30 Indian cities will face ‘water risk’ by 2050: report

News: World Wildlife Fund(WWF) has released the Water Risk Filter analysis report.

Facts:

• Water Risk Filter: It is an online tool co-developed by the WWF that helps evaluate the severity of risk places faced by graphically illustrating various factors that can contribute to water risk.

Key Takeaways:

• Water Risk: 100 cities that hold importance in national as well as global economies and are home to 350 million people are set to face the greatest rise in water risks by 2050.
• Global List: Egypt’s Alexandria tops the list and is followed by Mecca in Saudi Arabia, China’s Tangshan, Saudi Arabia’s Dammam and Riyadh. China accounts for almost half the cities.
• Indian Cities: India has 30 cities in the list.Jaipur(45th) topped the list of Indian cities followed by Indore(75th) and Thane.Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi also featured on the list.

Recommendations:

• Multi Stakeholder engagement and ownership involving local communities could be the key in creating and conserving sustainable water infrastructure and rejuvenating urban freshwater systems.
• Urban planning and wetland conservation needs to be integrated to ensure zero loss of freshwater systems in urban areas.
• Improving urban water infrastructure and cutting water consumption will help reduce water risks
• Nature based solutions including restoring degraded watersheds, reconnecting rivers to their floodplains and restoring or creating urban wetlands are critical.

Additional Facts:

• WWF: It is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. Headquarters:Gland, Switzerland.