Construction employs an excessive and unsustainable use of natural resources

The real estate development and the construction industry is not only consumer of a significant amount of natural resources like water, energy and raw materials, it is also a producer of a significant amount of waste and greenhouse gases. During the recent construction boom, particularly in the last couple of decades, unsustainable river sand dredging has led to lasting environmental damage. The 2019 Kerala floods were exacerbated because river sand was dredged 40 times faster than the rate at which the rivers could replace it. Yet, the construction industry continues to grow rapidly – in mid 2018 the projected demand for sand for construction was estimated at 1.4 billion tons by 2020. Only 5% of the buildings in India claim to be green buildings under the guidelines of the IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) set up in 2001. The country’s market for green buildings is expected to double in the next few years and may reach up to 10 billion sq. ft. by as early as 2022 – at a valuation of between USD 35 billion to USD 50 billion.

Source: