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- Climate
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As heatwaves become more frequent, India's action plans have crucial gaps
This year, India experienced an unprecedented event. Goa and Maharashtra were hit by heatwaves in February – traditionally a winter month. The India Meteorological Department declared it the hottest February in 125 years. This was not an isolated change. Each year, temperature records are being shattered around the world, with an increasing number of heat days and heatwaves. Even as parts of the country now report an early onset of the monsoon, the urgency to address extreme heat remains undiminished. As the onset of heatwaves advances, discussions around heat action plans are gaining momentum. A recent study of heat policies across nine Indian cities established that most focus on short-term emergency responses necessary for saving lives. But they lacked long-term actions aimed at reducing systemic exposure to heat and stress on public health systems. In India, nearly 80% of the urban informal workforce is exposed to heat stress, a condition that arises when the body cannot regulate internal temperature or cool down effectively. This risk is higher among people who work outdoors, live in poorly ventilated homes or lack access to cooling. Most heat action plans overlook these critical vulnerabilities. Cities are grappling with a double-edged sword – climate-induced temperature anomalies and localised urban heat driven by poor planning and rapid development. To make heat responses effective, Indian cities must go beyond uniform strategies, understand the nature of heat and adapt their heat action strategies accordingly. The devil is in the details Heat is not monolithic. Its intensity, duration and impact varies across India's five geo-climatic zones: hot-dry, warm-humid, composite, temperate and cold. These classifications only provide a starting point. In practice, significant intra-state and even intra-city variations exist. For example, while much of southern Karnataka is warm and humid, Bengaluru – due to its elevation – enjoys a temperate climate. The state's northern regions, meanwhile, face hot-dry or composite conditions. Maharashtra offers a similar contrast. Mumbai and coastal areas are warm and humid, while the interiors experience hot-dry conditions. Zooming in further, even within a single city, heat exposure varies dramatically across neighborhoods. These differences are driven by land use, building materials, vegetation cover, and urban density. WRI India's ongoing research in Mumbai found that temperatures in some slum areas were up to 6°C higher than neighboring middle-income neighborhoods. The Mumbai Climate Action Plan also documents significant temperature variances between neighborhoods, linked directly to vegetation cover. Similarly, the Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan found that the city's planned core was cooler, while its unplanned peripheries, home to many of the marginalised, were significantly hotter. Night-time land surface temperatures in these areas have risen by over 1.5°C in two decades. Well-planned neighborhoods with vegetation and waterbodies had summer land surface temperatures of 32°C-33°C, while industrial and poorly planned areas soared to 35°C-36°C. The findings underline a critical insight – urban form and land use deeply influence heat exposure. This means that while overarching principles for heat management plans may be consistent, implementation must be tailored to context. For example, while providing heat shelters is a common strategy, the building design and siting for warm-humid regions should differ vastly from hot-dry ones – from material choice and ventilation to energy usage considerations. Multi-dimensional thinking Effective heat action requires multi-dimensional thinking, from zoning and building codes to public health delivery systems, workplace safety and occupational hazard responses. It also demands that we recognise emerging spatial inequities that expose certain communities to disproportionately higher heat risks. What can cities do to make heat management truly actionable? First, they must build a case with better evidence. Cities must generate hyperlocal data that captures not just temperature but also the lived experiences of vulnerable populations. This means linking heat data with health records, socio-economic demographics and indicators of adaptive capacity to understand who is most at risk and why. Second, the authorities must differentiate between the spatial scope and intent of heat action plans. State-level plans often focus on the primary sectors – agriculture, fisheries, livestock. Urban areas receive limited focus. This is where city-specific plans become crucial. If done well, they can drill down to the micro-scale and offer the much-needed targeted solutions. Ironically, while Mumbai and Bengaluru do not yet have standalone heat action plans, their climate action plans provide an advanced foundation for localised heat responses. These cities are well-positioned to lead the discourse on contextual heat adaptation. Lastly, none of this is possible without institutional capacity. Urban governance systems must be equipped not just technically, but institutionally and financially. Responding to heat requires coordination across departments – health, planning, transport, housing, etc. It also necessitates a shared understanding of the problem, current challenges, long-term ramifications and the consequent need for multi-scalar and contextual solutions. India's cities are already in a state of climate emergency and heat is its most immediate and invisible threat. Without swift, locally informed action, we risk pushing over 75% of our labour force, especially those in heat-exposed jobs, into deeper vulnerability, jeopardising nearly 40% of our economy. A one-size-fits-all approach will not suffice. To protect lives, safeguard livelihoods and secure long-term resilience, heat actions must reflect the lived realities of people and the diverse geographies they inhabit.
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10-05-2025
- Business
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Will new recycling mandate reduce construction waste in India?
India's environment ministry has introduced Extended Producer Responsibility, mandatory recycling targets and other provisions to promote recycling and sustainable waste management in the construction and demolition sector. Under the newly notified Environment (Construction and Demolition) Waste Management Rules, 2025, local or development authorities are now required to include waste recycling provisions in approvals for all construction projects. The rules mandate that EPR targets in construction, reconstruction and demolition projects be regulated through a waste management plan. 'Every producer shall prepare a waste management plan in respect of each project which shall assess the quantum of waste from all streams in a construction, reconstruction and demolition project and submit it to the local authority for approval,' it said. The rules define the responsibilities of waste generators (or producers), requiring them to collect and segregate waste into separate material streams, store it safely, and ensure recycling or proper handover to authorised agencies or recyclers. They must also take necessary measures to prevent air pollution, avoid littering, and minimise public nuisance during waste collection, segregation and storage. 'The revised rules mark an important shift by placing more responsibility on waste generators and encouraging private sector participation,' said Sree Kumar Kumaraswamy, Program Director, Clean Air Action, WRI India. 'This creates opportunities for new business models in C&D [construction and demolition] waste management and enables data-driven planning through digital tools like the online portal.' When calculating Extended Producer Responsibility targets, debris such as cement concrete, bricks, plaster, stone, rubble, and ceramics will be considered. However, reusable or resalable materials, such as iron, wood, plastic, metal, and glass, will not be counted towards Extended Producer Responsibility targets and will be managed under prevailing regulations. The new rules also mandate the utilisation of processed construction and demolition waste in certain construction activities. As per it, projects with a built-up area of 20,000 square metres or more and road construction projects must use processed waste. Local authorities are responsible for monitoring compliance. The rules also talk about waste storage facilities. Urban Local Bodies must identify and set up intermediate waste storage facilities and processing sites – locally or on a cluster basis – within one year. They are also responsible for establishing collection points, ensuring waste transport to registered recyclers. Non-compliance cases must be referred to the State or Union Territory Pollution Control Boards, as per the new rules. The rules also introduce provisions for environmental compensation. Producers, recyclers, storage operators, or developers will have to pay compensation based on the harm caused to the environment or public health if they fail to follow proper waste disposal and recycling rules. The Central Pollution Control Board will manage the compensation collected in a separate account. These funds will be used for collecting and recycling uncollected, legacy, or orphan waste, supporting research and development, incentivising recyclers, and aiding local bodies in managing waste effectively. The rules also talk about a central steering committee that will oversee the implementation of the rules. The chairperson of the pollution board will chair it and include representatives from several ministries (environment, housing, roads, rural development, etc.), NITI Aayog, Bureau of Indian Standards, Indian Roads Congress, recycling sector, real estate sector, and other expert bodies. The rules set clear Extended Producer Responsibility targets for waste recycling in reconstruction and demolition projects – 25% for 2025-'26, rising to 100% from 2028-'29 onwards. Targets for the utilisation of processed waste in construction begin at 5% in 2026-27 and increase to 25% by 2030-31 and beyond. Similar targets are set for road construction projects. Kumaraswamy said, 'The mandated minimum targets for using recycled C&D [construction and demolition] waste in construction and infrastructure projects are especially promising. They can help create a reliable market, which may drive down costs over time and incentivise innovation in material recycling and reuse.' The new rules also talk about centralised interface-based online monitoring and compliance assessment. Appreciating this, Kumaraswamy said that it has a 'strong potential to bring transparency to the entire C&D waste lifecycle – from generation to recycling' and, if implemented well, he added, 'it can significantly strengthen compliance and data-driven decision-making, fostering a more accountable and efficient system. Growing challenge The construction sector contributes 8% to India's gross domestic product and employs the second-largest workforce after agriculture. With ongoing urbanisation and rising aspirations, the sector is expected to grow. A joint report by think tanks Council on Energy, Environment and Water, WRI India and RMI for the G20 Secretariat in December 2024 notes that India is already adding 700-900 million square metres of floor space annually, while the national highway network expanded by over 60% between 2014 and 2023. To meet future demands, India will need to develop 15 square kilometres of land every day until 2050, in addition to redeveloping old infrastructure. This rapid expansion is expected to increase construction and demolition waste significantly. Estimates vary as per the report. In 2018, the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council estimated annual construction and demolition waste to be 100 million tonnes, while the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs projected 150-500 million tonnes in 2024. The Central Pollution Control Board estimates that total solid waste will reach 165 million tonnes annually by 2030. Policymakers have long recognised the scale of the challenge. A 2022 report by the MoHUA noted that India's annual material consumption rose six-fold between 1970 and 2015 – from 1.18 billion to 7 billion tonnes – and is projected to reach 14.2 billion tonnes by 2030. In response, the government introduced various regulations. The Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules were notified in 2000, and in March 2016, the Ministry of Environment released dedicated Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules. However, construction activity has surged over the past two decades, and experts say the problem of construction and demolition waste has grown substantially. According to a 2023 report by the Centre for Science and Environment, a New Delhi-based think tank, the 2016 rules were poorly implemented and had several shortcomings. These included a lack of notification of bylaws by cities, inadequate identification of waste collection points, absence of mechanisms to promote recycled products, a weak market for recycled materials and poor institutional capacity within urban local bodies. The CEEW, WRI India and RMI report observed, '…in practise, a significant quantity of C&D waste is handled informally, either through backfilling, or illegal dumping in vulnerable areas. This has health and environmental impacts such as aggravating air pollution and GHG emissions, soil contamination, impact on climate and flooding.' 'There has not been much success in the implementation of these rules,' said Bharati Chaturvedi of the Chintan Environmental Research and Action group, which works in the waste sector. According to Chaturvedi, one of the reasons why this type of waste is managed poorly is that it is not a profitable activity. 'It is our job to make it a profitable and useful business, and we have not done that,' she said. New rules, old problems The revised framework for managing construction and demolition waste, notified in April 2025, emphasises ensuring compliance by waste generators. Compared to the 2016 version, which had 10 provisions, the updated rules are more comprehensive, with 21 provisions covering a wider range of issues. Stalin D, director at Mumbai-based nonprofit Vanashakti, said the rules could 'certainly help in curbing the menace of illegal dumping in public and natural spaces. Ecologically important areas, especially wetlands, have borne the brunt of such dumping.' He noted that the 2016 rules lacked a central portal to monitor waste generation and had weak reporting systems. The 2025 rules introduce provisions for Extended Producer Responsibility certificates, allowing waste generators to meet their targets by purchasing certificates from registered recyclers. 'The requirement to buy EPR certificates in advance is a good step – it ensures that the cost of proper disposal is paid upfront,' Stalin added. However, experts have flagged several concerns, too. 'A key gap remains in addressing small waste generators, who contribute significantly to unmanaged waste,' said Kumaraswamy. 'There's an opportunity to expand the rules' impact by creating clearer mechanisms to engage and support them within the formal recycling ecosystem.' Stalin also pointed out that implementation could be hampered by limited staffing at pollution control boards. According to Bharati Chaturvedi of the Chintan Foundation, the rules lack clarity on extended producer responsibility responsibilities. 'In e-waste and plastics, brand owners are clearly accountable. But in this case, who is responsible – the house owner, the contractor, or a government body like PWD [public works department]?' she asked. 'We still don't have a clear definition, and that's a concern.'
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
How will Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill impact the real estate sector in the IT capital?
The Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill proposes to expand the city's administrative boundaries by including adjoining villages, towns, and peri-urban areas within Bengaluru's official limits. This restructuring aims to streamline governance across the rapidly growing metropolitan region. Instead of a single municipal body, the bill envisions the creation of multiple smaller municipal corporations, each led by an elected mayor and responsible for specific zones. These corporations will function under a central authority to ensure cohesive urban planning and infrastructure coordination across Greater Bengaluru. This proposed redefinition of city limits for the real estate sector is expected to drive up property prices, especially in the outskirts and peri-urban regions. However, experts caution that the extent of the price increase will depend on the actual rollout of infrastructure and improvement in mobility services. 'This move will likely lead to a surge in land prices in areas newly brought under the city's jurisdiction,' said Srinivas Alavilli, a fellow at WRI India. 'Many of these locations are already witnessing speculative growth, and official inclusion could further accelerate this trend.' He said the bill may also pave the way for developing new commercial hubs, including business parks in previously underdeveloped zones. 'Today, Bengaluru's economic activity is concentrated in a few zones—Electronic City, Whitefield, ORR, Hebbal, and industrial areas like Bommasandra and Peenya. With better governance and planning under the proposed GBA, we could see more balanced growth, easing congestion in existing business districts.' Also Read: Bengaluru real estate: Studio apartments under ₹30,000 you should check out Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot has granted his assent to the landmark Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024. The legislation, aimed at restructuring the city's civic administration, proposes the division of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) into multiple, smaller municipal corporations The Bill proposes a decentralised and participatory model of urban governance for the Greater Bengaluru Area. It plans to set up a Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which will act as a supervisory body to coordinate development and align planning across the city. The Bill also allows for the creation of up to 10 independent city corporations to improve administrative efficiency and deliver civic services more effectively to residents, urban experts told The Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill proposes to expand the city's administrative boundaries by including nearby villages, towns, and urban areas within Bengaluru's official limits. This move aims to bring fast-growing suburbs and peri-urban regions under a single governance structure. Instead of one large municipal body, the bill suggests creating several smaller corporations. Each corporation will manage a part of the Greater Bengaluru area (through elected Mayors) but will work under a central authority to ensure coordination. The exact boundaries of the Greater Bengaluru Authority are yet to be defined, but it is expected to cover around 1,000 sq. km, compared to BBMP's current 700+ sq. km. Alavilli, pointed out that this expansion will likely include the merging of adjacent areas and villages into the Bengaluru metropolitan area, said experts. "The Greater Bengaluru Authority has the potential to improve urban planning and inter-agency coordination significantly. If it lives up to its promise, it could unlock large parcels of vacant land and enable the redensification of existing areas. This, in turn, would allow the city to better leverage its metro network, improve mobility, and reduce congestion," Srikanth Viswanathan, CEO of Janaagraha, said. Also Read: Bengaluru real estate: If your apartment's value has doubled, is it time to cash out now? For the real estate sector, expanding Bengaluru's limits may boost property prices, especially in the outskirts. However, this must be critically assessed against actual infrastructure delivery and mobility outcomes, they add. "Such a redefinition will naturally impact real estate. Areas surrounding Bengaluru will likely see a rise in land prices as they begin to be officially identified as part of the city. This will create a ripple effect, especially in peri-urban areas, where land values are already high in anticipation," Alavilli said. He said that the city will likely witness new commercial hubs, such as business parks in previously underdeveloped areas. "Currently, Bengaluru's major employment zones include Electronic City, Whitefield, Outer Ring Road, Hebbal, and industrial estates like Bommasandra and Peenya. With better planning and governance under GBA, we could enable more distributed development, reducing congestion and development stress on a few zones." Experts say that while the GBA is expected to expand Bengaluru's administrative boundaries, it simultaneously dilutes critical planning functions, particularly land use and transport integration. "For example, areas like Whitefield were developed without proper transport planning, resulting in serious mobility challenges. Though the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) was introduced to address such gaps, the GBA risks undermining it. Effective integration of land use and transport is fundamental to sustainable urban development. Still, that focus appears to be weakening in the proposed Act," Satya Arikutharam, former chief technical advisor to the state government, now an independent consultant, said. BMLTA is a statutory body established to regulate and coordinate urban mobility initiatives within the Bengaluru Metropolitan Area (BMA). It aims to consolidate planning and oversight of transport policy in the region.
