Vatsala Bajpai

Thesis/DRP/Capstone Project

Urban water systems worldwide face unprecedented challenges due to climate change, rapid urbanization, and outdated infrastructure. Cities struggle with flooding, water scarcity, and rehabilitation costs, overwhelming their capacities. While water-sensitive planning concepts have emerged, focusing on Global North cities, Indian cities require a distinct approach considering their unique settlement patterns, infrastructure, population size, and planning and financial implementations. This research aims to develop a Microsoft Excel-based toolkit for water-sensitive urban planning (WSUP) assessment, tailored to Indian cities. The toolkit will provide recommendations and an assessment framework to improve urban planning frameworks. The city of Bhopal, known as the City of Lakes, exemplifies the need for such a tool, as it faces significant urban water management issues. A review of existing urban water management toolkits informed the development of the proposed WSUP toolkit, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness for Indian cities. This research contributes to the development of a practical and adaptable tool for water-sensitive urban planning, enhancing the resilience of Indian cities to urban water challenges.