Mainstreaming Climate-Resilient Water and Sanitation Infrastructure For Long Lasting Impacts

In this article, Manisha Jain and Dr Kriti Akansha highlight that it is necessary to support long-term thinking, transformation, flexibility and innovation while taking the associated climate risks into consideration to attain climate resilience. There is a need for a robust framework that ensures climate policies are integrated into all sectors and that planning, implementation, and evaluation are strictly followed.

We have been witnessing unprecedented and increased cyclonic activities, erratic monsoons, extreme rainfall, severe heat waves, and other extreme weather-related events. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global temperatures are expected to rise by 1.5°C or more over the next 20 years. Globally, a 1°C increase in temperature is projected to reduce renewable water resources by 20 per cent, affecting an additional seven per cent of people.1 The impacts of climate change on the water supply, sewerage and sanitation infrastructure are long lasting and irreversible. Climate-resilient water and sanitation infrastructure would help in not only achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, but also towards social equity, environmentally just and economically empowered society.

From water supply and sewerage infrastructure damage to water quality degradation and sewage spillage, impacts of climate change are already being felt. India, with its large population and high levels of inequality, is projected by the IPCC as one of the most severely affected countries by climate change.2 Water demand will rise exponentially as a result of growing populations, expanding cities and increasing income, while supply will become more erratic and unpredictable. Some regions could lose up to 6 per cent of their GDP due to water scarcity and climate impacts. It is now more imperative than ever to plan and construct infrastructure that is robust and adaptable to changing climatic conditions. India’s water consumption is dominated by agriculture, cities, and industry through 2050 and beyond. Participatory planning, sustainable development, climate change mitigation, and Water Energy-Food-Climate nexus integration are all essential for these sectors.