India's cities might be expanding but are more vulnerable to natural disasters

As India draws closer to announcing the first list of 20 smart cities, it would do well to put safety first and pay attention to a moribund 24-year-old law meant to convert ramshackle urban areas–vulnerable to disasters in an era of climate change–into independent, well-financed hubs of economic growth, reports Firstpost.

Indian cities have vastly expanded–377 million, or 31% of Indians now live in urban areas, up from 217.18 million and 26% 20 years ago, according to census data–increasing their vulnerability. As many as 38 cities are located in zones with seismic susceptibility in the government’s vulnerability atlas of India, as IndiaSpend has reported.