Urban Water / Research

Barriers to Mainstreaming Nature-Based Solutions in Urban India

Our study delves into the barriers to the large-scale adoption of nature-based solutions in Indian cities, synthesises insights from other geographies, and explores solutions

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Oct 6, 2025

Floods, heat waves, and water scarcity are common across Indian cities, upending the lives of millions. Climate change has made these extreme weather events more frequent. Besides, rapid, unplanned urbanisation has made cities more susceptible to the multiple challenges posed by climate change (Khosla & Bhardwaj, 2018).

One way to deal with worsening climate stressors involves redesigning cities with nature-based solutions, that is, the use of natural processes or ecosystems, to address socio-environmental issues, or a combination of blue, green, and grey infrastructure. These have helped cities in other countries (such as China and Singapore) combat flooding, heat stress, and droughts. However, mainstreaming NbS in urban India faces significant challenges.

This report utilises insights from a literature review, policy analysis, workshop, and interviews with 30 stakeholders to outline the following barriers:

  1. Lack of scientific evidence establishing the efficacy of NbS in the Indian context
  2. Dearth of design guidelines, tendering protocols, and technical capacity to integrate NbS into urban planning
  3. Inadequate funding mechanisms and incentives, especially for the operations and maintenance of projects
  4. Administrative and institutional barriers, such as the lack of coordination between government departments, regulatory and legal overlaps, and bureaucratic bottlenecks

A comprehensive approach that addresses these barriers through robust evidence generation, capacity-building, policy reforms, inclusive planning, enhanced enforcement, and public engagement can unlock the potential of NbS in urban India. This integrated strategy is key to enhancing climate resilience, promoting sustainable development, and supporting inclusive growth.

The report will be published soon.

 

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Oak Foundation for their support in making this work possible.

Authors Radhika Sundaresan, Namitha Nayak

Technical Review Anantha Moorthy, Shreya Nath, Anam Husain, Kaylea Brase Menon, Veena Srinivasan

Editor Syed Saad Ahmed

Designer Deepa Juliana

Illustrations Anam Husain 

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