Case Study: Panaji achieves climate-resilient infrastructure planning with TERI - The Energy and Resources Institute

Panaji builds climate resilience with TERI using a 10-sector DBMS and 3 sea-level rise scenarios

Panaji, the capital city of Goa, India, faced significant vulnerability to climate change impacts, particularly sea-level rise and extreme precipitation events, which threatened its critical infrastructure and status as a prime tourist destination. The challenge involved understanding these risks to inform resilient urban planning. To address this, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) conducted a comprehensive Climate Resilient Infrastructure Services (CRIS) study, funded by USAID, to assess the city's exposure and sensitivity.

TERI developed a detailed urban infrastructure inventory and a Database Management System (DBMS) to consolidate and map all infrastructure assets. They performed a scientific vulnerability assessment by overlaying multiple sea-level rise scenarios on digital elevation models to identify hotspots and critical infrastructure at risk. The solution provided Panaji with a spatial exposure profile, sector-specific sensitivity analysis, and a set of broad structural and non-structural recommendations for enhancing resilience. The outcomes included the identification of vulnerable areas and assets, the creation of a planning tool (the DBMS) for the city government, and a foundational study to guide future climate-proofing investments and policies.

Panaji