Kolkata Early Warning System:

Towards Urban Environmental

Risk Monitoring

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 Urban Risk challenges and Current Context
Risk profile
• Multiple stresses and shocks
• Floods, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides
• Heat/cold waves, Water & Energy crisis, air
quality crisis
• Chaotic growth especially at peripheries
• Urban level amplification from built
environment, transport etc.(UHI, air
pollution)
• Regional processes amplifying local
challenges (air quality, heat waves)
• Vicious cycle by energy mix, heat, water
stress, built environment
• Reductionistic approach undermines
integrated approach
• Reducing imperviousness leading to Heat-Air
quality-health nexus (case of ozone and PM2.5)
Institutional context
• Urban local bodies mostly restricted to
devolved functions not able to address 21st
Century challenges of CC, urbanisation,
reducing urban environmental quality
• Siloes recognised, but no effort to achieve
integrated solutions
• Need for Multi-stakeholder engagement
stressed, but no concrete action and
subcritical success stories
• Regional ><Local urban risk context often
understood/incorporated in risk management
• Delhi air pollution
• Epistemics undermined in the
journalistic/political debates
• Delhi vs Punjab air quality debate
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 Multiple pressure points: UHI amplification(heat)> Ozone

• During February-May 2018, at least on 23 days, ozone has emerged as

the dominant pollutant along with particulate matter in the daily Air Quality
Index. These are the early signs of a dangerous trend.
• Densely populated areas more vulnerable with a high number of days
violating the standards. Even Lutyen’s Delhi is affected.
• Rising NOx levels and volatile gases in the air, primarily from
vehicles and industry, form the recipe for ozone when exposed to
intense sunlight and high temperature.
• Fast track time-bound implementation of pollution source-wise
comprehensive action plan to reduce the cocktail of gases from
vehicles and industry that form ozone in the air
• We don’t know what is happening to many other cities
https://www.cseindia.org/delhi-ncr-facing-major-ozone-spike-warns-cse-8746

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 Why integrated Urban risk monitoring?
• Most Indian cities face multiple stresses and shocks
• Some of them are hidden during normal periods
• Air quality, heat stress in humid areas are unknown except during extreme periods
• Climate variability increasing
• Heat waves and intense rainfalls, longer dry periods
• Urban floods> UHI nexus
• Increasing imperviousness, sewage generation-drainage capacity gap, surface drainage blockage
• Increasing imperviousness > UHI amplification> Thermal lag & higher night temp.
• Heat waves increase energy demand>more air pollution> energy blackouts
• 2012 summer power crisis ( Late rains, increased temp, grid collapse)
• Hot summers>air pollution(NOx, VOC) > Ozone peaks >health
• Multiparameter data to enable granular landuse planning/management, risk reduction urgently
necessary
• Can I know what I can to do reduce stress?
Monitoring multiple parameters can help understanding cross sectoral risk linkages.
Evidence based granular action possible with sensor network
Diagnostic information for addressing heat, air pollution and floods
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Multiple Risk Monitoring approach:
Lessons from Kolkata
Context
• Located in Ganga Delta, with interdistributary
marshes and flood prone land
• Hooghly has a levee with most parts of city
sloping away from the river.
• Pluvial floods most common
• Combines sewer overflow system designed for
once in two month rainfall(new) or less (older)
• Continuously modifying infrastructure amidst
of very high density settlement pattern
• Narrow roads (&human rikshaw lanes) with
growing vehicle population
• Traffic jams common even on normal days
• Hidden heat stress- combined impact of high
temperature and high humidity: largely
unreported
• Very high winter air pollution competing
Delhi, but largely unreported
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 Urban Environmental Monitoring: Kolkata
• Started as Flood forecasting and Early warning system
• Major challenges of
• extremely old pumping stations unfit for SCADA
• How to maintain the system during idle periods of 6 months (Turning Challenge To Opportunity)
• Solar panel theft risk overcome by using light pole electricity usage
• Designed based on high density- low cost monitoring system
• Managed redundancy and calibration with low density high quality data
• Tools such as Machine learning, Big data processing possible
• Multi-parameter monitoring to validate flood models
• Rain>street inundation> pumps> canals
• Added air quality (SPM) and temp, Humidity for year round data collection
• SPM for winters, Temp& humidity for summers, Floods in monsoon
• People’s monitoring options through cheaper sensors
• Possibility for engaging private sector (Insurance, markets for efficient devices)

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Flood Forecasting and Early Warning System
Road inundation sensor Rain gauge Sump water level

Pump station sensor with hooter

Canal water level

 System design
Rain gauges

Temperature, Humidity, AQ

Pumping stations

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 Sensor details
Pump sensors

Sensor Nodes Parameters Total

Pumps On/Off status 80
Penstock & Sump
Pump station water level
water levels 80
Automatic rain gauge Rain 40
Canal levels Canal water levels 70
Vulnerable road junctions Inundation levels, 80 Street sensors
SPM, Temperature,
Street/Shop/house front Humidity 80
Bus tracking Location (Lat-long) 25
Total 455
Street sensor network can be expanded over time.

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System Features

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Target groups

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 Conclusions
• “Urban risk calendar” is getting overcrowded across seasons
• "Smart urban risk management” needs granular urban environmental
monitoring
• High density- Low cost(HDLC) monitoring systems can help in granular
design of urban climate adaptation
• Avoid “ Measure with Vernier, Mark with chalk, Cut with axe”
• HDLC network can provide granular data for managing urban risks
• Multi-stakeholder engagement (beyond ULBs) critical to sustain monitoring
systems
• A product for everyone, Across the year to maintain interest
• “Look for opportunities” even in Siloed projects
• “Never say die”, One step at a time attitude

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 Thank You

Taru Leading Edge

A608, Mondeal Heights,
Near Iskcon Cross Road SG Highway, Ahmedabad
Tel : +91-79-91912400
www.taru.co.in | info@taru.co.in