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World Bank report highlights need for more investment in resilient and green Urban Infrastructure | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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World Bank report highlights need for more investment in resilient and green Urban Infrastructure

Posted 23 Jul 2025

2 min read

Report, titled ‘Towards Resilient and Prosperous Cities in India’, estimates that the total investment needs for new resilient and green urban infrastructure and services are $2.4 trillion by 2050.

India’s Urban Landscape

  • Urban population: In 2020, cities hosted over one-third of the national population – around 480 million people.
  • Expansion in unsafe areas: Between 1985 and 2015, settlement extent in high flood-risk areas grew by 102%.
  • Future projections: Urban population is likely to double to 951 million by 2050.
    • By 2030, cities will account for 70 % of all new employment generated and contributing 75% to GDP by 2050.

Climate risks to Indian Cities

  • Flooding: Forecasted increase in risk of 3.6 to 7 times of pluvial flooding (surface water floods) by 2070 due to increasingly uncertain and intense rainfall associated with climate change and increase in areas of impervious surfaces.
  • Extreme Heat: 1/5th of working hours in major Indian cities could be under high heat stress conditions by 2050.

City Climate Action Plan for Climate Resilient Urban Development

  • Climate and disaster risk assessment: Develop local hazard specific investment plan, integrate disaster risk information in land use plan, etc.
  • Prioritize more vulnerable including urban poor: Develop and strengthen local programs to support informal settlements, identify high-risk residents based on climate and disaster risk mapping, etc.
  • Invest in green city expansion: Enable compact city through transit-oriented development, promote LED and other energy efficient technologies for street lighting, forbid construction in risk-prone areas, etc.
  • Efficient, resilient and green municipal services: City-level analysis of water sector to improve energy efficiency, invest in efficient and low-carbon Solid Waste Management (SWM), etc.
  • Others: Climate-sensitive new urban development, facilitate the private sector’s role in risk transfer and resilience, etc.
  • Tags :
  • World Bank
  • Urbanization
  • Transit-oriented Development
  • Climate-sensitive Urban Development
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