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Linking NbS with Water Management: A Case of South Megacities

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Nature-based Solutions for Resilient Ecosystems and Societies

Part of the book series: Disaster Resilience and Green Growth ((DRGG))

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Abstract

In fast urbanizing world, megacities, large urban agglomerations of more than ten million people, are drawing attention in the matter of water-related extremes—flooding or scarcity. Even in everyday life, these locations face adequate challenge of basic water provisioning for its habitation in sustainable manner. In global South, where these are proliferating, unmindful dependence of civil engineering solutions has witnessed gradual disconnect of water from its natural surroundings in everyday discourse. This is not sustainable. The consequences of unprecedented urbanization are often familiar to the stakeholders; however, there has been limited efforts in understanding the urban ecosystem and in identifying the interwoven elements those sustain (or have potential to) such ecosystems in sustainable manner and adopting these in policy practices. Globally, there is more emphasis on identification, appreciation, and adoption of nature-based solutions (NbS) in creating water-resilient urban system so that it copes with the risks associated with water. In this chapter, author-duo deploy principles of nature-based solutions (NbS) in megacity environment, in case of historic city of Delhi, and argue that there exists possibilities and opportunities in NbS in the context of global south as it offers cheaper, understandable, durable, climate-adaptive, resilient, and equitable solutions.

Chandra Bhushan Kumar is a civil servant. He did his PhD (Geography) at Aberystwyth University (UK). His PhD was titled ‘Hydrological Politics in a Megacity: Rethinking Water Governance in Delhi’. These are his personal views.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/monitoring/jmpfinal.pdf

  2. 2.

    ibid.

  3. 3.

    https://www.un.org/development/desa/publications/world-population-prospects-the-2017-revision.html

  4. 4.

    ibid.

  5. 5.

    Available at http://whqlibdoc.who.int/php/WHO_PHP_23.pdf (accessed on 20/06/2012).

  6. 6.

    http://delhiplanning.nic.in/sites/default/files/2%29%20Demographic%20Profile.pdf (accessed on 25/12/2019).

  7. 7.

    https://www.cprindia.org/sites/default/files/policy-briefs/Categorisation-of-Settlement-in-Delhi.pdf

  8. 8.

    Manasara Silpa Sastram is a definitive Indian treatise on Vastu Sasthram, an ancient building code which was used for designing houses, planning cities and communities for centuries in India. This document was used as a prescriptive building code dealing with architecture and spatial organization of residential quarters. It is written by a sage named Manasara. It is one of the 5 documents that exists now which deals with Vastu Sasthram. (Dutt 1925).

  9. 9.

    http://naturalheritage.intach.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/DWP-2018-july.pdf (accessed on 25/12/2019).

  10. 10.

    Tapas, a voluntary organization has filed a number of PILs on the subject of water in Delhi.

  11. 11.

    http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Delhi-water-bodies-go-under-almost/Article1-657793.aspx accessed on 23/06/2012.

  12. 12.

    Gram sabha is the smallest democratic form of governance at the village level in India.

  13. 13.

    https://www.unwater.org/publications/world-water-development-report-2018/ (accessed on 25/12/2019).

  14. 14.

    http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/Wetlands%20(Conservation%20and%20Management)%20Rules,%202017.pdf (accessed on 25/12/2019).

  15. 15.

    http://pwd.delhigovt.nic.in/wps/wcm/connect/7e8d0a0049b7df8da347bb26edbf4824/Water+Bodies+Presentation.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&lmod=1827942602&CACHEID=7e8d0a0049b7df8da347bb26edbf4824 (accessed on 25/12/2019).

  16. 16.

    W.P.(C) 3502/2000 (VINOD KUMAR JAIN – Petitioner Versus Govt. of NCT of Delhi).

  17. 17.

    https://www.pressreader.com/india/hindustan-times-st-noida/20190705/281698321303949 (accessed on 25/12/2019).

  18. 18.

    Writ Petition(s(Civil) No(s). 4677/1985 (available at http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/water_body_revival_Supreme_Court.pdf).

  19. 19.

    https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/ngt-forms-monitoring-committee-to-prepare-action-plan-on-groundwater-recharge-in-delhi-118090501082_1.html

  20. 20.

    SANDRP notes this at https://sandrp.in/2019/04/06/wetlands-overview-2019-north-india-no-land-for-wetlands/ (accessed on 25/12/2019).

  21. 21.

    Roy, Deya. (2016). Revival of Hauz Khas Lake in Delhi: Approaches to Urban Water Resource Management in India. Journal of Management and Sustainability. 6. 73. https://doi.org/10.5539/jms.v6n4p73

  22. 22.

    http://delhiplanning.nic.in/sites/default/files/Ch-3%2BWater%2BSupply.pdf

  23. 23.

    Available at http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/ (accessed on 23/06/2012).

  24. 24.

    http://delhijalboard.nic.in/sites/default/files/RWH_Guidline_13072016.pdf (accessed on 24/12/2019).

  25. 25.

    Only registered associations are allowed to take this support.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. D-1, Chandrawal Water Works No. 2, Civil Lines, Delhi, India

    Chandra Bhushan Kumar

  2. Central Zoo Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, New Delhi, India

    Sonali Ghosh

Authors
  1. Chandra Bhushan Kumar
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  2. Sonali Ghosh
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

    Shalini Dhyani

  2. Centre for Excellence on Climate Resilience, National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi, India

    Anil Kumar Gupta

  3. Knowledge-Policy Management, CGED-Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Madhav Karki

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Kumar, C.B., Ghosh, S. (2020). Linking NbS with Water Management: A Case of South Megacities. In: Dhyani, S., Gupta, A., Karki, M. (eds) Nature-based Solutions for Resilient Ecosystems and Societies. Disaster Resilience and Green Growth. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4712-6_7

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