Page 1 - Sustainable Urban Development: Necessity of Integrating Water-Energy-Food Dimensions in Developmental Policies
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POLICY BRIEFTERI Policy Br ief October 2016

The Energy and Resources Institute

Sustainable Urban Development:
Necessity of Integrating
Water-Energy-Food Dimensions
in Developmental Policies

CONTENTS India is in a state of transition from traditional rural economy to a modern
industrial economy. However, with increasing urbanization it faces
P Introduction 1 challenges in terms of population rise, unplanned urbanization, climate
change and degraded ecosystem which pose major impediments towards
P Programs and policies for Urban achieving Sustainable Development Goals. As on 2015, 400 million people
reside in urban India and by the year 2050, the number of people living
Development in India 3 in Indian cities is expected to be about 840 million, which will further
aggravate the issues of water, energy and food security. Hence, there is
P Gap analysis 5 a need for smarter and sustainable ways of resource use efficiency which
will not only address the resource scarcity concerns but also improve the
P Policy recommendations 6 quality of life. This policy brief is an attempt to highlight the importance
of integrated management of water, energy and food for urban India
P Concluding Remarks 7 considering the intricate relationship between these elements. It examines
their interrelationship from their consumption perspective, and evaluates
Authors policies and programmes dealing with the development of urban areas. www.teriin.org
Dr Shresth Tayal, Fellow, TERI
Swati Singh, Research Scholar, TERI Introduction
University
Urban population grew at 2.67% per annum during 2001-11, and
Advisor constitutes 31%1 of the total population of the country. The number
Dr S K Sarkar, Distinguished Fellow, of Million Plus population cities has grown by 48% and the population
TERI of five cities namely Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and
Bengaluru has crossed five million mark. Population of three urban
Acknowledgement agglomerations of India namely, Greater Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata
This publication is part of a research crossed ten million in 2011. Thus, urban landscape of the country is
study on "water energy food in urban witnessing increase in population, increase in number of cities as well
ecosystem: an assessment of challenges as expansion of existing municipal boundaries.
and opportunities for adaptation in
urban areas" supported by Global Water Urbanization has not only added number in the urban ecosystem
Partnership-South Asia and India Water but has given rise to the burgeoning middle class and increasing
Partnership. prosperity. India’s per capita income has grown ten times in the past
five decades and the poverty ratio has declined to 29.5% in 20112. This
is accompanied with increase in demand and supply of basic amenities
such as water, energy and food in particular; putting additional stress

1 http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india/Rural_Urban_2011.pdf
2 The Planning Commission, GoI. (2012). The challenges of Urbanization in India: Approach to

12th Five Year Plan. Retrieved from http://12thplan.gov.in/12fyp_docs/17.pdf.
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