What a water-wise city would look like – and how India can get there
The article argues that Indian cities must adopt 'water-wise' planning to combat future water shortages and climate-related risks. It suggests integrating water management into urban master plans, utilizing blue-green infrastructure, and learning from international models like Melbourne and Singapore.
Why it matters
Urban water security is a critical challenge for India's rapidly growing cities, requiring a shift from crisis management to sustainable design.
Urban India’s water emergency will not be fixed by better crisis management alone. Over the coming decades, hundreds of millions more people will live and work in Indian cities, driving a sharp increase in the urban water demand. And unless we change how we design, finance, and govern water systems, we will simply scale up today’s shortages, floods and contamination problems.
The challenge now is to imagine a different future — one in which cities become more water-secure — and identify clear strategies to get there.
A useful way to think about that future is to imagine cities that are water-wise by design, built around their rivers, lakes and aquifers; cities that capture rainwater, reuse treated wastewater; minimise losses through smart networks and are backed by institutions that can sustain these gains across political cycles.
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