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In 2015, when Chennai witnessed unprecedented flooding due to excessive rainfall, many described the calamity as a 'perfect storm', an example of what happens when climate change meets poor urban planning. Eight years later, sparked by Cyclone Michaung, it's a case of the more things change, the more.... Since Sunday, the severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal led to apocalyptic-level flooding in Chennai and neighbouring districts. On Tuesday, Michaung made landfall in coastal Andhra Pradesh. Back to the lessons-not-learnt board.

Michaung is the sixth storm in Indian seas this year. While the formation of a tropical storm in the Bay of Bengal in December is expected, it is the sheer intensity of rains that has rattled everyone. In the last two days, the city had more than 33 cm of rainfall, more than the 2015 figure. Did climate change spark this abnormal rainfall? While incident-specific attribution takes time, the frequency and intensity of cyclones have, indeed, been increasing, courtesy global warming. The ocean absorbs more than 90% of the excess heat, attributed to GHG emissions, and warm waters act as an energy source for cyclones. Scientific reports also suggest increased sea surface temperature (SST) results in peak heavy rainfall in a tropical cyclone's inner-core region, and heavy rainfall areas extend to greater distances.

But the impact of aggressive cyclones is exacerbated by bad city planning that prioritises unbridled growth and de-prioritises legacy green infrastructure such as lakes, ponds and streams, which can soak extra water. Chennai is not alone. Most Indian cities suffer from such extreme climate myopia. So, excessive rainfall leads to loss of lives and property that need not be lost. If our cities, India's socioeconomic hubs, don't take adequate action - devise and roll out their climate action plans (Chennai released its plan in June) - and invest in adaptation and resilience (two issues being discussed at faraway COP28), they will be take-off points for the flight of talent and capital.