Four Indian cities — Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru — have seen a significant fall  in the ranking of Global Smart City Index 2020 released on Thursday. Singapore is the top in the list, followed by Helsinki and Zurich in the second and third places respectively. Beijing is ranked 82 (down from 60 in 2019) while Lagos is at the bottom (109) in the list.

As per the Global Smart City Index 2020, Hyderabad was placed at the 85th position (down from 67 in 2019), New Delhi at 86 (down from 68 in 2019), Mumbai was at 93rd place (in 2019 it was at 78) and Bengaluru at 95th (79 in 2019).

The report said cities in India suffer significant drops this year due to the detrimental effect of the pandemic, where technological advancement was not up to date. Indian cities have suffered more from the pandemic because they were not prepared, the report added.

The report was prepared by the Institute for Management Development (IMD), in collaboration with Singapore University for Technology and Design (SUTD). Respondents from Indian cities highlighted air pollution, road congestion as main problems.

Others in the top 10 list include Auckland (4th), Oslo (5th), Copenhagen (6th), Geneva (7th), Taipei City (8th), Amsterdam (9th) and New York at the 10th place. Dubai ranked 43th while Abu Dhabi 42th.

The IMD in collaboration with Singapore University for Technology and Design has released the 2020 Smart City Index, with key findings on how technology is playing a role in the Covid-19 era.

Hundreds of citizens from 109 cities were surveyed in April and May 2020  in the second edition of Global Smart City Index 2020 and asked questions on the technological provisions of their city across five key areas — health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities, and governance.

The report also considered how technology played a role in the coronavirus era.

Meanwhile, from 15 indicators that the respondents perceive as the priority areas, all four Indian cities highlighted air pollution as one of the key areas that they felt should be looked after as a priority. Road congestion was another disgrace for cities like Bangalore and Mumbai.

This year’s Smart City Index suggested that cities that have been able to combine technologies, leadership, and a strong culture of “living and acting together” should be able to better withstand the most damaging effects of such crises, the report said.