INDIA'S URBAN FUTURE IS AT A CROSSROADS

As summer intensifies, Indian cities are struggling with water shortages and rising electricity demand and temperatures.

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Reports from Bengaluru and Hyderabad show a spike in water tanker bookings while power cuts loom due to increased air-conditioner usage. These annual struggles raise a pressing question — are our cities, where more than 30% of Indians live, prepared for climate extremes and rapid urbanisation?

Urbanisation, while bringing about growth and opportunities, also paves the way for increased pollution, congestion, and environmental impacts, which often hit the underprivileged the hardest. Sustain-able Futures Collective, in their report, 'Is India Ready for a Warming World?' (2025), find that there is much more to be done regarding long-term planning for climate change in cities.

Concerns about how our cities are handling the urban heat island effect have also been raised often in Parliament. Such stark ground realities underscore the pressing challenges our cities face in pursuing Sustainable Development Goal-11 (SDG-11): to create inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable urban environments by 2030.

While global SDG-11 indicators exist, India lacks city-level tools for effective tracking. NITI Aayog's SDG Urban Index ranks 56 cities on 77 indicators, but its SDG-11 component is limited to four: Swachh Survekshan, road deaths, PMAY-U housing, and waste treatment. The Ease of Living Index covers 111 cities but lacks a comprehensive SDG-11 assessment.