#11 Masterclass on ‘Integrating Nature-based Solutions for Urban Flood Resilience in Indian Cities’

Urban flooding is becoming one of the most pressing climate risks facing Indian cities driven by extreme rainfall, shrinking natural drainage systems and unplanned development. Traditional grey infrastructure alone is proving insufficient to manage the scale and complexity of this challenge. There is a growing need to embed Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into city planning to restore ecological buffers, slow runoff and build long-term resilience.
This masterclass brings together two pioneering approaches from the Indian cities of Thane and Bengaluru, offering complementary pathways to flood management:

1. CEEW’s work in Thane presents a city-wide, ward-level strategy rooted in institutional coordination, historical flood risk mapping and adaptive governance.
2. ATREE’s work in Bengaluru focuses on a catchment scale model-driven approach to simulate flood scenarios across varying scales of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and quantifying their impacts on reducing flood risk.

What the Masterclass Covers

1. How urban flooding is being addressed through data-driven, nature-integrated strategies in India
2. Insights from two city contexts: policy-operational planning in Thane and model-calibrated catchment design in Bengaluru
3. Role of NbS such as green roofs, wetlands, recharge wells and how they are being implemented
4. Lessons for replicating and scaling NbS within city and regional planning frameworks

Who is this masterclass for:

1. Municipal engineers and planners working on flood management, drainage and waterlogging solutions
2. Researchers, consultants and NGOs focused on hydrology, NbS and flood mitigation
3. Community organisations and youth networks working on local water stewardship

Join us to explore how Indian cities can bridge technical innovation and governance reform to scale Nature-based Solutions for urban flood resilience.