Indian Cities Aiming for Sustainable Water Management
On 3 February, UNESCO New Delhi and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), launched a white paper entitled ‘A Qualitative Framework to Evaluate the Extent of Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) Implementation in Indian Cities’, at the NIUA Centre in New Delhi.
Jointly launched by Eric Falt, Director, UNESCO New Delhi and Hitesh Vaidya, Director, National Institute of Urban Affairs, the white paper lists a set of ten criteria to evaluate the IUWM implementation in a city and also provides insights for improvement. As the first step, this framework has been applied to Delhi, to assess its standing in sustainable and holistic water management.
It is estimated that forty percent of India’s population is expected to live in cities by 2030. IUWM facilitates the alignment of rapid urbanization and industrialization in Indian cities with water supply and wastewater management. It acts as a catalyst in creating healthier cities that resilient and sustainable.
UNESCO, through its Intergovernmental Hydrological Program supports Member States in their efforts to achieve water security, particularly with regard to governance, the management and development of knowledge and skills.