The report presents the status of urban hydrology and highlights some of the hydrological problems related to urbanization in the world and in India. It covers a discussion on urban hydrologic cycle, hydrological and related problems of India, impact of urbanization on streamflow and urban water management. Some information on available urban hydrological models and the recommendations for the management of urban areas is also included.
The problems of urban hydrology have been of world concern for several years, but there have been few compilations of background information and even fewer comprehensive investigations of specific urban situations. The new information and data are of vital importance to the development of urban hydrology research in future.
Due to the effect of urban environment, the hydrological processes are more complicated. The pre-urban and urban hydrological systems have been compared to understand the complexities imposed on the system by urbanization. The relative location of an urban centre in the river basin of which it is a part, as well as the degree and character of its hydrological overlap with other urban centers has been discussed.
The cumulative effects of urbanization on a drainage basin can be either a decrease or an increase in the low flows of the streams. Inter-basin diversions of water further complicate the hydrological patterns. The necessity of urban storm water management (USM) to tackle these problems is highlighted.
An interdisciplinary perspective with proper understanding of fundamental principles is necessary for sustainable urban planning. There is a need for increasing development and application of scientific modeling approaches for urban hydrology studies, to consider various present and future scenarios for ensuring proper urban water management. Emphasis is needed in the area of urban groundwater problems, runoff harvesting and integrated urban water modeling.
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