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Hindustan Times
19 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
World Bank flags Mumbai flood zones where rents are 25% lower; Delhi leads in river flood exposure
The World Bank's report Towards Resilient and Prosperous Cities in India has identified a few areas in Mumbai as coastal flooding hotspots, warning that rising sea levels could severely impact coastal cities by 2100. Mumbai Rains: The World Bank's report Towards Resilient and Prosperous Cities in India has identified a few areas in Mumbai as coastal flooding hotspots, warning that rising sea levels could severely impact coastal cities by 2100. (Picture for representational purposes only)(Pratik Chorge / HT Photo) The report highlights that affordable housing and proximity to jobs often compel the urban poor to settle in high flood-risk zones. In Mumbai, for instance, rents in such vulnerable areas are typically 20–25% lower than the city average. Delhi has the largest built-up areas exposed to river-related flooding, the report noted. Mumbai, Surat and Kolkata most affected cities According to the World Bank report, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Surat are likely to be among the most affected Indian cities due to rising sea levels. In Greater Mumbai, southern parts could face regular flooding or be surrounded by water during high tides, while sea water may also seep into new settlements in Navi Mumbai and northern suburbs through natural waterways. Even without any expansion beyond 2015 boundaries, Greater Mumbai could have 210 sq km of exposed settlements by 2100, the highest among Indian cities. Kolkata shows a similar, though smaller-scale, risk pattern. In Surat, the newer built-up areas on the western side are most vulnerable, the report notes. The report, citing Aqueduct, a global flood analyzer, warns that the annual cost of coastal flooding in urban areas could surge from $2.4 billion in 2010 to $21 billion by 2030, and a staggering $75 billion by 2050 if no preventive action is taken. Also Read: Flood and heatwave risks increasing in urban India, $2.4 trillion investment required: World Bank Coastal flooding explained According to the report, storm surges and tropical cyclones can cause sharp rises in sea levels, triggering severe coastal flooding in urban areas. India is particularly vulnerable to such events, especially during the monsoon season from June to October. On average, two to four tropical cyclones affect the country each year, with states like West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu being the worst hit. The Bay of Bengal, one of the most cyclone-prone regions globally, sees five to six tropical cyclones annually. Of India's 7,500 km coastline, around 5,700 km are exposed to intense cyclones and flooding. Notably, 40% of the country's population lives within 100 km of the coast, predominantly in densely populated urban areas. The report highlights that West Bengal faces the highest risk of mortality and damage in built-up areas due to coastal flooding, largely because of the extreme population density in and around Kolkata, where settlements are vulnerable to both coastal and pluvial (rain-related) flooding. Also Read: Mumbai Rains: Housing transactions impacted as homebuyers' walk-ins slow down during monsoon Urban expansion has altered the flood risk profile According to the report, urban expansion has significantly altered the flood risk profile of many areas, placing more than two-thirds of the urban population at risk. India's numerous coastal cities and those located along major river floodplains are particularly vulnerable. As urbanisation increases surface impermeability, even areas once considered low-risk are now experiencing frequent flooding. This includes cities situated in the upper parts of watersheds, such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Indore. Delhi has the largest built-up areas exposed to river-related flooding According to the report, built-up areas exposed to fluvial (river-related) flooding in selected Indian cities nearly doubled between 1985 and 2015, reaching 1,683 sq km by 2015. This trend is especially evident in cities with previously low flood risk or those located in upper watersheds such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Indore which now face frequent flash floods. In riverine cities, urban expansion on both sides of rivers enabled by modern bridge infrastructure has significantly increased flood exposure. In large cities like Delhi and Surat, embankments have been constructed to contain river flow. However, while these may reduce local flooding, they can increase flood heights downstream, the report noted. Among the cities analysed, Delhi has the largest built-up area exposed to fluvial flooding, the report noted. Does coastal flooding impact rentals? Coastal and pluvial flooding significantly impact rental patterns, particularly for the urban poor. According to the report, pluvial flood zones, typically found in low-lying, poorly drained areas, are often where low-income populations reside. Global data suggests that affordability and proximity to jobs drive the urban poor to settle in high flood-risk zones despite the hazards. Also Read: Mumbai Rains: How waterlogging and flooding impact the financial capital's property market In Mumbai, for instance, rents in flood-prone areas are 20%–25% lower than the city average. Similarly, in Kolkata, two of the three most flood-prone boroughs within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area are home to over 50% of the city's urban poor, highlighting how vulnerability and affordability are closely linked, the report noted.
New York Post
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Breaking down every facet of upcoming Saratoga meet
With the new Belmont Park grandstand under construction, New York racing fans have been left with the Aqueduct fall meet, the Aqueduct winter meet, the Aqueduct spring meet, the Belmont at the Big A summer meet, the Belmont at the Big A fall meet and the Finger Lakes at the Big A meet. OK, maybe not that last one, but you get the point. Sure, the Belmont Stakes was run upstate as well as the short and sweet July 4th Racing Festival, but now we get a full 40 days as the Saratoga summer meet commences. Big days Got your calendar ready? The Diana is this Saturday, July 12. The Coaching Club American Oaks and the Vanderbilt on July 19. The Jim Dandy is July 26. Four Grade 1 races on Saturday, August 2 including the Whitney and Fourstardave. The Sword Dancer is Aug. 9. The Alabama is on Aug. 16. There are five Grade 1 races on Travers Day on Aug. 23, including the Forego and the Personal Ensign. The Spinaway is on Aug. 30, the Jockey Club Gold Cup is on Aug. 31 and the Hopeful is on closing day, Labor Day, September 1. It's all about the horses While Preakness winner Journalism may run in the Haskell at Monmouth Park, he still may ship north to challenge arch rival Sovereignty in the Travers. Mindframe, Fierceness, Sierra Leone, White Abarrio and Skippylongstocking make this year's edition of the Whitney a must-see. 5 Sovereignty won the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course last month and is being pointed to run in the Travers Stakes on Aug. 23. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Thorpedo Anna, the 2024 Horse of the Year, was defeated by Raging Sea in May. Thorpedo Anna will attempt to turn the tables when they meet in the Personal Ensign. Trainers Two words. Chad Brown. He ran away (with a little help from his four-legged friends) with the 2024 meet. Brown saddled 45 winners and it was a long way back to Todd Pletcher and Mike Maker who dead-heated for second with 22 winners. While Linda Rice (18) and Bill Mott (15) rounded out the top five, it was Mark Casse who had the higher win percentage (28.3 percent). 5 Chad Brown, who had the most wins at Saratoga in 2024, will be the favorite to win the 2025 meet. Jason Szenes for New York Post Riders up! Irad Ortiz Jr. visited the winners circle 52 times last summer but it was Flavien Prat who set records for most stakes wins (18) and graded stakes wins (14) at a Saratoga meet. Expect Luis Saez, Junior Alvarado, Manny Franco and Dylan Davis to get their fair share of wins and Jose Ortiz may give his brother, Irad, a run for his money. One thing for sure. You will both love and curse every rider before the meet is over. 5 Jockey Flavien Prat had a dominant 2024 Saratoga meet in stakes races. AP On the turf Chad Brown is a smart bet on dirt. And an even safer bet on the grass. Of Brown's 45 winners last summer, 26 were on the lawn. That number was three times larger than the rest of the conditioners. Baby races First impressions are important and there will be plenty of 2-year-olds making their career debuts at Saratoga over the 40-day meet. A look back shows Chad Brown, yes him again, led last year's standings with 10 juvenile wins, but only one more than the nine that Mark Casse trained. Casse's Ewing, a son of Knicks Go, slam-dunked his debut on July 5, winning by a dozen lengths and may reappear in the Hopeful later in the meet. Might as well jump 5 There are a couple of traditional steeplechase races at this Saratoga meet. AP Steeplechase racing has long been a staple of the Saratoga meet. Stakes on this year's schedule include the A.P. Smithwick Memorial on July 23 and the Jonathan Sheppard Memorial on Aug. 20. Freebies Giveaway days this summer: July 11: T-shirt July 20: Hawaiian shirt July 25: Blanket Aug. 8: Pennant Aug. 22: Tote bag Aug. 31: Saratoga quarter zip sweatshirt The forecast Likely more losers than winners but hopefully the weather will cooperate this season more than it has the past two years. 2023 was bad. 2024 was worse. Not only did the 40-day meet shrink to 39, but 45 turf races were taken off the grass and moved to the dirt/slop. Rooting for my picks and Mother Nature as well. 5 Spectators had to battle the rain on Belmont Stakes Day at Saratoga Race Course on June 7, 2025. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Turn on the races Fox Sports offers exclusive coverage of all races from Saratoga. If you don't want to pick your own winners, Greg Wolf, Laffit Pincay, Andy Serling, Richard Migliore, Jonathon Kinchen, Maggie Wolfendale, Acacia Clement and Sara Elbadwi will do it for you. That's enough handicappers to field a softball team. Did I forget anyone? Oh yes, Paul Lo Duca will bat cleanup. Post time is 1:10 p.m. May all the photo finishes go your way.
Euronews
08-07-2025
- Euronews
Majority of UNESCO World Heritage sites face severe water risk
Nearly 73 per cent of World Heritage sites are at high risk of water-related hazards, according to analysis by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and UNESCO. From the Taj Mahal to the Royal Monastery of Santa MarIa de Guadalupe, more than 1,100 inscribed sites were assessed for four types of water risk: drought, water stress, riverine flooding and coastal flooding. Using the WRI's Aqueduct platform, the sites were then categorised by severity, with some facing dual, overlapping issues. 'We found that 21 per cent of the sites faced both a water scarcity challenge, whether that was water stress or drought, as well as a flooding challenge, whether that was riverine and coastal,' Samantha Kuzma, Aqueduct Data Lead at the WRI, tells Euronews Culture. '[This] makes it really difficult to manage the water resources around [the sites] when they're dealing with both extremes.' These water risks are most prevalent in so-called hotspots, where changes to the water cycle, or an increase in human demand, can combine to create extreme environmental challenges. Within the European Union alone, 65 per cent of sites are facing at least one severe water risk, with hotspots predominantly in the Mediterranean - especially Spain and Greece. One notable example is the Acropolis of Athens, which has struggled with both flooding and extreme heat in recent years - the latter of which forced temporary closures last year. '[The Site] is suffering from a multitude of different environmental related challenges that are now starting to limit the ability of tourists visiting that Site,' says Kuzma. 'And if tourism is affected, then all of the economies that are supported by tourism around those sites are impacted, and the community that depends on that is impacted. So there are these real, tangible impacts that we can see when one of these sites is affected.' To combat this, the Acropolis implemented a new drainage system to prevent further flooding, which has so far proven successful. For other sites, however, solutions remain difficult due to a lack of resources and preparedness - but mostly cost. The Museum of Making, which is housed in a UNESCO inscribed Silk Mill in Derby, UK, reportedly spent six-figures on repairs following severe flood damage back in 2023. In their report, the WRI recommends nature-based solutions, such as revitalising wetlands to capture flood waters; enacting national conservation policies to protect against industrial developments; and an elevation of water's status as a global common good. 'I think to adequately protect not only these sites, but also the communities that surround them, we have to think bigger,' explains Kuzma. 'It's thinking about how we can work within these watersheds (an area of land where water drains into a water body like a river or lake) to enact solutions and have healthier, more resilient watersheds.' The 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee began in Paris on Sunday, during which representatives from 21 of the States Parties to the Convention will review reports on the conservation of its inscribed properties, along with new nominations. The global share of World Heritage sites exposed to high-to-extremely high levels of water hazards is expected to rise from 40 to 44 per cent by 2050, but Samantha hopes our human connection to these prestigious places will continue to drive collective solutions driven by ingenuity and passion. 'These sites really represent our connection to nature and to culture; they help us have that emotional connection to the areas around us,' she says. 'And if we can use that emotion and that connection to feel inspired, then I think that can help us push further towards scaling the types of solutions that we see.'
Hindustan Times
02-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
73% non-marine UNESCO sites at severe water risk: WRI report
A new analysis shows 73% of all non-marine UNESCO World Heritage Sites are exposed to at least one severe water risk (water stress, drought, river flooding or coastal flooding), with 21% of sites facing dual problems — having too much water one year, and too little during another. The Taj Mahal faces water scarcity that is increasing pollution and depleting groundwater, the analysis states (PTI) The analysis based on World Resources Institute's Aqueduct data (also a water risk atlas) has flagged that several sites in India are among those experiencing severe risks, including the Taj Mahal, Kaziranga National Park, Western Ghats, Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, and the Great Living Chola Temples among others. Around 40% of the UNESCO sites are facing issues related to water stress and drought risk while 33% and 4% respectively face challenges from riverine flood risk and coastal flood risk. 'Sites at risk include global icons such as the Taj Mahal, Angkor, Yellowstone National Park, Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls, the Sagarmatha National Park (Mt Everest) and many more. With water stress projected to intensify in many regions, the implications for ecosystems, cultural heritage, and local economies are significant - but solutions are within reach,' the analysis said. For example, WRI's mapping shows Sun Temple in Konark; victorian gothic and art deco ensembles in Mumbai; churches and convents of Goa; Western Ghats etc in India are at extremely high risk of riverine flooding. Drought risk is high for Qutub Minar; Keoladeo national park; Rani ki Vaw stepwell in Gujarat; even Chola temples in Mahabalipuram. 'Water is impacting some of the Earth's most cherished places: The Taj Mahal, for example, faces water scarcity that is increasing pollution and depleting groundwater, both of which are damaging the mausoleum. In 2022, a massive flood closed down all of Yellowstone National Park and cost over $20 million in infrastructure repairs to reopen. Water issues — whether it's drought, scarcity, pollution or flooding — have become a threat to many of the more than 1,200 UNESCO World Heritage Sites,' the analysis states. While the global share of World Heritage Sites exposed to high to extremely high levels of water stress is projected to rise from 40% to 44% by 2050, impacts will be far more severe in regions like the Middle East and North Africa, parts of South Asia and northern China — areas where existing water stress is exacerbated by extensive river regulation, damming and upstream water withdrawals. In these regions, the combined pressures of infrastructure development and climate change pose a significant threat to both natural ecosystems and the cultural heritage they sustain, it adds. Places ranging from the biodiversity-rich Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, to cultural treasures like the sacred city of Chichén Itzá in Mexico, to bustling urban centers like Morocco's Medina of Fez are facing growing water risks. For example, the Ahwar of Southern Iraq is facing acute water stress. In 2016, UNESCO added the Ahwar to the World Heritage list as a mixed site — recognized for both its natural values and cultural legacy. It's one of approximately 470 UNESCO World Heritage Sites facing water scarcity due to issues like pollution and competition for its water resources. Fed by Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the Ahwar is among the largest inland delta systems on Earth. These sprawling marshes are teeming with life that include millions of migratory birds like the rare Basra Reed Warbler and large wild buffalo that wade through its reed beds. Over the years, upstream dam construction, agricultural water use and periods of political instability including significant drainage of the marshes in the 1990s have reduced the freshwater flowing into the region. As a result, the area remains highly vulnerable during times of drought, the analysis said. WRI water experts have recommended that local authorities restore vital landscapes that support healthy, stable water, invest in nature-based solutions like planting trees to restore headwater forests or revitalizing wetlands to capture flood waters and recharge aquifers. These approaches can build resilience to extreme weather and address multiple water challenges simultaneously. Nationally, countries can enact conservation policies to protect vital landscapes from unsustainable development.
Hindustan Times
01-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Taj Mahal among heritage sites exposed to water risks: World Resources Institute
As many as 73% of all non-marine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including in India, are exposed to at least one severe water risk (water stress, drought, river or coastal flooding), with 21% of them facing dual problems of having too much water one year, and too little during another, a new analysis shows. Taj Mahal faces water scarcity that is increasing pollution and depleting groundwater. (ANI) The analysis based on World Resources Institute's Aqueduct data (also a water risk atlas) said sites experiencing severe risks in India included the Taj Mahal, Kaziranga National Park, Western Ghats, Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, and the Great Living Chola Temples. Around 40% of the UNESCO sites faced issues related to water stress and drought, and 33% and 4% riverine flood and coastal flood risks. 'Water is impacting some of the Earth's most cherished places: The Taj Mahal, for example, faces water scarcity that is increasing pollution and depleting groundwater, both of which are damaging the mausoleum. In 2022, a massive flood closed down all of Yellowstone National Park and cost over $20 million in infrastructure repairs to reopen. Water issues — whether it's drought, scarcity, pollution, or flooding — have become a threat to many of the more than 1,200 UNESCO World Heritage Sites,' the analysis said. The global share of World Heritage Sites exposed to high-to-extremely high levels of water stress is projected to rise from 40% to 44% by 2050. The impacts will be far more severe in regions such as the Middle East and North Africa, parts of South Asia, and northern China, where existing water stress is exacerbated by extensive river regulation, damming, and upstream water withdrawals. In these regions, the combined pressures of infrastructure development and climate change pose a significant threat to both natural ecosystems and the cultural heritage they sustain, the analysis said. Places ranging from the biodiversity-rich Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, to cultural treasures like the sacred city of Chichén Itzá in Mexico, to bustling urban centers like Morocco's Medina of Fez are facing growing water risks. The Ahwar of Southern Iraq is facing acute water stress. In 2016, UNESCO added the Ahwar to the World Heritage list as a mixed site recognised for both its natural values and cultural legacy. It is one of approximately 470 UNESCO World Heritage Sites facing water scarcity due to issues like pollution and competition for its water resources. Fed by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the Ahwar is among the largest inland delta systems on Earth. These sprawling marshes are teeming with life that includes millions of migratory birds like the rare Basra Reed Warbler and large wild buffalo that wade through their reed beds. Over the years, upstream dam construction, agricultural water use, and periods of political instability, including significant drainage of the marshes in the 1990s, have reduced the freshwater flowing into the region. As a result, the area remains highly vulnerable during times of drought, the analysis said.
