Abstract
All too often, residents of Indian cities have experienced the physical environment in the form of hazards, such as floods and the increasing effects of climate change, that may threaten human life and livelihoods. This notion of the environment as hazard is part of a complex interaction between city dwellers and nature, and hence there are multiple, and often conflicting, relationships between people and nature, within and on the fringes of cities. These interactions can pose difficult choices for city planners and represent a key challenge in the evolution towards more sustainable communities. Geographers have long studied these physical risks affecting urban dwellers in India, with one of the leading researchers being the late Professor R.B. Singh at the University of Delhi.
This chapter draws upon the work of R.B. Singh, a major figure in Indian geography in the last three decades, to examine two particular hazards closely associated with climate change, namely increased frequency of extreme events producing severe floods in various Indian cities, and urban heat islands (UHIs). The chapter examines the chief contributions of R.B. Singh to understanding the impact of climate change on people and livelihoods in India and then focuses on the two specific risks affecting urban residents. In both cases, special attention is directed at attempts to adapt and mitigate risk. With respect to increased incidence of floods, such attempts often have to address poor planning decisions that have put citizenry at risk by building on flood plains, as in the case of Chennai’s floods in 2015, or failing to maintain urban drainage systems, as for recent flooding in Mumbai in 2022. With respect to urban heat islands, the chapter draws upon the work by Singh and researchers at Aligarh Muslim University, which has revealed long-term trends and possibilities for both adaptation and mitigation. As part of this chapter, a bibliography of R.B. Singh’s work has been produced.
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Appendix: Professor R B Singh – Principal Publications
Appendix: Professor R B Singh – Principal Publications
This list includes all of Singh’s publication which have achieved at least ten citations according to Google Scholar plus recent books published.
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Mishra, R.K., Singh, R.B. and Dubey, A. (eds.), 2021. Sustainable climate action and water management. Springer, Cham, Switz.
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Grover, A. and Singh, R.B., 2020. Urban health and wellbeing: Indian case studies. Springer, Singapore.
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Singh, R.B., Srinagesh, B. and Anand, S. (eds.), 2020. Urban health risk and resilience in Asian cities. Springer Nature, Singapore.
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Mal, S., Singh, R.B., and Huggel, C. (eds.), 2018. Climate change, extreme events and disaster risk reduction: Towards sustainable development goals. Springer, Cham, Switz.
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Singh, R.B. and Majoral, R. (eds.), 2018. Marginal regions: Processes, technological developments and societal reorganizations. Routledge, New York and Abingdon, Oxon. First published by Westview Press, 1996.
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Schickhoff, U., Singh, R.B. and Mal, S. 2016. Climate change and dynamics of glaciers and vegetation in the Himalaya: an overview. In: R.B. Singh, U. Schickhoff and S. Mal (eds.), Climate change, glacier response, and vegetation dynamics in the Himalaya: Contributions toward future Earth initiatives. Springer, Cham, Switz., pp. 1–26.
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Singh, R.B. (ed.), 2016. Progress in Indian geography. A country report, 2012–2016. The 33rd International Geographical Congress, Beijing, China (August 21–25, 2016). Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi.
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Singh, R.B. and Prokop, P. (eds.), 2016. Environmental geography of South Asia: Contributions towards a future earth initiative. Springer, Tokyo.
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Singh, R.B. and Grover, A. 2015. Spatial correlations of changing land use, surface temperature (UHI) and NDVI in Delhi using Landsat satellite images. In: R.B. Singh (ed.), Urban development challenges, risks and resilience in Asian mega cities. Springer Japan, Tokyo, pp. 83–97.
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Singh, R.B. and Kumar, A. 2015. Climate variability and water resource scarcity in drylands of Rajasthan, India. Geoenvironmental Disasters 2(1), 1–10.
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Grover, A. and Singh, R.B. 2015. Analysis of urban heat island (UHI) in relation to normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI): A comparative study of Delhi and Mumbai. Environments 2(2), 125–138.
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Singh, R.B. (ed.) 2015. Urban development challenges, risks and resilience in Asian mega cities. Springer, Tokyo.
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Singh, R.B. and Grover, A. 2015. Spatial correlations of changing land use, surface temperature (UHI) and NDVI in Delhi using Landsat satellite images. In: R.B. Singh (ed.), Urban development challenges, risks and resilience in Asian mega cities. Springer, Tokyo, pp. 83–97.
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Ma, M., Haapanen, T., Singh, R.B. and Hietala, R. 2014. Integrating ecological restoration into CDM forestry projects. Environmental Science & Policy 38, 143–153.
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Singh, R.B. and Grover, A. 2014. Remote sensing of urban microclimate with special reference to urban heat island using Landsat thermal data. Geographia Polonica 87 (4), 555–568.
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Singh, R.B., Grover, A. and Zhan, J. 2014. Inter-seasonal variations of surface temperature in the urbanized environment of Delhi using Landsat thermal data. Energies 7(3), 1811–1828.
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Singh, R.B. and Hietala, R. (eds.), 2014. Livelihood security in Northwestern Himalaya. Springer Verlag, Japan, Tokyo.
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Singh, R.B. and Singh, S. 2014. Human-induced biome and livelihood security. In: R.B. Singh and R. Hietala (eds.). Livelihood security in Northwestern Himalaya. Springer Verlag, Japan, Tokyo, pp. 53–66.
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Singh, R.B. and Kumar, P. 2014. Geographic and socio-economic realities of Himachal Pradesh, North-western Himalaya. In: R.B. Singh and R. Hietala (eds.), Livelihood security in Northwestern Himalaya, Springer Verlag, Japan, Tokyo, pp. 11–26.
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Singh, R.B. and Mal, S., 2014. Trends and variability of monsoon and other rainfall seasons in Western Himalaya, India. Atmospheric Science Letters, 15(3), pp. 218–226.
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Singh, R.B. and Shi, C. 2014. Advances in observation and estimation of land use impacts on climate changes: improved data, upgraded models, and case studies. Advances in Meteorology, 748169.
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Sahu, N., Singh, R.B., Kumar, P., Silva, R.V.D. and Behera, S.K. 2013. La Niña impacts on Austral Summer extremely high-streamflow events of the Paranaíba River in Brazil. Advances in Meteorology, 461693.
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Singh, R.B. and Anand, S. 2013. Geodiversity, geographical heritage and geoparks in India. International Journal of Geoheritage 1(1), 10–26.
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Anand, A., Chandan, P. and Singh, R.B. 2012. Homestays at Korzok: Supplementing rural livelihoods and supporting green tourism in the Indian Himalayas. Mountain Research and Development 32(2), 126–136.
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Ma, B., Singh, R.B. and Hietala, R. 2012. Human driving forces for ecosystem services in the Himalayan region. Environmental Economics 3(1), 53–57.
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Singh, R.B. 2012. Climate change and food security. In: N. Tuteja, S. S. Gill and R. Tuteja (eds.), Improving crop productivity in sustainable agriculture. Wiley-Blackwell, Weinheim, pp. 1–22
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Singh, R.B. and Kumar, D. 2012. Remote sensing and GIS for land use/cover mapping and integrated land management: case from the middle Ganga plain. Frontiers of Earth Science 6(2), 167–176.
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Roy, S.S., Singh, R.B. and Kumar, M. 2011. An analysis of local spatial temperature patterns in the Delhi Metropolitan Area. Physical Geography 32(2), 114–138.
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Singh, R.B. and Singh, S. 2011. Rapid urbanization and induced flood risk in Noida, India. Asian Geographer 28(2), 147–169.
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Sati, V.P. and Singh, R.B. 2010. Prospects of sustainable livestock farming in the Uttarakhand Himalaya, India. Journal of Livestock Science, 1(1), 9–16.
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Singh, R.B., Mal, S. and Kala, C.P. 2009. Community responses to mountain tourism: A case in Bhyundar Valley, Indian Himalaya. Journal of Mountain Science 6(4), 394–404.
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Abhineety, G. and Singh, R.B. 2006. Sustainable forestry in mega-cities of India for mitigating carbon sequestration: case study of Delhi. Advances in Earth Science 21(2), 144–150.
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Singh, R.B. (ed.), 2006. Sustainable urban development. Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi.
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Singh, R.B. and Mishra, D.K. 2004. Green tourism in mountain regions-reducing vulnerability and promoting people and place centric development in the Himalayas. Journal of Mountain Science 1(1), 57–64.
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Gardner, J., Sinclair, J., Berkes, F. and Singh, R.B. 2002. Accelerated tourism development and its impacts in Kullu-Manali, HP, India. Tourism Recreation Research 27(3), 9–20.
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Sen Roy, S. and Singh, R.B. (eds.), 2002. Climate variability, extreme events and agricultural productivity in Mountain Regions. Oxford & IBH Pub. Co., New Delhi.
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Singh, R.B. and Sen Roy, S. 2002. Climate variability and hydrological extremes in a Himalayan catchment. ERB and Northern European FRIEND Project 5 Conference, Demänovská dolina, Slovakia.
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Singh, R.B. (ed.) 2001. Urban sustainability in the context of global change: Towards promoting healthy and green cities. Science Publishers, Enfield, NH.
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Singh, R.B. 2001. Impact of land-use change on groundwater in the Punjab-Haryana plains, India. Impact of Human Activity on Groundwater Dynamics (Proceedings of a symposium held during the Sixth IAHS Scientific Assembly at Maastricht, The Netherlands, July 2001). IAHS Publ. no. 269, pp. 117–122.
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Singh, R.B., Fox, J. and Himiyama, Y. (eds.). 2001. Land use and cover change. Science Publishers, Enfield, NH.
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Singh, R.B. 2000. Environmental consequences of agricultural development: a case study from the Green Revolution state of Haryana, India. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 82 (1–3), 97–103.
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Singh, R.B. 2000. Monitoring of dust pollution by higher groups of plants around dust polluted habitats in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh. Indian Journal of Environmental Ecoplanning 3, 163–166.
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Singh, R.B. 1999. Urban impacts on groundwater quality in the Delhi region. In: Impacts of Urban Growth on Surface Water and Groundwater Quality (Proceedings of IUGG99 Symposium HS5, Birmingham, July 1999). IAHS Publ. no. 259.
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Duffield, C., Gardner, J.S., Berkes, F. and Singh, R.B. 1998. Local knowledge in the assessment of resource sustainability: case studies in Himachal Pradesh, India, and British Columbia, Canada. Mountain Research and Development, 18(1), 35–49.
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Haigh, M.J., Singh, R.B. and Krecek, J. 1998. Headwater control: matters arising. In: M.J. Haigh, G.S. Rajwar, J. Krecek and M. Kilmartin (eds.), Headwaters: water resources and soil conservation. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla.
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Singh, R.B. (ed.), 1998. Sustainable development of mountain environment in India and Canada: CIDA-SICI Project Experience. Oxford & IBH Publishers, New Delhi.
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Singh, R.B. 1998. Land use/cover changes, extreme events and ecohydrological responses in the Himalayan region. Hydrological Processes 12(13‐14), 2043–2055.
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Singh, R.B. (ed.), 1996. Disasters, environment and development. Taylor & Francis, London.
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Singh, R.B. (ed.) 1995. Global environment change: Remote sensing and GIS perspectives. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam.
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RB Singh 1995. Land use change, diversification of agriculture and agro-forestry in Northwest India. In: R.B. Singh (ed.), Global environment change: Remote sensing and GIS perspectives. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp. 313–321.
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Singh, R.B. and Haigh, M.J. (eds.), 1995. Sustainable reconstruction of highland and headwater regions: Proceedings of the third international symposium, New Delhi 6–8 October 1995. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam.
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Singh, R.B. and Pandey, B.W. 1995. Common resources and sustainable livelihoods of mountain environments: A micro-level experience of Upper Kulu Valley. In: R.B. Singh and M.J. Haigh (eds.), Sustainable reconstruction of highland and headwater regions: Proceedings of the third international symposium, New Delhi 6–8 October 1995. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam.
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Singh, R.B. 1986. Geography of rural development: The Indian micro-level experience. Stosius Incorporated/Advent Books Division.
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Robinson, G.M. (2024). Risk and Resilience in Indian Cities: Floods, Heat Islands and the Work of Professor R.B. Singh. In: Singh, A.L., Jamal, S., Ahmad, W.S. (eds) Climate Change, Vulnerabilities and Adaptation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49642-4_1
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