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» Figure 2: ESCI Lake Hyderabad » Figure 3: Urban Blue Space, Hyderabad

1500–1800, such as Jaipur, Udaipur, GI encompasses both green and from the FAO list to have found a
Bengaluru, and New Delhi exhibited blues spaces that make a vital life place in the other list.
GI solutions, including structured support system, which is a network of
water management and conservation interconnected and isolated ponds, Today, both the quality and quantity
system. 1 lakes, wetlands, green corridor/belt, of water are equally compromised. On
city parks, lush green campuses of the one hand, our lakes, ponds, and
It is a different debate altogether educational institutes, private and wetlands are disappearing at a faster
whether the sense of responsibility government agencies in the urban rate than one can imagine, and on
to incorporate these sustainable context (Figures 2 and 3). the other hand, increased pollution
features is somehow fading away levels have crippled the remnant
with time or, are we becoming way A country like India, which is a sources of freshwater (Figure 4). It’s
too engrossed in a materialistic designated mega-diverse nation a double whammy for India’s stock of
lifestyle? Nonetheless, as a society, and is home to a large number of renewable water resources. Recent
we haven’t become completely ecosystems including forests and reports of disappearing waterbodies
indifferent towards ecosystems that waterbodies of various shapes and and diminishing green spaces from
are synonymous to our existence. sizes, both flowing and stagnant, every notable urban centre are
currently faces the worst-ever alarming. With an ever-increasing
While there are various definitions water crisis in its history. In terms population and its rising needs, it is
of GI, the European Commission of surface waterbodies, India is very likely that we will soon outgrow
describes it as a strategically planned among the top countries that holds the environmental threshold of every
network of high quality natural maximum amount of freshwater. urban centre.
and semi-natural areas with other According to a report by FAO, India
environmental features, which is finds itself in the list of top 10 water- At the beginning of the 20th century,
designed and managed to deliver a rich nations. However, the irony is, India’s urban population was only
3
wide range of ecosystem services and India also appears in another list 25.85 million which rose to 285.35
protect biodiversity in both rural and of most water-stressed countries million by 2001, and in 2011, it jumped
5
urban settings. 2 prepared by World Resources to 377 million. Today, about 55% of
4
Institute, and is the only country
1 Rohilla, S.K., S. Jainer, and M. ‘17 Countries, Home to One-Quarter of the
Matto. 2017. Green Infrastructure: A World’s Population, Face Extremely High
Practitioner’s Guide. New Delhi: Centre available at https://www.interreg-central. Water Stress.’ World Resources Institute.
for Science and Environment. Details eu/Content.Node/Definitions.html Details available at https://www.wri.org/
available at http://cdn.cseindia.org/ 3 FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). insights/17-countries-home-one-quarter-
attachments/0.91656700_1505301183_ n.d. ‘World Water Resources By Country.’ worlds-population-face-extremely-high-
Green-Infrastructure-guide.pdf Details available at http://www.fao.org/3/ water-stress
2 interreg-central.eu. n.d. ‘Green y4473e/y4473e08.htm 5 Bhakar, P. 2012. Urbanization and changing
Infrastructure Definitions.’ Details 4 Hofste, R.W., P. Reig, and L. Schleifer. 2019. green spaces in Indian cities (Case study