IIT Madras hosts international conference on water, food, and waste systems

IIT Madras Research Park is hosting the Cities of Care Conference, a two-day event bringing together global universities, research institutions, policymakers, and practitioners to advance climate action and sustainable urban development for Indian cities.

The conference has been organized by the University of Toronto India Foundation in collaboration with IIT Madras School of Sustainability and the University of Toronto School of Cities.

It has drawn more than 90 global researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and funders to examine climate challenges through an integrated water, food, and waste systems lens.

The event includes plenary sessions, three thematic research tracks, 15 research presentations, and a cross-sector panel that connects global and Indian perspectives on urban complexity across critical resource systems.

Discussions focus on addressing water, food, and waste both as individual sectors and as interconnected systems within urban planning.

Organizers said the conference aims to translate academic research into actionable insights for cities facing climate stress, resource constraints, and rapid urbanization, while encouraging integrated and long term policy approaches.

As part of the conference, the University of Toronto India Foundation, in collaboration with the sustainability-focused media platform REVOLVE, released the Sustainable India 2025 country report, which outlines key sustainability and climate action developments across Indian cities, states, and sectors.

Prof. Indumathi M Nambi, Professor in Civil Engineering Department & School of Sustainability, IIT Madras said, “The lab-to-market journey is long and challenging. We need platforms like this to educate researchers to work on real-world problems, enabling governments to create supportive policies and programs, and bringing businesses and academia together to identify challenges and fund applied research and technology development. It is equally important to educate investors to value impact metrics alongside financial returns.”

The conference comes as Indian cities face rising pressure from climate risks, limited resources, and rapid urban growth.

According to the Towards Resilient and Prosperous Cities in India report, developed with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, India’s urban population is projected to nearly double to 951 million by 2050, requiring the construction of over 144 million new homes by 2070.

By approaching water, food, and waste as interconnected systems, the Cities of Care Conference seeks to promote integrated planning and long-term strategies for building urban resilience in India.