the last week, the monsoon rains, which account for 70% of the country’s annual rainfall, have wreaked havoc across the country, turning roads into rivers and flattening entire villages.

In the information technology hub of Bengaluru, residents took tofishing in the streets, while locals in the northern city of Gurgaon (Gurugram)—dubbed the Millennium City—left behind their vehicles, exasperated by a seven-hour traffic snarl. In the rural states of Assam and Bihar, at least 80 persons lost their lives and millions have been uprooted.

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India’s struggle with the rains is a direct result of its inefficient drainage systems and poor planning, particularly in the country’s overcrowded metropolises.

As an ever-growing population squeezes into cities such as Mumbai and Bengaluru, natural flood barriers like wetlands get swallowed and new buildings frequently rise over storm drains. Any unexpected excess in rainfall, thus, throws the city totally out of gear. The story’s the same in most of India’s smaller towns too.

“Every country has faced such issues, but they had the political and the collective will of the people to make a change,” Usha P. Raghupathi, a professor at the New Delhi-based National Institute of Urban Affairs, said. Quite often, she said, Indian authorities ignore a crucial aspect of planning: the hydrology of the region.

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The situation is as bad in rural India, notably in states such as Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Assam, where a combination of climate change and poor policy decisions has turned deadly. ... According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, around 1.6 million people have been displaced in 21 districts in the past few weeks as nine of the state’s rivers, including the Brahmaputra, have overflowed. As of July 31, 31 people have been killed and the state’s infrastructure has suffered extensive damage.

Assam’s wildlife has suffered, too. The Kaziranga National Park, home to the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinos, has been hit badly. The floods have so far killed 218 animals at the national park, including 17 rhinos and 166 hog deer.