Globally, most pandemics have severely affected crowded urban settlements which are often the hub of significant economic activities, but have inadequate housing and Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, especially for the poor. There are many factors that heighten the vulnerability of the people who live in these crowded urban settlements to pandemics, such as the current COVID-19 infection. The shortage of clean drinking water and sanitation facilities, inability to maintain personal hygiene, deprived living conditions and lack of access to quality health care exposes people in urban slums to significant risk of infectious diseases. Furthermore, overcrowding in slums makes social distancing and self-quarantine very tough, if not impossible, and place the slum dwellers at an increased risk of acquiring infection.

This month’s cover story ‘Building Pandemic Resilient Cities in India by Strengthening the WASH Sector’  highlights that while washing hands and maintaining adequate hygiene has been advised as the need of the hour, COVID-19 also emphasizes the need to reassess the adequacy of the WASH infrastructure in slums and low economic settlements—not just in terms of its preparedness in handling pandemics in the future, but also in terms of its ability to be resilient in disasters and extreme events, considering that extreme events such as droughts, floods, and tropical cyclones are expected to increase on account of climate change.

In this month’s feature article, ‘Realigning Sustainability in the Post-pandemic World’, we seek to ignite the discussion on sustainable futures, so to understand the various shapes sustainability can take in the ‘new normal’ times that we are going to witness in the future. In the immediate future, it is clear—and rightly so—that governments are focusing more on the measures to tackle the strains on health care systems, and hence, social health and financial aspects are the pillars of sustainability in the immediate context. As we move forward, we note that circular economy frameworks also need immediate attention on several fronts for economic growth, as well as for social inclusivity and environmental protection. We also envisage that with wider doors opened for international cooperation, the circular economy concept may accelerate and become a global sustainability programme. Global concerns, such as reduction of plastic on earth, use of sustainable materials, recycling, and waste management could give impetus to global cooperation so as to scale and accelerate actions by governments. The leadership roles of organizations, such as the WHO, UN, UNICEF, and others, will be important for this knowledge sharing and enabling their design so that they are seen as being the most cost-effective interventions. These organizations will need to orient themselves in identifying the segments to be prioritized during the transition.

I hope that you enjoy reading this issue of TerraGreen while staying healthy and safe. All of us are facing a humanitarian crisis at the moment but should come out of it with flying colours with our resilience and grit.