As we bid farewell to 2021 and India is coming on track after a successful vaccination campaign, the New Year brings new hopes and opportunities for the cities. The year saw some of the huge developments in India’s urban space. The Government of India is taking crucial steps towards the development of cities with two revamped schemes namely Swachh Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0.
According to the National Commission of Population, almost 38.6 per cent of the population is likely to be living in urban areas in India, by 2036. With such a burst of population expected in the near future, cities in India need to be prepared on all fronts to absorb this growth in a sustainable manner. Environment is a crucial part of urban space and therefore Prime Minister Narendra Modi made new commitments at the 26th Glasgow Summit of Conference of Parties (CoP). He committed that India would have 500 Gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy capacity by the year 2030. He also made a new commitment of reducing 1 billion tonnes of emissions till 2030. The Glasgow Summit has opened new avenues for India and the country has presented an example for the world to follow in our efforts to save the planet. The solar capacity of India has increased 18 times in the last seven years, as per the statement of the Government of India in the Lok Sabha.
However, unlike green energy, cities have also been dealing with various other problems such as pollution, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Health infrastructure of cities was exposed badly during the second wave of the pandemic with lack of medical resources and equipment hitting even the metropolitans like Delhi, Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Mumbai. Cities are the first responders during such health pandemics and they need special defence shields in order to take on the pressure in suchsituations.
Just like every year, the winter smog once again hit the capital and the air quality index (AQI) remained in the severe category for 11 days which was the worst recorded AQI for this period of time, as per Central Pollution Control Board. Three cities of India are ranked in the top 10 most polluted cities of the world, according to IQAir namely Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. Delhi took several steps at the local level to curb the dust and air pollution in the city such as anti-smog guns and towers, flying squad, and ‘Red Light On Meter Off’.
With Jal Jeevan Mission, the central government is striding towards availability of drinking water for all by 2024, which is important for improving the liveability of urban spaces. There is a lot to work to be done in the next year for the country and its cities which can only be effectively executed with active citizen participation. Every stakeholder will need to chip in with vital contributions. Cities will move with more vigour in the coming year towards sustainable development.
The coming year will be crucial in the march towards the global objectives under Agenda 2030.
One hopes that Indian cities will compete with the best globally in this march.
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