Unplanned urbanisation, unliveable cities

A recent report ‘Towards Resilient & Prosperous Cities’, prepared jointly by the World Bank with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), covering 24 cities, has estimated that by 2050, India’s urban population would nearly double and reach 951 million and 70% of all employment would be generated in metros.

- Dhurjati Mukherjee

While extreme heat has been projected in 25 large cities, the heat-treated fatalities are expected to double.

In addition, surface floods are expected to rise between 75 and 100% in the above period. Without intervention, annual losses from stormwater or pluvial flooding are projected to rise from the current $4 billion to $5 billion by 2030 and could reach $14-30 billion by 2070 due to ongoing urbanisation and climate impacts. Not just this report, but Indian cities have been in the news for various reasons as high population density over the past few decades has posed an array of critical challenges. But India is not alone as most countries have been witnessing this dilemma. The growth of cities in India has been largely unplanned, leading to a myriad of problems and an urban mess that demands immediate attention.