India’s smaller cities face a growing urban flooding crisis driven by outdated drainage systems, unmanaged solid waste, and blocked natural waterways. Frequent waterlogging occurs due to clogged open drains, unchecked waste management, and inadequate pre-monsoon desilting. Some of our smaller cities regularly experience flooding even during moderate rains. Judicial interventions and local innovations, such as trash barriers and river clean-ups, show promise. However, sustaine

As smog thickens and PM2.5 soars, small cities are gasping for breath, yet many remain invisible on pollution maps. In Nāgrika’s Climate Change Series, Part 4 unpacks how climate change fuels toxic air, why monitoring falls short, and what’s at stake when the country’s most polluted places go unnoticed in policy response.

As smaller Indian cities grapple with record-breaking heat, rising temperatures in scorching summers pose severe risks. In Nāgrika’s Climate Change Series, Part 2 tracks how these cities are heating up, often unnoticed, while exposing cracks in policy, data, and infrastructure that leave millions vulnerable to a warming world that’s no longer just a future threat.

With over 60 million strays and rising cases of dog bites, cities are scrambling for solutions. Cities are turning to sterilisation drives, citizen-led care, and new bylaws to manage the streets. While some communities embrace co-existence, others raise alarms about safety. Between budgets, policies, and public trust, urban animal welfare is navigating a complex terrain. So how are cities balancing compassion with control?

With city budgets rolling out, Jodhpur has taken a digital leap, while Muzaffarpur addresses stray dog management and Vijayawada focuses on sanitation. Yet, beneath these plans lies a larger question: how financially independent are our municipalities? As urban areas expand and expectations rise, are city budgets keeping pace with development demands, or are they still heavily reliant on state and central grants?