Reimagining Resilient Indian Cities

Building Flood-Ready Futures

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India's cities face mounting climate risks, with floods, heatwaves, and unplanned growth causing significant human and economic losses. In this article, Shabnam Bassi says that resilience must be embedded in urban planning rather than added as a reactive measure. To ensure infrastructure is both resilient and equitable amid rapid urbanization and climate change, development must be user-centric and grounded in practical realities, encouraging behavioural shifts in consumption and daily practices. Only when resilient design, affordable housing, public health systems, finance, governance, and community participation advance together can India's cities be reimagined as sustainable, inclusive, and climate-ready.

India reported the loss of over 80,000 lives and nearly $180 billion due to 400 extreme weather events between 1993 and 2022, experiencing devastating floods and severe heatwaves in recent years. During this period, the country recorded high absolute fatalities and economic losses, as well as a large number of people affected in both absolute and relative terms. Unplanned urban expansion continues to hinder sustainable growth and impede long-term development. Incidents of urban flash flooding have become frequent, even during minor rainfall, resulting in infrastructure damage and disruption of daily life, underscoring the lack of resilience in Indian cities.

Need for Builtin Resilience