Warangal Plans Sponge Parks To Fight Flooding

Following the devastation caused by Cyclone Montha, which inundated over 120 colonies in Hanamkonda and Warangal, the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) has launched an ambitious plan to develop sponge parks, a nature-based solution to curb annual floods and improve groundwater levels in the twin districts.

A sponge park is a specially designed green space designed to act like a natural sponge. They will be used to prevent floods in residential and commercial areas during groundwater recharge.

The project is inspired by Chennai’s successful model of transforming vacant and low-lying lands into green spaces that can absorb large amounts of rainwater. Authorities see this as vital for the three cities of Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet, where widespread concreting worsens every monsoon. The parks will function as both flood control systems and the city’s new green lungs.

GWMC adopted a multi-pronged strategy to protect the city, which included widening canals, building retaining walls, and integrating sponge parks into its long-term urban resilience plan.

Commissioner Chahat Bajpai said engineering and horticulture teams surveyed 135 low-lying areas to identify suitable sites for the first phase. “We plan to start with one or two pilot parks before expanding across the city,” he said, adding that the proposal would soon be submitted to the government for approval. Senior officials are expected to meet in Hyderabad to finalize the next steps.

In addition to controlling floods, the parks will improve aesthetics and help maintain greenery throughout the year by retaining moisture. Drainage channels will be redirected to feed the parks’ ponds and percolation pits, allowing water to be stored rather than run off.

The concept reached Warangal after former GWMC Commissioner Ashwini Tanaji Wakhade attended a two-day workshop titled ‘Sponge Parking Framework for Built-Up Open Spaces’ in Chennai under the Sustainable Urban Development Smart City-2 project. The training provided technical guidance on the planning, design and maintenance of sponge parks.

Chennai adopted the idea after the 2015 floods that claimed hundreds of lives. The Greater Chennai Corporation has constructed 57 sponge parks at a cost of ₹ 7.67 crore, containing rain harvesting pits ranging from 340 to 7,000 square metres, with deeper centers and sloping sides to retain rainwater and divert it to the soil.

Globally, sponge city projects have been implemented in Auckland, Nairobi, New York, Singapore, Shanghai and London. Encouraged by its successes and the Chennai framework, Warangal aims to replicate the model to address long-standing flood problems.