India, May 1 -- Policies and urban planning frequently disregard the needs of the urban poor, resulting in an unequal distribution of resources between residents of formal and informal cities

This article is the first in a three-part series on unplanned settlements, urban planning, and the challenges related to water, sanitation, and stormwater management that are acutely felt in large, dense, unplanned settlements in cities of the global south, with research centred on Delhi.

Urbanisation is one of the four 'demographic mega-trends' identified by the United Nations, along with population growth, ageing, and international migration.

According to a 2019 report by Asian Development Bank (2019), the global urban population has risen drama...