Adapting to Floods in Pune: A Socio-Institutional Analysis

Abstract

The phenomenon of flooding in rapidly growing Indian cities has seen a fundamental transformation from periodic riverine inundation to recurring pluvial (surface) and flash floods. In Pune, rapid concretization, encroachment on drainage networks, and intensifying precipitation under climate change have driven this transition, exposing the critical "Agile Adaptation Gap", a mismatch between long-term adaptive planning and short-term infrastructural deficits in the city, as local authorities fail to reconcile them. Moving beyond hazard-centric paradigms, this thesis examines urban flood vulnerability in Pune as a socio-politically produced phenomenon, employing a multi-dimensional environmental justice framework. The work is grounded in the literature utilizing the constructivist perspective of vulnerability, "Thick Injustice", and the "Architecture of Entitlements", with the justice framework spanning distributive, procedural, recognition, restorative, and retributive dimensions.

The study examines the Ambil Odha catchment and the Sinhagad Road area section of the Mutha River floodplains across the 2019 and 2024 flood events, using a qualitative case study approach. The methodology primarily draws on content analysis of publicly available secondary online data (such as 360+ news reports, multi-level institutional documents, and legal artifacts), supplemented by some primary fieldwork in the Shivdarshan-Padmavati electoral ward (Sahakarnagar). Across the three case studies on floodplain management, retaining walls, and reservoir management, there is a consistent pattern of "Epistemic Injustice" that actively obscures the socio-political drivers while shielding institutional actors from accountability. The problem framing systematically leads to preferences for grey infrastructure over ecological restoration, often producing maladaptive outcomes that displace flood risk onto downstream communities. Furthermore, historical land-use decisions have structurally ingrained a "Thick Injustice" into Pune's urban morphology, which is compounded by fragmented and overlapping jurisdictions among civic and state bodies, leading to the capture of floodplains. The household-level insights reveal stark divergence in the experiences and perceptions of residents from informal settlements vs. formal housing societies after the 2019 Ambil Odha floods. The thesis advocates for a unified basin-level governance with statutory accountability powers, in-situ restorative justice in rehabilitation policy, and the democratization of adaptation expertise to integrate community knowledge alongside technical paradigms.