Save India's urban ecosystems: Citizens need to chip in

While local administrations have a big role in doing what's needed, people must step up to the plate too

- LEENA SRIVASTAVA

Come March and India's urban residents develop a feverish feeling arising from the anticipated onslaught of summer heat. As monsoon rains near, that feeling transitions to a sense of foreboding over the risk of flooded roads, stranded cars and man-eating manholes. The annual post-monsoon festive season also brings with it a choke-hold associated with deadly air pollution—at levels so high that it makes our air-quality metrics worthless. December and January complete the cycle as we prepare for a new year, with its year-round challenges of solid-waste pollution and traffic congestion.

All of these translate into huge economic and well-being losses, even if we lack the data and analysis to estimate these.

With the relentless flow of people from rural to urban areas in search of economic opportunities, Indian cities are expected to be home to nearly 40% of our population by 2030. Heat is a particular challenge for urban areas due to the so-called Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, which is estimated to add anywhere between 2° and 10° Celsius to the mercury level over already-high temperatures in surrounding rural zones. The combined threat from an urban-profile shift towards sub-urbanization and high-rise structures, worsening UHI effects and climate change has left large populations vulnerable.