Climate-resilient WASH development for the urban poor (India)

This study examines seven impoverished urban settlements in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, employing a theoretical framework that integrates resilience, vulnerability, and adaptation capacities of stakeholders to enhance water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. The selection of these settlements was based on an assessment of heat vulnerability, urban flooding, and access to WASH services. Primary and secondary data, considering COVID-19 restrictions, were used to evaluate aspects such as WASH status, housing tenure, disaster management capacities, and partnerships. The findings were synthesised using a novel ladder for climate-resilient WASH, revealing the overall resilience, adaptation, and vulnerability of each settlement. The ladder, developed through literature review and stakeholder input, identified areas requiring interventions to enhance resilience in these urban poor settlements. The results suggest patterns for upgrading vulnerable settlements and propose city-wide interventions, including disease monitoring, complaint redressal, mobilisation, partnerships, and climate change adaptation education to promote holistic resilience.