Delhi, Jaipur, Indore, Amritsar, Pune, Srinagar, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kozhikode and Vishakhapatnam are among the 30 cities in India which will face increasing water risks in the next few decades owing to rapid urbanisation, climate change, and lack of appropriate infrastructure , according to a World Wide Fund (WWF) study.
The WWF has called for an urgent action to mitigate and adapt to climate change. China accounts for almost half the cities plaguing with acute water shortage, said the WWF’s report as it estimated that hundreds of millions of people in cities across the globe could be at danger. Other cities are Jakarta, Johannesburg, Istanbul, Hong Kong, Mecca and Rio de Janeiro.
According to the scenarios in the WWF Water Risk Filter, the 100 cities that are expected to suffer the greatest due to rise in water risk by 2050 are home to at least 350 million people, including important national and global economies.
Globally, populations in areas of high-water risk could rise from 17 per cent in 2020 to 51 per cent by 2050.
“The future of India’s environment lies in its cities. As India rapidly urbanizes, cities will be at the forefront both for India’s growth and for sustainability,” Sejal Worah, Programme Director, WWF India, said.
“For cities to break away from the current vicious loop of flooding and water scarcity, nature-based solutions like restoration of urban watersheds and wetlands could offer solutions. This is our chance to re-evolve and re-imagine what the future of the cities could be,” Worah said.
The Smart Cities initiative in India could offer an integrated urban water management framework combining urban planning, ecosystem restoration and wetland conservation for building future-ready, water-smart and climate-resilient cities.
Urban watersheds and wetlands are critical for maintaining the water balance of a city, flood cushioning, micro-climate regulation and protecting its biodiversity. The future of our cities and sustainability lies in the efficiency in closing the loop by integrating water supply, demand management.
“Cities across the world have paid a high price in recent years due to worsening water risks. From acute risks that have seen historic floods to chronic risks that have seen their taps running dry, the water challenges cities are facing are only going to increase in the coming decades because the impacts of climate change will primarily be felt through water,” said Alexis Morgan, WWF Global Water Stewardship Lead.