INDIA’S URBAN SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES & SDG 11

Current Context: India ranked 99th out of 167 countries in the Sustainable Development Report 2025, but faces major challenges in achieving SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

ABOUT SDG 11 CHALLENGES

• Indicators under SDG 11:
  • Proportion of slum population
  • Air pollution (PM 2.5)
  • Access to improved piped water
  • Public transport availability

KEY FINDINGS

• Stagnant progress on slum population and PM 2.5 pollution levels
• Decline in access to piped water in 2025; only 65% households had it in 2022
• Water supply highly irregular — e.g. Mumbai gets just 5 hours/day
• High water cost in slums (30× more from tankers); only 45 lpcd supply vs. 135 lpcd norm
• Half of slum households live in non-pucca houses with overcrowding and tenure insecurity

ENVIRONMENTAL & DISASTER RISKS

• High exposure to pollution, flooding, landslides during monsoons
• Poor infrastructure increases loss of life, health risks, and income shocks
• Weak resilience building deepens urban poverty and inequality