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Time of India
28-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
New Urban Coalition Targets Heatwaves, Climate Resilience in Delhi
The Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) and Praja Foundation have jointly launched the Alliance for City Transformation (ACT) — a multi-sectoral coalition dedicated to enabling citizen-led, accountable, and future-ready urban governance in Delhi. Heatwaves Top the Agenda ACT's first priority is addressing heatwaves, an increasingly urgent issue as parts of Delhi recorded temperatures as high as 49°C last year. This April, the Safdarjung weather station — Delhi's base observatory — recorded three heatwave days, although none were recorded in May due to frequent rainfall. In contrast, Delhi saw six heatwave days in May 2024, with maximum temperatures exceeding 45°C. A Call for Collective Action Aparajita Bharti, Co-founder of YLAC, emphasized the need for collaborative solutions in the face of growing climate challenges. "There is an urgent need to improve the quality of life for all citizens, especially given climate change, pollution, and extreme weather events. We hope ACT becomes a platform where policymakers, businesses, philanthropists, and citizen groups work together to respond to local challenges. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Build The Thrill Event - Until 31 May Legoland Book Now Undo Such collective action has transformed cities globally," she said. Milind Mhaske, CEO of Praja Foundation, echoed the urgency: "As climate change intensifies and Delhi faces rising heatwaves and environmental threats, strengthening urban governance has never been more important. We need resilient, transparent, and participatory systems to respond effectively." Voices from the Ground At the launch event, Shakira Ben, a participant, shared the harsh realities faced by daily-wage labourers: "We work in extreme heat without access to cold drinking water or proper shade. Dispensaries offering heat-related treatment are often far from work sites. We need proper cooling measures from the government to protect us." What's Next for ACT? ACT aims to roll out: A public series of panels and dialogues on pressing urban issues. Joint representations and policy recommendations to government bodies. Multi-stakeholder partnerships to pilot innovative local solutions. By fostering collaboration across sectors, ACT seeks to build a more resilient and inclusive urban future for Delhi.
The Print
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Print
Only 1 of Mumbai's 24 wards gets round-the-clock water supply—Praja Foundation report
This was made known in non-profit Praja Foundation's 'Report on the Status of Civic Issues in Mumbai' unveiled at its annual meeting Tuesday at Mumbai Press Club. The meeting focused on water, sewerage, solid waste management, toilets and air quality in the city. While non-slum areas received 135 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of water, slum areas received only 45 lpcd through metered connections. Further, most slum populations rely on water tankers and other sources for water instead of metered water. This cost them more than Rs 700 per month compared to Rs 25 per month for non-slum households in 2024. Mumbai: Only one of 24 wards in Mumbai receives round-the-clock water supply, while average supply is just 5.37 hours per day despite a project launched in 2014 for uninterrupted water supply. Mumbai faced a 15 percent water shortage in 2024—the supply was 3,975 MLD, as against the total demand of 4,664 MLD. 'Mumbai's water supply struggles with significant disparities between the available water resources and how they are distributed throughout the city. Despite the guidelines prescribed by the ministry of housing and urban affairs of 135 lpcd of water, slum households depend on additional water sources for 90 lpcd,' Milind Mhaske, CEO of Praja Foundation, said. The report highlighted that water supply in Mumbai stands at 3,975 MLD, compared to its demand of 4,664 MLD, resulting in supply shortage of 689 MLD. The Praja Foundation report also underlined a spike in pollution levels in Mumbai's Mithi river. Biological oxygen demand (BOD) levels in the river stood at 210 mg/l in 2023, compared to 80 mg/l in 2022. BOD is a measure that states levels of water pollution. The higher the BOD level, more the pollution in the water. Between 2020 and 2024, complaints linked to waterborne diseases in the city rose by 52 percent. The report further found that the city's more affluent wards generated the highest per capita waste in 2024 compared to suburban wards. According to a response received under Right to Information (RTI) by Praja Foundation, waste collected from all wards stood at 24,37,420 metric tonnes last year. Speaking at the event, Shreyas Chorgi, Manager, Research and Analysis, Praja Foundation, said waste management complaints in the city have surged by 380 percent since 2015, while Mhaske pointed out that the Bombay High Court had directed civic officials to look for a dumping ground other than Kanjurmarg, where most of the waste is dumped. The report noted that the Mumbai civic body can save Rs 1,485 crore annually with a decentralised solid waste management system, focusing on localising waste processing through community-based waste management facilities. Such a system handles segregation, composting, and recycling of waste at the source. Mhaske also said data from the Environment Status Report (ESR) released annually by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation was at odds with the civic data they had got via RTI. 'ESR is an important tool that needs to be used for the betterment of civic issues in the city, and in the absence of elected representatives, administrators need to be more vigilant about these concerns,' he said. Also Read: Rs 17,000 cr revamp for Mumbai's British-era BDD chawls: Residents hopeful, planners have doubts Status of public toilets The status of public toilets in the city also painted a dire picture. For every four public toilet seats in 2024, only one was for women, according to RTI data accessed by Praja. Of the 6,800 public toilets in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area, only 2,973 are functional, while 3,827 lack electricity and water. As many as 69 percent of community toilet blocks lack water connections, and 60 percent lack electricity connections. In 2023, against the Swachh Bharat Mission norm of one community toilet seat for every 35 male users and 25 female users, one seat was available for 86 men and one for 81 women. According to Chorgi, 1.15 lakh complaints were received on Mumbai's Centralised Complaint Registration System (CCRS) last year relating to water, waste, sewage, pollution and toilets. This was an increase of 70 percent from 2015. The CCRS helps in tracking and complaint resolution by the BMC. 'To strengthen service delivery, BMC must improve CCRS by ensuring timely complaint redressal, and introduce a citizen feedback system for greater accountability for democratic empowerment as per the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act,' Mhaske said. Pooja Bhatia is an intern with ThePrint. (Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui) Also Read: Mumbai homes are making a giant mess. Over 2,000 buildings being torn down, built back up
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
‘Only 4% of city gets 24/7 supply': Report flags massive disparity in Mumbai's water distribution
Mumbai received only an average of 5.37 hours of water per day in 2024, with only four per cent of the city pockets receiving round-the-clock supply, a report published by Praja foundation on Tuesday found. Flagging stark disparity in water supply in the metropolis, the study shows that slum pockets only receive 45 litres per capita per day (lpcd) as against 135 lpcd water supplied in the non-slum belts of the city. Titled The Status of Civic Issues in Mumbai, the Praja Foundation on Tuesday released its annual report surveying civic amenities ranging from water, sewage, solid waste management, toilets and air quality. The data, procured through RTI and the civic environmental status report (ESR) report, shows that Mumbai faces a shortfall of 15 per cent in its daily water supply. 'The total water supply to the city is 3,975 million litres per day (MLD), while the total demand is 4,664 MLD, resulting in a water supply gap of 689 MLD,' the report flagged. Amid the shortfall, slum pockets bear the highest brunt with the report finding that only 45 lpcd water is supplied in slums daily. This is a stark departure from the 135 lpcd water supplied in other parts of the city, which is in tune with the norms of Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation. With the lack of adequate water supply in slums, residents here are also compelled to shell out Rs 729 per month for water tankers — which is much higher than the monthly cost of Rs 25.76, which is spent on water supply per day in non-slum areas. 'The promise of 24/7 water supply remains unfulfilled, with only eight per cent of the city zones receiving round-the-clock water supply in 2024. Mumbai's water supply system struggles with significant disparities between the available water resources and how they are distributed throughout the city,' said Milind Mhaske, CEO of Praja Foundation. According to the report, while only four per cent areas — in T ward — received 24 hours of water supply in 2024, 42 per cent areas across nine wards in places like Colaba, Bandra and Andheri got ten hours of average water supply. Meanwhile, wards like B ward (Mazgaon) and C ward (Chandanwadi, Kalbadevi) received only two hours of average water supply. 'Out of the 287 zones, 206 zones (71 per cent) receive only upto four hours of water supply,' the report added. Amid low average supply and disparities, complaints related to water supply saw a rise of 88 per cent in the past decade. Over 14,522 water supply related complaints were raised by citizens on the CCRS portal whereas 7,728 complaints had been raised in 2015. 'In 2024, of the total complaints, 44 per cent pertained to the shortage of water,' said manager of research and analysis at Praja, Shreyas Chorgi. As complaints surged, the time taken to resolve these issues also saw a spike. According to the report, overall complaints registered by citizens saw a spike of 70 per cent in the past decade even as the resolution time for the complaints rose from 32 days in 2023 to 41 days in 2024. While 1.15 lakh complaints were raised on an array of civic issues on Mumbai's Centralised Complaint Registration System (CCRS) in 2024, the total complaints registered in 2015 was much lower at 67,773. Amongst the highest complaints, solid waste management related complaints saw a jump of a staggering 380 percent in the past decade. Over 25,031 SWM related complaints were registered in 2024 as against 5,213 complaints in 2015. Meanwhile, pollution related complaints have also seen a spike of 334 percent between 2015 and 2024.
