Excerpt

Cities in India are growing faster than planners are able to cope with. People move in first, then planning follows, if at all. According to an analysis done by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements,more than 30 per cent of people living in urban areas in India are exposed to multiple hazards. When a hazard strikes, the impacts are usually felt most by the urban poor who live in unplanned, ‘informal’ settlements. Precarious livelihoods, coupled with limited access to resources and basic services, make it difficult to cope. Climate change is making this situation worse, as climate extremes become more intense and frequent.