Urban Update October 2016

ISSN 2349-6266 RNI No DELENG/2014/57384

Setting The Agenda For Tomorrow’s Cities

UrbanUpdate Volume III, Issue VI

October 2016

Rs 100

Not a low hanging fruit to pluck Swachh Bharat Mission faces a host of challenges in achieving its targets. The governments, central, state and local, need to make massive investment in infrastructure and capacity building to make people aware not to litter and to adopt sustainable lifestyle

Ganga needs modern Saviour Only person who can be your doctor is who knows your anatomy and morphology. Same goes for the river

Mounting burden of e-waste

“Thoughtless ignorant men and women use for natural functions the sacred banks of the river where they are supposed to sit in quiet contemplation and find God. They violate religion, science and the laws of sanitation.”

Mahatma Gandhi The project is funded by the European Union.

The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

Union Ministry of Urban Development has empanelled AIILSG on the list of consultants qualified to work for Smart City Mission.

AIILSG has been selected to work for Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

Community Based Interventions

Professional Empowerment Project Management

Advisory Services Customised Training

Knowledge Management Capacity Building Information, Education and Communication (IEC)

Policy Research

All India Institute of Local Self-Government No. 6, F-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, TPS Road-12, Bandra-East, Mumbai-400051, Maharashtra Tel.No.: +91-22-26571713, 26571714, 26571715, Fax: +91-22-26572286, Email: contact@aiilsg.org

UrbanUpdate A monthly magazine published by the AIILSG — a project funded by European Union’s ‘Equi-City’ programme for India.

Ranjit Chavan President-AIILSG Capt. Anant Modi Editor-In-Chief Director General-AIILSG, dg@aiilsg.org Ashok Wankhade Managing Editor Abhishek Pandey Editor Ravi Ranjan Guru Executive Editor

Mail Box Readers’ comments, criticism and suggestions are welcome. Letters to the Editor can be sent by e-mail, or regular mail. They should include name, address, phone number(s), and e-mail address, if available. The subject of the communication should be clearly mentioned, and we reserve the right to edit for sense, style, and space.

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Kumar Dhananjay Consulting Editor Arzoo Arora Editorial Assistant Meenakshi Rajput Graphic Designer Volume III - Issue VI Printed and published by Ranjit Chavan on behalf of All India Institute of Local Self-Government.

Printed at Artz & Printz, 208, DSIDC Shed, Okhla Industrial Area Phase-I, New Delhi-110020 Published at Sardar Patel Bhavan, 22-23, Institutional Area D-Block Pankha Road, Janakpuri, Delhi-110058 Despite careful selection of sources, no responsibility can be taken for accuracy of the contents. The magazine assumes no liability or responsibility of any kind in connection with the information thereof. The views expressed in the articles are the personal opinions of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the All India Institute of Local Self-Government.

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The project is funded by the European Union.

The project is implemented by the AIILSG.

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.

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October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

EDITORIAL

Swachh Bharat needs mass movement

“

Capt. Anant Modi Editor-In-Chief dg@aiilsg.org

Cleanliness cannot be achieved through Budget allocation. Behavioural change is the solution.

It should become a mass movement” said Prime Minister Modi in his address at the India Sanitation Conference a few weeks ago. He was speaking on the occasion of the second anniversary of India’s flagship Swachh Bharat Mission. This reflects the growing realization that people need to participate more actively in order achieve lasting success in our efforts to clean up our cities. Repeated large investments in equipment and facilities would have only limited impact unless citizens really want clean surrounding and work towards it.

While most efforts have so far been on the waste management side, i.e., how best to collect, transport, store, treat,process and dispose of waste, in our opinion a national movement is called for to prevent the generation of waste in the first place. This calls for behavioural changes.

All groups of citizens need to do their bit; school children, college students, the housewife, the corporate sector and commercial establishments.Children can be powerful agents of change.

Parents and teachers must inculcate in them values and sustainable lifestyle choices which promote community hygiene, eschew littering and support reuse and recycling. This could even be built into the Curriculum.

Corporates have access to technology, innovation and other resources and must contribute more. How they pack their products for example, can have significant impact on the Mission outcomes. Some eateries serve food in disposable plates and containers even for dine-in clients. One wonders how they get rid of these greasy plates and paper napkins. Landfills? They must find more sustainable ways of going about their business. How manufacturers pack other products

of day-to-day use needs to improve by adopting bio-degradable, recyclable and reusable material.

Alongside, there is need to encourage innovation and technology development which can address issues of recycling and reuse. The informal sector comprising rag-pickers among others as well as the formal recycling industry need to be sufficiently incentivized.

Products made of recycled material need a favourable taxation regime so that they cost less to buy, and not more, as is often the case now. The street-corner Raddiwala ecosystem is well developed in India and efficiently handles huge quantities of paper waste for recycling.

The network can be leveraged to handle other kinds of waste.

ODF the other important component of Swachh Bharat Mission has received much focus. Government and local bodies with support of the corporate sector have built large numbers of public and community toilets. While the ‘Swachhta Status Report 2016’ put out by the NSSO revealed that the progress on ODF in rural areas has been lagging compared to urban centres, initiatives like the ‘Asli Tarakki’ campaign are expected to help.

In the cover story of this issue, we take stock of the current progress on Swachh Bharat and ODF objectives.

Urban Update spoke to Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti on a wide range of issues including the Namami Gange programme. Excerpts are reproduced here. E-waste handling and disposal present significant new challenges. We take a look at the efforts undertaken in Delhi to address this.

We also bring you insights of experts on several other relevant issues. We hope this issue will serve to engage all stakeholders and contribute to the realization of the Mission objectives. We invite our esteemed readers to write in with their views to enable further refine Urban Update and support its efforts to create better cities of tomorrow.

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

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Quotes

PIN POINT BUZZ

I believe that diversity in all its forms is a tremendous asset, and not a threat; that in societies that are more and more multiethnic, multi-cultural and multireligious, diversity can bring us together, not drive us apart António Guterres Secretary-General Designate of the United Nations

It is extremely important that we invest in the energy efficiency of existing homes to provide affordable warmth and reduce carbon emissions. It is also important that we invest in existing buildings and keep them in a good state of repair Mary Taylor Chief Executive of Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA)

Suresh Prabhu @sureshpprabhu Minister for Railways, Government of India

Sustainability not a peripheral activity anymore, it’s an integral part of our strategy. Being practiced all across.

Results have started showing

Rabia Khedr @RabiaKhedr Activist,Consultant & Motivational Speaker, Former Candidate for Councillor in Mississauga.

Creating a respectful & inclusive environment upholding basic human rights takes a lot of work in neighborhoods, communities, cities & nation.

Cities have a clear appetite for collaborating with the private sector on climate change, and they see it as an economic opportunity. What we’ll see is a shift towards more hands-on work on emissions reductions and joint work on financing for these projects - because as we know, that is a big challenge Maia Kutner Head of cities at CDP

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October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

A conceptual framework to help policymakers consider how to design and implement programs in support of people and communities in the ruralurban interface

Cam Guthrie @MayorGuthrie Mayor, City of Guelph

It’s not countries vs countries anymore, its cities vs cities!” #Guelph needs to remember this as competition for talent & livable cities!

David Brown Cornell professor in development sociology Steven Cohen @StevenACohen Executive Director, Earth Institute

The “sharing economy” contributes to more livable cities & environmental sustainability--and it’s here to stay.

Inside

Volume 3, Issue 6

Article

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Ganga needs modern saviour

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Sustainable lifestyle choices key to success of Swachh Bharat

Inside October 2016

32

Only person who can be your doctor is who knows your anatomy and morphology. Same goes for the river

Swachh Bharat can go beyond making

our surroundings visually appealing

and hygienic. The Mission can promote

the equally crucial issue of environmental sustainability

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Mounting burden of e-waste Electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers have made our life easier than ever before. Swiftly changing technology and media, and plannedob solescence of devices produce hazardous e-waste in large volumes

Technological Innovations in Public Road Transport

Today well over 60 percent of all Internet traffic comes from a mobile source and half of that is driven by apps. The impact of this Smartphone-based app revolution is being felt in almost every industry

Good reads

44

Watch the reshaping of our world!

What will be remembered about the 21st century, more than anything else, is the great, and final shift of human human populations out of rural, agricultural life and into cities

Pin Point Newscan

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City Images Urban Agenda

Swachh Bharat: Not a low hanging fruit to pluck Swachh Bharat Mission faces a host of challenges in achieving its targets. The standards of cleanliness and spruceness are hazy among Indians. The governments, central, state and local, not just need massive investment in building infrastructure and capacity building but are also required to make people aware not to litter and to adopt sustainable lifestyle

LEADerspeak

26

Corporates, civil society to play decisive role in achieving complete sanitation

Swachh Bharat Mission not just targets to make India spik and span by the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi but also aims to provide healthy environment and dignified life to its future generations. The nation along with the government seems committed and is closer than ever to realizing the dream of clean India. All sections of society must stand up and make all possible efforts to build the nation as envisaged by the Father of the Nation

ONE ON ONE

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RegularS

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Cover story

“No discipline, total urban chaos” Urban aesthetics has long been ignored in India. It has to be an integral part of city planning. We must attach importance to the concept of ‘city beautiful’ says Dr P S N Rao of Delhi Urban Arts Commission

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

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feature | Equi-City

Leveraging the diversities...

The Diversity and Inclusion Framework outlines how Nagpur City will achieve its vision and goals to be a municipality respectful and inclusive of human difference.”

Team Equi-City

T

he goal of accomplishing “Unity in Diversity” needs an appreciation of the patterns of diversity at the onset besides understanding the socio-economic and political processes affecting it and apprehension of the scope of diversity leading to disparity and inequity. Then an attempt can be made to pinpoint the aspects, systems and biases responsiblefor that. Finally, it comes to crafting a framework of redressal.

The need to develop and implement Equality Framework, respecting the diversities in Nagpur City results from diversity indices in NMC to a great extent and Nagpur city as a whole to some extent. Growing awareness of the range of human differences in the City’s population, their expectations regarding civic services and programs coupled with modern-age aspirations, engenderthe need to effectively implement this framework in Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC).

It’s not enough to employ a workforce of individuals with varying backgrounds and views. We need to include their experiences and views when working with each other and when developing programs, services andframeworks. This is one of the ways we ensure respect and consideration of the diverse needs and perspectives of all. Inclusion and diversity go hand in hand. To facilitate an equality framework in NMC, Equi-City team has initiated a diversity survey to gauge different needs, suggestions and views which is expected to be vetted by designated Diversity Committee in NMC and the findings are expected to come out in the form of a report.

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October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

Some prerequisites

Comprehending diversity in the Indian societal backdrop is really a complicated engagement. It needs a demanding responsibility in understandingcomplex conceptual and methodological issues before proceeding to sort out atransparent and acceptable working framework.

Implementing this relatively new frameworkin local body level is expected to be quite challenging as it demands a paradigm shift in the attitudes in dealing with the issues of asymmetrical approach to sociocultural and politico-economic space in Indian context.

Informed and committed leadership as well as shared responsibility and individual accountability are essential to successful diversity and inclusion efforts. The effectiveness of the Diversity and Equality Framework depends on each employee of NMC and demands fulfilling his or her role in an effective manner. In addition to employees fulfilling their roles, it further demands sustainable long term directions from the organisation’s leadership alongside resources and support.

The Diversity Committee is envisaged to support and guide departments to provide information specific to various levels across the corporation.

This includes the roles of: ♦♦ City Council ♦♦ NMC Employees ♦♦ Senior Management Team (SMT) ♦♦ Department Management Team ♦♦ Supervisors ♦♦ Human Resources Branch ♦♦ Communications ♦♦ All departments under NMC

Diversity Survey in the City

Our ideal future City is to have a supportive and respectful workplace that attracts and retains a talented workforce which broadly identifies the citizens and communities of Nagpur City. We seek a powerful organization that works smart and is instrumental in maintaining the City’s competitive advantage.

We want an organization which leverages our diversity to create programs and services which meet the diverse needs of those we serve and enable their full inclusion in the life of their city.

The Equi-City team has completed the Diversity Survey for the Diversity Report. In total survey in all the 30 departments of the NMC was conducted and covered nearly 900 employees including HODs and other employees of NMC.

Layers of Diversity

These layers are represented below and illustrate the ways in which people, including employees, may differ from one another.

Goals of the Framework

Goal 1: Promote shared values of diversity and inclusion.

Goal 2: Improve coordination of campus diversity planning.

Goal 3: Engage the campus leadership for diversity and inclusion.

Goal 4: Improve institutional access through effective analysis of diverse staff Goal 5: Provide a proper framework for Diversity and thereby establishing a diversity committee.

Work Undertaken to Meet the Targets

Diversity is an important aspect of EquiCity programme and we incorporate diversity considerations while taking decisions on other issues. Equi-City has also continued to carry out a range of activities aimed at embedding a culture of inclusion and removing barriers to the progression of citizens and NMC staff. This includes communications campaigns and workshops in the city to involve diverse population into the system.

Building the Diversity Framework

The process of building the Diversity and Inclusion Framework began with a comprehensive review of research to identify current best practice in the area of diversity and inclusion. This review resulted in the identification of essential common elements for achieving sustainable diversity and inclusion practices within organizations.

Formulation of Diversity Committee & Framework enables the City to:

♦♦ Gain greater competitive advantage by increasing its vitality and resources for programs and services. ♦♦ Attract and retain talented people by supporting and involving employees and heightening their sense of purpose and commitment. ♦♦ Increase city services that respond

to the diversity of citizen needs thereby increasing their willingness to support such services ♦♦ Open City to pockets of people who may otherwise feel disenfranchised and Contribute to improving the quality of life for all of us.

Way Forward

An effective approach of gradualism can be followed, through which NMC may start the diversity and equality framework by planning an incentive system linked to the objects. The extent of coverage of the framework can be increased gradually over time and all departments of NMC can be brought within therealm of intervention.

Moreover, putting updiversity indices and generating awareness onthose, even without an incentive system, may help in establishing socio-political harmonyleading to apposite resolution

at all levels. This is envisaged to go a long way in taking Nagpur to a scenario when the exposition of diversity becomes a situation to celebrate rather than a genesis for inequality and discrimination.

Sanitation and Hygiene Workshop

The sensitisation workshops in a couple of slums (Poojaramwadi) of Nagpur city have already been conducted and a few more are being planned to promote the awareness through Equi-City Project. The broader theme of these workshops is based upon Sanitation and Hygiene. Furthermore, the workshops envisaged to generate awareness regarding sanitation, to understand the condition of municipal services, to sensitise people about the existing situation and to identify problem areas.

Probable Outcome from Diversity Survey

Categorisation of Employees

Accountability of NMC employees

Educational /Literacy qualifications of Employees

Information about the data handling and maintenance

Mode of transportation used by NMC employees

Statistics of NMC

Social and Economic Status of people working for NMC.

Demographic profile of employees working in NMC.

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

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feature | Habitat III

A call for creating sustainable cities From embracing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to signing the Paris Agreement- the year 2016 has been a significant year for global development. With the year coming to a close, the United Nations takes yet another momentous step with Habitat III to discuss the radical change in the configuration of human settlements in the next twenty years through its New Urban Agenda.

Shivani Sharma | Editorial Assistant

A

utumn rain embellishes the street with puddles and leaves. The air is perfumed with wet soil, its mood turned quiet. Somewhere a bike revved to life.

Honking, rumbling traffic. Long lines of cars. Trucks emitting smoke. Sullen faces. Disgruntled voices. A typical morning in the life of an Indian city dweller commuting to work.

A recent survey looked at the major cities of the world for worst traffic and high carbon dioxide emission index and ranked Manila at the first place followed by Kolkata at sixth, Pune at eighth and Mumbai at tenth place. Another study found that about 64.1 per cent of the developing world will live in urban areas by 2050 with Delhi, Dhaka, Jakarta, Beijing and Seoul expecting over 20 million people and Tokyo and Shanghai expecting 40 million people before 2020. Not only have these alarming figures pushed us into examining the future of cities and their role in driving the SDGs but, they have also brought to our attention the challenges of providing adequate housing in cities, clean drinking water, safe waste management, affordable transportation, green areas, disabledfriendly spaces etc.

Habitat III formally known as the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development will take place in Quito, Ecuador from 17 to 20 October 2016. Some 30,000 representatives from 193 countries

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October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

converge 2.8 kilometers above sea level to discuss housing and sustainability for the next twenty years, a second iteration of what is being called the New Urban Agenda.

Targeting areas central to urban spaces such as housing, transportation, migration, infrastructure, climate change, the weekend before the conference will see a number of curtain raisers, events where the patrician rhetoric of inclusiveness is enacted by participants whose call for liveable lives at Habitat III will be recognized and ultimately normalized. Some of these events are as follows: 1) World Mayors Assembly that discusses the need to strengthen the role of mayors, local and regional authorities in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda 2) Women’s Assembly that calls for a women inclusive urban development 3) Children and Youth Assemblythat discusses strategies to harness the energy of the youth for a sustainable urban society 4) Business Assembly that highlights the role of business in facilitating partnerships amongst various stakeholders in urban development 5) Planning for Clean, Green and Healthy Cities that attempts to identify and promote urban policies for green, healthy cities 6) Integrating Sustainable Food Systems into Urban Development that emphasizes the need to integrate sustainable food systems to meet the needs of the urban population 7) High Level Meeting and Forum on Disability Inclusion and Accessible

Urban Development that focuses on making the urban space accessible for persons with disabilities and promote “participatory decision making� 8) Sustainable Tourism on the New Urban Agenda that analyses the role of tourism in the development of cities and situates tourism in the policies of sustainable urbanisation 9) Habitat+SocialGood that serves as an excellent platform for various stakeholders in social media and other online activists to connect ahead of Habitat III.

Habitat III: Background

Habitat III builds upon the foundation laid by the UN under Habitat I in Vancouver in 1976. In hindsight, one observes that as two-thirds of the world population was rural, this conference did not engage as deeply with the issue of urbanisation as the one in Istanbul did in 1996. Called Habitat II, this conference urged the member states to work towards providing adequate shelter for all. More than 170 countries signed the Habitat Agenda which addressed issues such as overpopulation, poverty, homelessness, environmental disasters and bad urban designs.

At the turn of the century, the UN decided to rename Commission on Human Settlements (that came into existence in 1996) as the Human Settlements Programme, widely known as UN-Habitat today. As the years went passing by, the cities around the globe underwent socio-economic

development. The urban population increased by massive numbers every year. Due to rapid urbanisation, there was a growing need to develop a new model that would address the challenges of urban growth. The New Urban Agenda under Habitat III is that new model.

The countries that have been facilitating the negotiations and drafting the zero draft of the New Urban Agenda are Senegal, Chad, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, the Czech Republic, Chile, Hungary, Ecuador, Germany and France. Whereas, countries like Canada, Nigeria, Israel, South Africa, Mexico and Spain have been hosting regional meetings ahead of the Habitat III conference.

In order to address the issue of sustainable urban development encompassing, in theory and practice, good governance and gender egalitarianism and laying the guidelines for the implementation of SDGs by 2030, the UN held the first session of its Preparatory Committee (or PrepCom) in New York, US in November 2014 followed by the second one in Nairobi, Kenya in April 2015.

The third and most important session took place in Surabaya, Indonesia in July 2015 marking the presence of local governments through the efforts by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).

Acknowledging the vital role of local governments as “active partners” and willing to support them “in partnering with communities, civil society, and the private sector”, the New Urban Agenda draft finalized at Surabaya calls for “a continuous process aimed at creating and reinforcing partnerships among all relevant stakeholders and fostering exchanges of urban solutions and mutual learning.”

India’s efforts towards sustainable urban development

Just weeks before the adoption of New Urban Agenda in Quito, M. Venkaiah Naidu, the Union Minister of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information &

Some key expected outcome of Habitat III ♦♦ Adoption of New Urban Agenda in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals ♦♦ Strengthening international cooperation on sustainable urbanisation in the next 20 years ♦♦ Fostering collaborative relationships between national, regional and local government institutions ♦♦ Affordable housing, transportation, waste management, health, science and technology ♦♦ Pro-urban planning and management policiesto create low-carbon, liveable, inclusive, smart cities ♦♦ Bridging the gap between urban and rural welfare inequalities ♦♦ Implementing the Right to the City based on principles of social justice

Some key points from the New Urban Agenda ♦♦ To produce safe, healthy, accessible, affordable, resilient and sustainable cities promoting inclusivity and prosperity in human settlements ♦♦ To develop local-national and multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve sustainable integrated urban development ♦♦ To promote sound and transparent systems of financial transfers from national government to sub-national and local governments ♦♦ To support local government associations as promoters and providers of capacity development, recognizing and strengthening, as appropriate, both their involvement in national consultations on urban policies and development priorities ♦♦ To call on businesses to apply their creativity and innovation toward solving sustainable development challenges in urban areas, acknowledging that private business activity, investment, and innovation are major drivers of productivity, inclusive growth and job creation ♦♦ To harness local economies and take note of the contribution of the informal economy while supporting a sustainable transition to the formal economy ♦♦ To adopt and implement disaster risk reduction and management, reduce vulnerability, build resilience and responsiveness to natural, man-made hazards and climate change ♦♦ To ensure full respect for human rights and humane treatment of refugees and internallydisplaced persons ♦♦ To empower all women and girlsand achieve gender equality ♦♦ To promote green and quality public spaces, including streets,sidewalks, and cycling lanes.

Source: The draft of the New Urban Agenda

Broadcasting released ‘India Habitat III-National Report’ outlining the government’s sustainable urban development strategy for the next twenty years. Calling for a “regional planning approach”, this strategy pushes for the growth of rural and urban centers in a collaborative manner.

Emphasizing the need to create Smart Cities and strengthen the local

governments, the report touches upon key issues such as housing, transportation, drainage, waste management, unequal distribution of resources, economic disparity, gender inequality, climate change, health and science and technology. The crux of the report is to not look at urbanisation as a force that confines but, instead, as a force that transforms.

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

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BRIEFS

Role model for city improvement

Minister of Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated three components of modern social infrastructure under East Kidwai Nagar General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) Redevelopment Project.

Speaking on the occasion, Naidu said “Redevelopment of properties is the way for optimal utilization of scarce land resources in cities and for generating resources required.

Zero waste generation and zero discharge shall be the guiding principle for smart city development. Redevelopment of government colonies in a big way in Delhi reflects central government’s approach to improving quality of life and recasting urban landscape”.

TMC to demarcate zones to put up posters Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has decided to formulate a policy to have designated places in the city for putting up posters, banners, announcements in order to keep the city clean.

Civic body will come up with the policy next month under which specific locations will be marked where people can put posters, leaflets, banners, etc.

TMC Commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal said that a cleanliness and beautification drive will be undertaken shortly. The official apprised that social organisations, students or anyone who wishes to take part in painting walls can participate and use any theme with a social message.

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October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

NEWSCAN

Optimal energy use can save Rs 6,000 cr in cities DELHI: Ministry of Urban Development has embarked on a major programme to improve energy use efficiency in bulk water supply, public lighting, transportation and domestic consumption in cities and towns across the country. The Ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Energy Efficiency Services Limited, a public sector enterprise in this regard.

The MoU was signed in the presence of the Minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy Sources and Coal Piyush Goyal and Rajiv Gauba, Secretary (Urban Development). Naidu said that energy audit and improving energy use efficiency is one of the mandated reforms under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and this initiative would help the cities significantly. “This will substantially reduce costs of operation of water supply schemes and public lighting and will benefit citizens” Naidu said.

Piyush Goyal said “EESL has done a great job over the last one year in promoting energy use efficiency programmes across the country and has done much better than private sector. EESL will ensure supply of latest technology for municipal programmes”.

In the MoU, it has been stated that energy costs account for 40 per cent to 60 per cent of cost of water supply in urban areas and energy efficiency interventions can reduce this cost by 25 per cent to 40 per cent, depending on the type and age of machines being used for bulk water supply. Quoting Central Electricity Authority (CEA) it has been

stated that urban local bodies can save about Rs 6,000 cr per year through such interventions in water supply and public lighting alone besides avoiding the need for 1,150 MW of power.

Savings in water supply is said to be Rs 3,200 cr and 600 MW of power while it would be Rs 2,800 cr and 550 MW in case of public lighting per year. Emission of Carbon Dioxide, a climate change agent is estimated to be reduced by over 7 million tonnes per year.

Necessary interventions would be undertaken by EESL without any financial burden on urban local bodies as cost of the proposed Municipal Energy Efficiency Programmes would be borne from out of the savings. MoU states that performance contracting offers a mechanism for urban local bodies to finance these projects without upfront investment.

As per the MoU, EESL will develop overall strategy for taking up Energy Efficient Projects in urban areas and to start with, will take up implementation of energy efficient pump sets in public water works and sewage systems to be followed by similar interventions for public lighting, public transport systems and buildings.

Cities selected under Smart City Mission would be targeted first to be followed by AMRUT cities and others in a phased manner. Ministry of Urban Development would facilitate signing of agreements between the State Governments, urban local bodies. and EESL for conducting Investment Grade Energy Audit, preparation of technical reports and for implementation after the reports are approved.

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NEWSCAN

BRIEFS

NEWSCAN

Check carbon emission for healthy urban future Kumar Dhananjay | Consulting Editor | kd.urbanupdate@gmail.com

Mumbai: Climate Change has emerged as the biggest challenge globally and enemy of mankind. It finally forced the group of nations to come together in Paris and pledge to reduce carbon footprint and emission to save the ecology. All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG) in partnership with Carbon Disclosure Program (CDP) organized a daylong seminar involving city leaders and corporate honchos to discuss the threat and solutions related to climate change.

Inaugurating the event, Capt Anant Modi, Director General of AIILSG, said, “In this growing age of urban development and industrialization, the world has taken serious note of Climate Change. It is playing havoc around the world”. He mentioned the film made by former US Vice President Al Gore on environment. Global warming is no more a theory. It is happening. The world is witnessing the consequences.

Unseasonal rains, flooding, melting of glaciers, we are witnessing it all.

Carbon Disclosure Program is a key for companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts and put out information that will help investors and purchasers to access information.

Participants underlined how Climate Change is threatening humanity as sea levels are rising and causing unprecedented flooding from Middle East to even Indian cities. The global community needs to take urgent note of it to arrest long term environmental damage. The conference was attended by city leaders and organisations working in the field. The pivotal role of local government in achieving the sustainable development goals was emphasized. During the conference local leaders also shared innovative

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October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

schemes launched by them to protect the environment. A leader from Nagpur mentioned the earth hours initiative taken by the municipal corporation there. Under this program which is observed on every full moon day, all citizens are asked to switch off lights for an hour. Over the period of two years of its existence, this initiative has saved 64,189 units of electricity, 500,000 litres of water and 32,000 kgs of coal. And most importantly, 64,000 kgs of carbon emission.

The purpose of the conference was also to ‘discuss the challenges and practical solutions to Climate Change data collection and disclosures and how this drives evidence-based action for climate-smart and resilient urban development’ said Sara Telahoun, senior project officer at CDP. She added that more and more companies are coming forward for carbon disclosures as they believe now that it affects their investment portfolios. But over time we need to go beyond carbon emission to also look at water disclosure and deforestation risks. She outlined the process after the data is collected and how the organization collaborates with city leadership to act upon the data.

The organization has been working in Indian cities since 2011.

In the Indian context leaders present at the event explained how data collection is important and the challenges they face. The common concern that emerged was the need to have better technology for actual data collection. In addition they felt that there is lack of coordination between different agencies and existing guidelines are not implemented and officials who are collecting the data are not properly trained. Participants voiced the need for building awareness

Participants underlined how Climate Change is threatening humanity as sea levels are rising and causing unprecedented flooding from Middle East to even Indian cities. The global community needs to take urgent note of it to arrest long term environmental damage.

The conference was attended by city leaders and organisations working in the field.

The pivotal role of local government in achieving the sustainable development goals was emphasized

among all citizens which is the key to fight Climate Change, not just about carbon emission but also about garbage management, water management among other urban issues.

The day long deliberation provided a good forum to share experiences and exchange ideas . It helped bring about a lot of clarity on how to integrate efforts and induce transparency for all stakeholders including corporates and the general public in order to identify and cope with the threats arising from Climate Change.

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City Images

Painting ‘guts of the city’

The Harvard Square Business Association collaborated with the local artists in painting circuit boxes, popularly known as utility boxes in Cambridge, Massachusetts.These boxes contain vital electrical equipment such as streetlight cables, phone wires and

traffic light systems, thereby, forming “the guts of the city”—unseen yet essential. This activity exemplifies the efforts of local community in using art as an agency for change and make cities livelier, friendlier, more pleasant, colourful and humane.

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GIC asks RMC to give details of solid waste management The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has directed the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) to provide all details about solid waste, which the civic body had earlier denied on a flimsy ground that the applicant had not taken the information record form. “GIC does not agree with RMC’s argument that information sought by the RTI applicant has not taken the record form. There must be information generated at the civic body and should be given to applicant within 15 days,’’ R R Varsani, information commissioner said. Rajkot resident Devendrasinh Jadeja had filed an RTI application on February 13, 2015, with RMC seeking information about the inspection report prepared after appointment of consultant for landfill site and construction of landfill infrastructure facility at Nakrawadi near Rajkot.

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Bangkok most popular travel destination; five Indian cities in the list too Bangkok: A study by global payments and technology company Mastercard showed, the Thai capital received about 21.47 million international overnight visitors in 2016, just ahead of secondranked London. Among the 132 cities considered for the index, 42 cities were from Asia-Pacific region, 36 from Europe, 19 cities from Latin America, 14 cities from North America and 21 cities from the Middle Eastern region.

Five Indian cities — Mumbai (ranked at 27), Chennai (30), Delhi (48), Kolkata (62) along with Pune (91) — have made it to the top 100 destination cities for 2016, while Bangkok has emerged as the leading destination city in terms of international overnight visitor arrivals.

Bangkok, the port city, is a perfect assemblage of historical and modern tours. From luxurious malls to dynamic floating market, the city offers contrasting

variety to visitors. Located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, it hosts many historical temples and palaces. No trip to Bangkok is complete without a visit to The Grand Palace and Wat Prakaew, which enshrines Phra Kaew Morakot –the Emerald Buddha, curved out of a single stone. And then there’s the famous Thai cuisine and hospitality which makes for a wholesome experience. “It isn’t a flash in the pan. Bangkok is in a strong position to be the top destination city for a long time,” says Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Mastercard chief economist. “There’s the value for money, especially for visitors coming from high-income countries.”

Elsewhere in Asia, the Japanese city of Osaka has shown the strongest growth in international visitors over the past seven years, attracting tourists from neighbouring countries, particularly China and South Korea, said Mastercard.

Arsenic contamination in water alarming in Kolkata Among The 144 wards under Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), 100 have significantly higher arsenic contamination in water than the limits deemed safe by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The arsenic contamination threat in Kolkata has changed alarmingly since 2009, said a study published in the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Journal off September. “It is clear that the groundwater arsenic contamination of Kolkata has changed drastically since 2009. The wards under arsenic contamination threat have increased in number, and the situation in most parts of Kolkata has become seriously alarming,”.

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20 States rewarded for promoting AMRUT Delhi: 19 States and the Union Territory of Chandigarh were rewarded with performance incentive for promoting urban reforms under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) during 2015-16. While Tamil Nadu topped the list of performing States, Chandigarh headed the list of Union Territories. Minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu felicitated the lead performers with mementoes and cheques during INDOSAN Conference in New Delhi. He said that the focus of reforms during 2015-16 was on e-governance, Double Entry Accounting, collection of user charges and municipal taxes, water and energy audit, single window clearances and the focus of reforms during 201617 is online building permissions in all the 53 million plus cities, replacement of old water pumpsets with energy efficient ones, reuse of treated water and urban flooding mitigation planning. 400 cr was earmarked for reform incentive during 2015-16. 23 States/UTs applied to the Ministry of Urban Development.

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PM, CMs sign Declaration of Commitment to achieve Swachh Bharat by 2019 ♦♦ ♦♦ ♦♦ ♦♦

Swachh Bharat movement the largest ever mass mobilization in the country, says Venkaiah Naidu After a slow start, Swachh Bharat Mission picked up momentum and is on course-Minister 405 cities, 20000 urban wards become Open Defecation Free 11 institutions felicitated with Best Swachh Awards

PM awarded Gangtok for being the Cleanest Tourism Destination in India

New Delhi: Top leadership of the country including the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and Ministers from States and Union Territories signed a Declaration of Commitment to make India Open Defecation Free and Clean by 2019. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chattisgarh, Goa, Haryana, Maharashtra and Goa besides Ministers from States and UTs signed the Declaration during the INDOSAN (India Sanitation Conference). Other elected representatives from rural and urban local bodies, District Collectors and Municipal Commissioners also signed a similar Declaration.

A two day exhibition showcasing a wide range of sanitation technologies was organized as a part of the Swachh Bharat Week for the benefit of the people. About 30 technological

equipments applicable to different components of sanitation chain were on show for the two days. These included Smart Public Toilet models, waterless urinals with microbiological cleaning systems, low cost portable toilet blocks, public toilets with bio-digester, twin pit toilets with onsite compost making, small size sewage treatment units for use at community level, sanitary napkin vending machines, underground bins, rickshaw for direct unloading of garbage in large bins, CNG sweeping machines, mechanical suction sweepers, organic waste convertors for compost making, food waste composter, house level compost makers and cleaning machines.

Addressing the inaugural session of INDOSAN, Minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu said ‘’Largest ever mass mobilization has taken place under Swachh Bharat

Mission. With people leading the India Sanitation Alliance, cleanliness in rural and urban areas has been mainstreamed with political leadership at various levels for the first time. 21st century India has to get free from illiteracy and literate people who throw litter in the open”. Naidu said “Mood of Developing India” (MODI) over the last two years has been for a Clean India and after a slow start, Swachh Bharat Mission has gained momentum over the last one year with good progress in implementation in both rural and urban areas.

The Minister informed that as on date 405 cities and towns have come to be Open Defecation Free and 739 would become ODF by March next year. 24 lakh individual household toilets have so far been built in urban areas and another 19 lakhs are under construction.

11 institutions and organisations have been felicitated by the Prime Minister for significant work to ensure cleanliness. These were: Chandigarh and Mysuru (Clean Cities in million plus population category), Gangtok (Cleanest Tourism Destination), Pune Municipal Corporation and SWaCH Cooperative Society (Best in Solid Waste Management), Rani Ki Vav, Patan, Gujarat (Cleanest Cultural Heritage Site), Surat Railway Station (Cleanest Station), Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research & Education, Chandigarh (Cleanest Hospital), Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh (ODF and Cleanest District in hilly areas), Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra (ODF and Cleanest District in plain areas) and National Cadet Corps, NCC(Exemplary nationwide cleanliness activities).

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Guwahati to get a facelift The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is revising the city master plan. With the revision of the master plan that would be finalised in the next three to four months, not only will the stagnant real estate market of Guwahati Metropolitan Region (GMR) be rejuvenated but the area would also have an extended boundary. The present Guwahati Metropolitan Region (GMR) that presently covers 328 sq km will be increased to 3,471 sq km post revision of master plan 2025. New inclusion in the GMR would be nearby districts of Morigaon, Darang, Nalbari and the entire Kamrup district. Under the land pooling policy, GMDA would be developing the private party’s land completely. This would include development of low cost housing in the area and taking care of all other civil issues.

GHMC invites bid to build toilet infra The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has invited private operators to partner with them, through Build, operate and Transfer (BOT) basis to build new toilet infrastructure in the city. Toilets are being designed with separate entrances for men, women and ramps for physically challenged, keeping the maintenance standards in mind. In this connection, GHMC commissioner B Janardhan Reddy sought the support of private operators and also requested them to take up providing public toilets. In the first phase, GHMC invited proposals for establishing new toilets at 25 locations, which have been found suitable for public usage as well as feasibility of use and pay services.

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Railway stations, surrounding areas to be redeveloped New Delhi: In a major initiative, railway stations and adjoining areas will be redeveloped on Smart City lines for enhancing passenger amenities, easy access to stations, enabling optimal utilization of land at railway stations, as a part of Smart City development. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard by the Ministries of Urban Development and Railways in the presence of M Venkaiah Naidu and Suresh Prabhu. Dr Sameer Sharma, Mission Director, Smart City Mission and Rajiv Chaudhary, Advisor, Ministry of Railways signed the MoU. Both the Ministers lauded the joint initiative as a historic landmark that brings synergy in development of smart cities since there can’t be a smart city without a smart railway station. Venkaiah Naidu said on the occasion that this convergence based city development will result in qualitative improvement in city life. He suggested involvement of local people in redevelopment plans.

Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu said that railway stations have been

the core of city development and have become congested over time and their redevelopment offers immense opportunities for changing city landscape.

MoU states that ‘Both railway station redevelopment and Smart City concepts are part of holistic development of respective city. Redevelopment of railway station and its suburbs as part of Smart City Plans leads to an integrated public transport hub around railway station and encourage Transit Oriented Development.” The validity of the MoU is five years to begin with and can be extended with the consent of both the Ministries. Smart City Plans of some cities have already included area based development surrounding railway stations. These include; Bhubaneswar, Thane and Solapur (Maharashtra), Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Hubli-Dharwad (Karnataka).

Smart City Plans of some other cities may potentially impact city railway station and allied services. These include Jaipur, Kochi, Jabalpur, Visakhapatnam, Indore, Pune, Bhopal, Chennai.

London mayor says terror attacks part of city life London: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said he believes the threat of terror attacks are “part and parcel of living in a big city” and encouraged Londoners to be vigilant to combat dangers.

The Mayor of London revealed he had a “sleepless night” after the recent bombing in New York, and said major cities around the world “have got to be prepared for these sorts of things” to happen when people least expect them.

“That means being vigilant, having a police force that is in touch with communities, it means the security services being ready, but it also means exchanging ideas and best practice”, Khan told the media persons shortly before a meeting with New York mayor Bill de Blasio. Khan was elected as Mayor in May and quickly appointed former Met Police Authority chair Lord Harris to review London’s terrorist attack response, in particular how the capital would cope in the event of multiple attacks taking place simultaneously. “Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe,” Khan said at the time. “I want to be reassured that every single agency and individual involved in protecting our city has the resources and expertise they need to respond in the event that London is attacked.”

“The terrorists are evolving their tactics and we have got to evolve our response to them all the time. I am afraid the consequences of a terror attack are very very scary.

They want to kill. They want to maim and terrify. It is my job to try to make sure that we are as safe as we can be.”

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‘Changes to city design can have ‘significant’ impact on health’

New Delhi: Case studies in major cities across the world including London, Boston and New Delhi suggest that changes to city design and transport can have “significant” impact on health including reductions in noncommunicable diseases which India is presently reeling under.

A new Series, published in ‘The Lancet’ quantifies the health gains that could be achieved if cities incentivised a shift from private car use to cycling and walking and promoted a compact city model.

“These changes could achieve significant reductions in noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as increasing physical activity and reducing pollution. “Importantly, in cities with high levels of private car use such as Melbourne, London and Boston, promoting walking and cycling must be matched by improvements to infrastructure that separate motorised transport to protect cyclists and pedestrians from road injuries,” the authors said.

The new series on urban design, transport and health was led by the University of Melbourne (Australia) and the University of California, San Diego (USA). The study said that over half of

the world’s population lives in cities and rapid urbanisation is only expected to increase in the coming years. “By 2050, large cities in the USA, China and India are predicted to see their populations increase by 33 per cent, 38 per cent and 96 per cent respectively. Population growth in cities means increasing demands on transport systems,” it said.

It said that private car use has increased dramatically in Brazil, China and India leading to declines in physical activity, increases in air pollution and increased rates of road death and serious injury, all of which combine to increase overall levels of chronic disease and injury.

Series lead Professor Mark Stevenson of University of Melbourne designed a ‘compact cities model’ where land-use density was increased by 30 per cent, average distance to public transport reduced by 30 per cent and diversity of land-use increased by 30 per cent.

The model was applied to six cities - Melbourne, London, Boston, Sao Paulo, Copenhagen and Delhi. Health gains were predicted in all cities with the greatest effect on reducing rates of cardiovascular disease while all cities saw increases in physical activity and reductions in air pollution from transport emissions.

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Mumbai to have taller buildings around Metro corridors A proposal to provide more buildable space to construction firms developing properties around Mumbai’s transit corridors has been put on the table. Even as the civic body’s new development plan (DP) for the commercial capital had rejected the higher FSI model, the government has sanctioned additional floor space index (FSI) for development of properties within 500 metres of the proposed Metro rail corridors. The higher FSI around Metro transit corridors was one of the many approvals the cabinet approved. Under the chief minister, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority — the nodal agency for the Metro projects — had originally demanded higher FSI close to Metro corridors for raising monetary resources to fund the projects.

Madras HC bats for councillors’ participation in local bodies Disqualification of councillors is contemplated only if they fail to attend council meetings for three consecutive months, the Madras High Court said even as it stressed on the need for active participation of elected representatives in meetings of local bodies.

Disposing of a PIL, the court said non-participation in meetings of local bodies did affect local governance.

Petitioner S Parthiban sought a direction to the Chennai Corporation to take appropriate action under the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919 against errant councillors.

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World Sustainable Development Summit

Identify areas of cooperation to implement Paris commitments Kumar Dhananjay | Consulting Editor | kd.urbanupdate@gmail.com

New Delhi: India Habitat Centre in Delhi was the scene of hectic activity from October 5th to 8th. The occasion was World Sustainable Development Summit jointly organized by TERI and the European Union. Over the four days a number of panel discussions, workshops and seminars were held to understand the impact of climate change, sustainable development goals, issue of water for all and resource efficiency.

On the sidelines of the summit, an exhibition ‘Greenovation’ was also organized focusing on renewable energy, waste management, sustainable buildings, water management, energy efficiency and sustainable transport to create a platform to exhibit to the commercial establishments, the benefits of adopting smart and innovative technology for the creation of a sustainable revolution.

What is significant is that the summit was held in the backdrop of the recently concluded historic Paris climate deal which marked a critical turning point

20 October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

in the fight against Climate Change. A publication by the organisers said “we have moved beyond the ideological debates about which countries should bear the burden of Climate Change.

We have moved towards cooperative solutions and collective effort. There is a binding long-term operational goal of keeping the global temperature increase ‘well below’ 2 degree Celsius.“ India’s role as a key player was recognized with regard to global climate action. With a population of more than one billion India faces tough challenges of sustainable food supply, adequate infrastructure, management of water and other natural resources and energy security. India has already committed to strong mitigation efforts to reduce its GDP intensity of emission by 3335 per cent by 2030 from 2005 level.

Dr Ritu Mathur of TERI says ”we are now moving in the direction of closer connect. That we can have both with the SDGs and development trajectory that countries are looking at in terms of mitigation. With INDC we need to look

for synergy so that we can do things together and share the benefits both in terms of SDGs and climate.”

India has become an important partner of the European Union in pursuing effective efforts at the international level to meet the challenges of Climate Change.

Between 1990 and 2014 EU emissions fell by 23 percent but it has committed to do more on emission front. It plans to reduce its emission to at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.

It is for this reason that India and EU agreed upon EU –India Clean Energy Climate Partnership that aims to facilitate cooperation to address the challenge of Climate Change with active involvement of EU member states and businesses. Henrietta Faergermann part of the EU Delegation to India said at a panel discussion “our two democracies have again managed to work together and jointly we have forced the Paris deal to come into effect.

And when we meet in the United States its going to be a good time to start the implementation”.

The objective of the climate partnership is to ‘identify areas of cooperation to implement Paris commitments, including policies, solutions and financing’. Agrees Dr. Ritu Mathur and says there are many elements of the help one talks about.

First is the area of learning because there are many platforms and think tanks and institutions and those connects can be built further. With regard to technology and policies there are many bi-laterals and shared forums”.

But one area of concern remains and that is finance. That’s a big thing.

How can finance be stepped up? This is a gap area where things have not moved much. How the foreign direct investment comes in or by way of larger contribution. Also the concern is how the global business will factor itself in this fight against Climate Change.

It’s a matter of concern for global negotiation. And if this effort has to succeed more intense negotiations are required globally.

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Amritsar tops the list of 27 new smart cities ♦♦ Pilgrim and tourisms cities Ujjain, Tirupati, Agra, Nashik, Madurai, Thanjavur, Ajmer, Varanasi selected ♦♦ Naidu says smart city mission on course towards urban renaissance ♦♦ Smart City Mission implementation now spread over 27 States/UTs ♦♦ Rs 1,44,742 cr smart city investment proposed by 60 cities selected so far DELHI: The Golden Temple city of Amritsar topped the list of 27 new smart cities announced by the Minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu.

Eight other cities of pilgrim and tourism importance that made to the third list of smart cities are; Ujjain, Tirupati, Agra, Nashik, Madurai, Thanjavur, Ajmer and Varanasi. With this the number of cities selected under Smart City Mission for financing implementation of smart city plans has gone up to 60.

Announcing the cities that were selected in a competition among 63 cities, Naidu said “The willingness and enthusiasm among cities to participate in more than one round of competition is a clear evidence of the urban renaissance set in motion. Competition bases selection has made the cities rediscover themselves as they are undertaking a thorough assessment of gaps in the present levels of infrastructure and service delivery and come out with comprehensive, credible and actionable plans for area based development and technology based Pan-city solutions” The Minister informed that the new 27 smart cities have proposed an

investment of Rs 66,883 cr under smart city plans including Rs 42,524 cr under Area Based Development and another Rs 11,379 cr for technology based Pancity solutions that benefit all the citizens of respective cities. With this, the total investment proposed by the 60 cities selected so far has gone up to Rs 1,44,742 cr, he said.

The 27 smart cities announced today are from 12 States including five from Maharashtra, four each from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, three from Uttar Pradesh and two each from Punjab and Rajasthan.

Nagaland and Sikkim have made it to the smart city list for the first time.

Implementation of smart city plans is now spread over 27 States and UTs, said Venkaiah Naidu. Nine states/UTs still to enter implementation phase are; Uttarakhand, J & K, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli. Stating that Smart City Mission is running ahead of schedule, Naidu informed that the next round of competition to select the remaining 40 cities would begin in January next year.

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G Padmavathi is Bengaluru’s new Mayor The BBMP council elected its 50th Mayor and Deputy Mayor on September 28, 2016.

G Padmavathi (56), Congress corporator from Prakash Nagar ward was elected as the Mayor of Bengaluru and JD(S) corporator M Anand (53) from Radhakrishna Temple ward was unanimously elected as the Deputy Mayor. With it, the Congress and JD(S) coalition continues to rule the BBMP for one more year. In the backdrop of coalition of the two parties that continued in this election, it was quite clear that the BJP had little role to play in the election.

Kamrup-M wants construction permit ban in Nilachal Hills Kamrup (Metro) district administration has instructed the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) to not grant permission for construction of buildings around the Kamakhya Temple in Nilachal Hills. The order came after several complaints of increasing construction in the hills over the years.

“Unscientific construction and activities like cutting trees are taking place indiscriminately in the Nilachal Hills. This has led to more frequent landslides and has affected the natural flow of water in the hills. Keeping that in mind, the GMDA and the GMC have been instructed not to grant permission for the construction of buildings or any kind of boundary wall or guard wall in the Nilachal Hills,” deputy commissioner M Angamuthu, who is also the chairman of the district disaster management authority, said.

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COVER STORY | Swachh Bharat

COVER STORY | Swachh Bharat

22 October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

T

Abhishek Pandey | Editor ap.urbanupdate@gmail.com

he 147th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi this year marked the second anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission launched

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the ramparts of the Red Fort in 2014. The mission objectives are not something new but the approach and focus of the flagship mission is much more vigorous than any similar programs started by the Government of India earlier. This is the first time Indian leadership has given due impetus and vigorous attention to cleanliness and sanitation drive. The scale and targets under the mission are larger than ever. The mission sets the target of making India open defecation

free, eliminating manual scavenging, achieving 100 per cent waste collection in all municipalities and attitudinal change among masses before the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

The relevant question is: can India achieve it within time? Two years have already gone but the annual targets set under the mission have missed deadlines in many states.

Are SBM targets slipping?

One of the key promises made under Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) was to make India open defecation free (ODF) by 2019, by constructing toilets for 1.04 crore households, apart from 250,000 community toilets and 260,000 public toilets.

Not a low hanging fruit to pluck Swachh Bharat Mission faces a host of challenges in achieving its targets. The standards of cleanliness and spruceness are hazy among Indians. The governments, central, state and local, not just need massive investment in building infrastructure and capacity building but are also required to make people aware not to litter and to adopt sustainable lifestyle. This is also the appropriate time to step up on the standards of cleanliness and sanitation

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COVER STORY | Swachh Bharat

We must not tolerate the indignity of homes without toilets and public spaces littered with garbage. For ensuring hygiene, waste management and sanitation across the nation, a “Swachh Bharat Mission” will be launched. This will be our tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary to be celebrated in the year 2019 Pranab Mukherjee President of India The reality on the ground however paints a dismal picture and underlines that the government lags behind in meeting its target, particularly in rural India. As per Census 2011, 113 million rural households in India are without toilets. According to an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment, 82.3 million (or 823 lakh) toilets are yet to be constructed across India

by October 2, 2019. This means the country needs to build 2.3 million (23 lakh) toilets every month – or a formidable 56 toilets every minute – to meet the target.

Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE, pointed out, “Our experience and our work in air pollution bears out that change happens when we make a connection to people’s health. And the issue needs to be handled differently for rural and urban areas. While in the urban milieu toilets have to be linked with disposal and treatment systems, in rural areas the priorities should be to address the issue in the context of poverty, behavioural change by linking it with health, water availability, toilet design and waste disposal.”

However, the government claims that they are progressing at good speed and will meet the target in time. A media statement released by the Ministry of Urban Development says, “During the two years of Swachh Bharat Mission, 22,97,389 individual household toilets have so far been constructed in urban

24 October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

areas of the country as against the five year mission target of 66,42,221 such toilets to be built by 2019. With 35 per cent of mission target being met in two years i.e. 40 per cent of the mission duration, construction of toilets meant for ending Open Defecation in urban areas is broadly on course.

“405 cities and towns have so far claimed to have become Open Defecation Free along with 20,000 of the 82,000 urban wards in the country.

Another 334 cities and towns would become ODF by March next year.”

Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have declared all cities and towns in their respective states as Open Defecation Free (ODF).A few districts including Porbandar have also been declared ODF on the 147th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi celebrated recently.

On the occasion, M Venkaiah Naidu said “Declaration of Porbandar district and other areas as Open Defecation Free today is an interim gift to Mahatma on the occasion of his birth anniversary today and the final gift of Swachh Bharat would be presented to Gandhiji on the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary on October 2, 2019.

The Mood of Developing India (MODI) being strongly for sanitation, Swachh Bharat Mission is becoming a people’s movement and Swachh Bharat will be realized with people leading the grand India Sanitation Alliance of all stakeholders”.

Another problem being faced at local level includes traditional approach towards sanitation in communities.

In many states the institutional structures for sanitation are not yet in place. Many of them are grappling with the shortage of human resources required to motivate people and bring about change at community level.

Governments have made efforts to mobilize the army of foot soldiers that includes volunteers, school and college going students, non-government organisations, government employees and public representatives and many others for the cause. The objective is to inform and educate where knowledge of the importance of sanitation is missing or where inculcating new habits requires persistent reasoning, triggering and persuasion.

The mission has been divided in two sub categories—Swachh Bharat

SBM Objectives ♦♦ ♦♦ ♦♦ ♦♦ ♦♦

Elimination of open defecation Eradication of Manual Scavenging Modern and Scientific Municipal Solid Waste Management To effect behavioral change regarding healthy sanitation practices Generate awareness about sanitation and its linkage with public health ♦♦ Capacity Augmentation for ULB’s ♦♦ To create an enabling environment for private sector participation in Capex (capital expenditure) and Opex (operation and maintenance)

Deadline

Mission (Gramin) and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). These programs will be implemented, monitored and supervised by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, and Ministry of Urban Development respectively. The government has put in 62,000 cr for the mission and also introduced a new levy called the Swachh Bharat cess to pay for Swachh Bharat Mission. The cess, a form of service tax, came into effect on November 15, 2015. According to the Revenue Secretary’s estimates, the cess will mop up Rs 10,000 crore in a financial year. However, experts have raised concerns as there is no clarity on how the money generated through the cess will be utilized. Section 119 of the Finance Act 2015, under which it has been levied, says the cess is meant to finance and promote Clean India initiatives or “for any other purpose relating thereto”. This broad phrasing is just one of the questionable things about the Swachh Bharat cess.

Public engagement

The NDA government has been trying to engage celebrities, ministers, leaders from all political parties and people

at large to ensure mass movement for cleanliness. When Prime Minister announced the programme he had nominated a few famous persons to take up the cause of cleaning India and asked them to nominate people further in their social group to turn SBM into a mass movement. However, media reports suggest that cleaning streets had become a photo op for many who want to be in good books of their political maestro. The initiative was criticized but it had brought cleanliness among the topics of discussions in social circle.

Rallies, shramadan, village and ward level meetings became regular affairs in many rural and urban areas across the county for further sensitizing the people about cleanliness. Many corporate and government departments started taking initiatives to ensure cleanliness in their office premises or work areas.

The government had also launched a Short Film competition on which it called for entries from film makers to make short films on sanitation in English, Hindi or any other official language. The goal was to encourage participative approach for Clean India. The Ministry of Information

Components ♦♦ Household toilets, including conversion of insanitary latrines into pour-flush latrines; ♦♦ Community toilets ♦♦ Public toilets ♦♦ Solid waste management ♦♦ IEC & Public Awareness ♦♦ Capacity building and Administrative & Office Expenses (A&OE)

October 2, 2019

Our experience and our work in air pollution bears out that change happens when we make a connection to people’s health. And the issue needs to be handled differently for rural and urban areas. While in the urban milieu toilets have to be linked with disposal and treatment systems, in rural areas the priorities should be to address the issue in the context of poverty, behavioural change by linking it with health, water availability, toilet design and waste disposal Sunita Narain Director General, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)

& Broadcasting invited entries of inspiring stories that can help generate awareness among citizens about sanitation and its linkages with public health. The competition aimed to generate such awareness by involving people from different backgrounds, different regions and from different age groups. The length of the film entries was restricted to three minutes. Young filmmaker Katyayan Shivpuri from Maharashtra won the first prize for his work Murga. The short film promoting the idea of clean India had Murga as the metaphor depicting the victims that citizens have made of themselves and of the children by not keeping the surroundings clean.

After all these movements and initiatives, the major challenge is to sustain these efforts to achieve targets and move on to advanced stages of handling waste and maintaining cleanliness. India needs to step on its standards of cleanliness and sanitation to ensure healthy environment to its people.

Follow the writer on Twitter @abhishekpandey

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

25

Leaderspeak | Community Engagement

Ranjit S Chavan President, AIILSG

Corporates, civil society to play decisive role in achieving complete sanitation Swachh Bharat Mission not just targets to make India spik and span by the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi but also aims to provide healthy environment and dignified life to its future generations.

The nation along with the government seems committed and is closer than ever to realizing the dream of clean India. All sections of society must stand up and make all possible efforts to build the nation as envisaged by the Father of the Nation

I

ndia is the second largest populated country and produces over 1.3 lakh tons of waste everyday and most of it, untreated, ends up back in the environment spoiling the land we live on and the water we drink.

Open defecation is one big challenge and treatment of human waste is another.

Building toilets is of paramount importance to ensure accessibility for all but making people use them and moreover, inculcating a habit of using toilets, especially in villages, remains the biggest hurdle.

Communities and SBM

India has hundreds of thousands of social and nongovernment organizations working with a vast range of communities and groups

26 October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

of people. When the Prime Minister launched the mission, he invited every section of society to take part in this cleaning India mission.

It is important because of the complexity of issues involved in the mission. India cannot attain compete sanitation by just building toilets in every nook and corner or installing dustbins everywhere. Lack of basic infrastructure is just one aspect of the problem. Cultural practices and societal habits are deep rooted and cannot be changed by swaying some magic wand. It will require proactive participation from all members of society— young, old, students, children, scientists, media, working class, businessmen, shopkeepers, street vendors and almost every one out on the street in our cities and villages.

Community groups and civil society organizations can work as bridges between the targeted groups of people and the government, and can pave a smooth path for the implementation of the projects related to the sanitation mission. All India Institute of Local SelfGovernment (AIILSG) is also encouraging its students to participate in the noble cause through awareness drives and workshops.

Civil Society Organizations can become catalysts in spreading the reach of the Swachh Bharat Mission in many ways. They can take up the task of educating the people in villages, towns and cities about keeping their surroundings clean through their armies of volunteers.

During the initial phase of the mission, Union Health Minister JP Nadda called for

greater role of nongovernment organizations in health institutions. He had advised health officials that health institutions should invite people, NGOs, voluntary organizations and others to participate in this endeavour and share the responsibility for cleanliness of the health facilities. Similar efforts can be made in other institutions as well.

Apart from making people aware, the social groups and communities can also provide necessary innovation and skilled work force required for achieving the objectives under the mission. There are several organizations at national and international level which have already executed similar programs successfully. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is working with governments in finding innovative technologies to build efficient toilets. The foundation holds an annual competition for encouraging individuals to come up with their innovative solutions in sanitation domain. In many states across India, the foundation has partnered with governments to tackle critical challenges related to sanitation and health that affect millions of Indians.

Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, recently said, “In India, there is no better moment to ask these vital “What if” questions,

and deploy our collective will and expertise to change our collective reality. And, while our country faces significant challenges, they are solvable ones. Our leaders are committed to solving them and are taking decisive steps to do so, aided by some of the sharpest minds in medicine, engineering, the social sciences, information and communications technology, education, and research.”

Role of corporate world

The government has provided a space to corporate sector for playing a constructive role in Swachh Bharat Mission and announced that corporate spending in the mission will be considered as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity. Soon after the launch of SBM, Government of India created Swachh Bharat Kosh to receive donations from individuals and philanthropists interested in contributing to efforts to achieve the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission.

Individuals and corporate can donate funds for the mission on www.sbkosh.gov.in.

The Kosh has been set up to facilitate channelization of philanthropic contributions and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds towards the cause.

According to the government notification, the Kosh will be used for improving cleanliness

levels in rural and urban areas, including in schools.

It may also be enabled to bring out innovative/unique projects and girl toilets will be the priority area to start with.

The government has created similar entity for Clean Ganga. The contributions by the corporate, individuals and social organizations is not encouraging till today as only Rs 445 cr has been donated to the corpus till August this year. The Kosh could add only Rs 100 cr since last October. An RTI filed by a business daily revealed that the top donors to the fund have also not changed much in the last one year. Mata Amritanandamayi Math, with a contribution of Rs 100 cr, continues to be the largest donor to the fund, followed

by Larsen & Toubro (Rs 60 cr) and Rural Electrification Corporation (Rs 25 cr).

Similarly, the data prepared by the Corporate Affairs ministry has shown that among all projects of the NDA government, Swachh Bharat and Clean Ganga programmes have received least amount of funding from private companies in the year 2014-15. Altogether, these two projects have got not even 1 per cent of the total spending. While Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has got a meager 0.68 per cent of total spending, Clean Ganga Mission has got only 0.25 per cent.

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

27

Numerographs

facts & figures Cleanliness must begin at home then spread to neighborhood and then become a community movement.

But data shows that we are abysmally lagging behind on all three parameters which is killing thousands every year. A right strategy needs to be put in place along with execution and purpose to achieve the desired

Waste to Compost Production (Metric Ton) for September 2016

100% Door to Door Waste Collection Wards Achieved

Total Waste to Compost Production for the year 2016 (Metric Tons) 1,27,508.7

Total Wards 82,609

14,690.5

39,929

Open Defecation free No. of cities

Current Waste to Energy Production (Mega Watts)

Target for Year 2016-17 739

Planned Waste to Energy Production (Mega Watts) 493.7 (2016-17)

405

88.4

Swachh Survekshan 2016, United Nations, WHO, Ministry of Urban Development

28 October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

Individual Toilets

Community Toilets

Public Toilets

100% Door to Door Waste Collection

25,79,771

80,554

23,760

39,929

Constructions Achieved

Constructions Achieved

Constructions Achieved

39%

32%

9%

48%

66,42,221

2,51,829

2,55,760

82,609

Mission Target

Mission Target

Mission Target

Mission Target

1.8 billion 2.4 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that is fecally contaminated

Nearly

people lack access to basic sanitation services, such as toilets

1000

children die, each day, due to preventable water and sanitation-related diarrhoeal diseases

Approximately

More than

Wards Achieved

80 %

of wastewater resulting from human activities is discharged into rivers or sea without any pollution removal

7.90 million

households do not have access to toilets. A figure thrown up by Census 2011

Cleanest cities in India City

Score

Mysuru Chandigarh Tiruchirappalli Delhi - NDMC Visakhapatnam Surat Rajkot Gangtok Pimpri Chinchwad Greater Mumbai

1749 1716 1715 1704 1643 1605 1574 1565 1559 1534

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

29

Article | Namami Gange

Ganga needs

modern Saviour

30 October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

Government is spending thousands of crores to clean Ganga but is it yielding results? A survey of five crucial places shows that there is a lot to be done. More scientific voices need to be heard if the effort has to succeed

Kumar Dhananjay Consulting Editor kd.urbanupdate@gmail.com

N

amami Gange is one of the most ambitious programs launched by the Modi government.

The project is also known as Integrated Ganga conservation project. The government made its seriousness clear with the budgetary allocation of over Rs 20,000 cr to clean up Ganga in its maiden budget over a period of five years. Rs 2037 cr was marked for its first phase.

According to the government official website ‘this project aims at Ganga Rejuvenation by combining the existing ongoing efforts under it to create a concrete action plan for future Ganga Basin is the largest river basin in India in terms of catchment area which is spread over 11 states that constitutes 26% of the country’s land mass and supports about 43% of its population. Though the Water Resources Ministry is the nodal agency, several other ministries are working in close tandem on this project. The government website also claims ‘to set river centric urban planning process to facilitate better citizen connects, through interventions at Ghats and River fronts’. The components of the project include expansion of coverage of sewerage infrastructure in 118 urban habitations on the banks of Ganga, enforcement of Ganga specific

River Regulatory Zones, development of rational agricultural practices & efficient irrigation methods and setting up of Ganga Knowledge Centre.

Pollution management of the river water will be done through treatment of waste water in drains by applying bio-remediation method among other methods. PPP approach will be adopted for pollution control. Introduction of 4-battalion of Territorial Army ‘Ganga Eco-Task Force’ has also been done.

The government launched the first phase of the project with much fanfare from Haridwar with four union ministers present at the venue along with Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat. Three hundred projects were launched simultaneously including those of STP installations aiming to clean the river and ensure its unrestricted flow.

“It is a historic moment… for the first time the river is being cleaned with wholesomeness. We will show phase I of Ganga cleaning in October 2016, while the second phase will be completed two years later,” water resource minister Uma Bharti had told reporters in New Delhi.

The entry-level project activities included ghat and crematoria construction/repair, river front beautification and installation and repair of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in all five basin states of Ganga.

The project was launched more than two years after the government came to power but the government denies any delay in the launch. Transport Minister Gadkari said it is “satisfactory” that the government is going to begin the work.

He also said that the projects are being executed after conducting detailed scientific study and “best of the world” technologies will be used to arrest the river pollution.

On the issue of tanneries, sugar mills,

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

31

Article | Namami Gange

Ganga is lifeline of India Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, Founder of Ganga Action Parivar and Co-Founder of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance speaks to Urban Update and briefs about the problems of cleaning Ganga and possible solutions

You have been associated with Namami Gange project closely. What is the status of the first phase? Has it taken off?

The first phase has definitely started.

I strongly believe, and often remind people, that failing to plan is planning to fail. Hence, before taking off any large-scale project of the scale of Namami Gange, one must make sure that the lessons from the past have been learnt and that the new plans are formed and executed based on sound data and expert intervention and this is definitely happening.

However, I also believe that it is not enough to make plans at the level of the government- the grand plansimultaneously we must work on the ground plan. We must all get involved and contribute individually and collectively, only then can the River Ganga truly flow aviral and nirmal again.

I often say, “Ganga belongs to all.

Ganga is not only a river. Ganga hamara

32 October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

vishwas, hamari aastha hai. Ganga hamari sanskriti aur hamara sanskar ka pratik hai. Ganga is the very essence, the very lifeline of India. We all have to work together and serve together to attain this mission. Because, if Ganga dies then India dies, if Ganga thrives then only can India truly thrive.”

There is a general concern that what was promised in July namely that results will start showing in October 2016 may not happen as at many places work of first phase has not even started.

I am very hopeful that under the great leadership, vision and commitment of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Respected Shri Narendra Modiji, a man of action, innovation and implementation, things may seem to be taking longer but definitely a lot is happening. The success of this action will be seen very soon and that success will not be the success of any one person but of the nation. Individually

we are all doing great but oneness and togetherness is the key to success of this mission to ensure an aviral and nirmal National River for all.

There are reports that in Rishikesh orders of National Green Tribunal are being openly flouted. Beach camps are being organised at the banks of Ganga, illegal construction is taking place within 200 metres of Ganga. All this is happening but administration is sleeping.

Under the guidelines of NGT, in Rishikesh, many things have been controlled on the banks of Ganga.

The beach camps are being monitored under the guidelines of NGT as well.

However, it is also true that for things to truly change we have to change our behaviour, mindsets and habits and that takes time. Not only the administration but the disciplined behaviour of the people will help respect vital legislation. Because this is not one government or one person’s project but cleaning, protecting and preserving the River Ganga is for everyone and must be undertaken with everyone.

How hopeful are you that this project is going to be successful and targets will be met?

As I mentioned that cleaning and protecting Ganga is not one person’s or one government’s job, it can never be as we have seen in the past with the Ganga Action Plans. Protecting our National River must be a collective movement, a people’s movement, a jan andolan. This is the mission for which we had started the Ganga Action Parivar, a global

It is time that Meditation and Sanitation must come together, it is not enough to worship the Creator but we must serve the Creator in all of creation. Hanuman Chalisa Ke Saath Saath Hume Safai Chalisa Bhi Shuru Karna Hoga. Let the message of the Masjid and/or Mosque go out to the masses, Aao Namaz Ko Samaj Se Joden Aur Ek Nayi Disha De Parivartan Ki.”

family of saints, scientists, scholars, professionals, experts, students and volunteers that are dedicated to serving together as one family to ensure a free-flowing and unpolluted River Ganga and her tributaries.

I often share that officials and administration can pass effective acts and bills but people’s actions can be changed by our faith leaders and dharma gurus. Hence, I also founded the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance-India with this vision to bring all the faiths together to protect and preserve water and work for improved sanitation and hygiene.

Just as the government has come up with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), we have thought why should there not also be Religious Social Responsibility (RSR). Faith Leaders are important and vital change agents in this country and to bring them together on one platform for a cause that effects us all across the board, regardless of our caste, colour, creed, race, religion, clean water and sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is vital to every human being, so it is not only our RSR but Human Social Responsibility (HSR) to join together for improved WASH. This is why I often share, “It is time that Meditation and Sanitation must come together, it is not enough to worship the Creator but we must serve the Creator in all of creation.

Hanuman Chalisa Ke Saath Saath Hume Safai Chalisa Bhi Shuru Karna Hoga. Let the message of the Masjid and/or Mosque go out to the masses, Aao Namaz Ko Samaj Se Joden Aur Ek Nayi Disha De Parivartan Ki.” I also encourage my Media brothers and sisters that Media Social Responsibility (MSR) has a pivotal role in transforming the society. I think you have the power to bring so much light and to catalyze positive change. You can not only give people information but bring so much inspiration by sharing all the great initiatives, projects and steps that our government, organisations and individuals are doing to bring about this change.

distilleries and other industrial units in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur adding to pollution level in the river, Government has maintained that it has studied the problem and drafted detailed project reports (DPR) in its bid to tackle the same.

But the ground reports from the key centres are not encouraging so far.

Apart from official meetings nothing appears to have moved on the ground as yet. Centres like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi have not seen any activities. In fact a report from Rishikesh suggests that it has not taken off at all and flouting all rules and laws of national green tribunal, beach camps are being organized on the banks of the Ganga and allied rivers. Illegal construction is taking place within two hundred metres of the banks.

Hotel and resort owners are drawing water from the river directly and the administration is not acting on it.

The situation is similar in Allahabad where waste water is freely flowing in the river and people are using river bed as toilets. BJP worker and coconvenor of Namami Gange Anamika Chaudhary says ‘Nothing has moved on the ground in the last four months and implementation part is extremely weak’.

In Bihar it is no different. The logic given is that after July generally there are floods and nothing is visible so implementation is not possible. Prof R K Sinha who has been associated with the Ganga action plan says that a lot of things are on paper but he has not seen anything on the ground in the last two years. A lots of noise is made during press conferences but the need is to execute in real time.

Worst is the case of Varanasi whose ghats and water are worst affected. No plan has been chalked out to stop the sewage water getting into the river. In addition, water levels have gone down.

The first thing that was said was to clean Ganga. For this joint meetings of priests and scientists were called but failed miserably.

Prof U K Chaudhary of Mahamana Malviya Institute of Technology for Ganga Management who was present

It is a historic moment… for the first time the river is being cleaned with wholesomeness. We will show phase I of Ganga cleaning in October 2016, while the second phase will be completed two years later Uma Bharti Minister of Water Resources

in the meeting hits the nail on the head.

He says “only person who can be your doctor is who knows your anatomy and morphology. Same goes for the river.

Sadhus and sants do not know the anatomy, morphology, structure and dynamics so how can they become the doctor. This is the first problem. How can Namami Gange be successful even though it’s a big vision of the PM”. He goes on to list the problems with Ganga.

He says that ‘second problem is that through barrages water is being taken out and its stream is getting empty.

Water is being taken out and pollutants are continuously flowing in it. He adds ”The basic character of river is to carry sediments and deposit it at a designated place. From where it will cut land mass is also fixed but the entire ecological balance is being thrown to the winds and nobody takes responsibility”.

The Gangetic basin is the most plain basin in the world but it ranks second in the world for carrying sediments which is resulting in the loss of huge amount of fertile land. This means that the basin management is zero. Adding to the woes is the fact that there are no institutions in the country to study the rivers. Scientific management of the river is the crying need of the hour, else this effort too will end up as a failure.

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

33

Article | Life Style Choices

Sustainable lifestyle choices key to success of Swachh Bharat Swachh Bharat can go beyond making our surroundings visually appealing and hygienic.

The Mission can promote the equally crucial issue of environmental sustainability. By using less, reusing and recycling. These virtues are already part of the Indian DNA known for frugality and stretching all resources fully

S

V Vijaykumar Sr Advisor, AIILSG v.vijaykumar@aiilsg.org

34 October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

wachh Bharat is a transformational programme which can have far reaching impact and influence on the landscape of the country. With successful implementation, obvious large benefits will be realized in the areas of personal and community hygiene and health, environment

protection and municipal administration. However there are some indirect benefits which can impact other programmes and public life in general. For example in the area of citizen behavior. Swachh Bharat calls for enlightened citizen actions and discipline. For example spitting on the roads is still evident in large measure. It is an unpleasant sight while

having the potential to undermine public health and adversely impact community hygiene. There is little improvement in littering. Voluntary restraint by citizens in these areas can instill an overall sense of discipline and this attitude can have beneficial spillover effects on other issues like improved traffic conditions and road safety. If voluntary compliance is difficult or slow to come about, strict law enforcement and penal actions must be resorted to.

The major thrust of all ‘Clean City’ programmes is directed towards remedial actions-improved segregation, collection and disposal of municipal waste. Alongside, greater focus is needed on the prevention side, namely reuse, recycling, and so on. School programmes must go beyond sweeping the premises and children holding placards advocating cleanliness; waste elimination and imbibing sustainable lifestyle choices must be inculcated at this early age. For example students can be encouraged to give back to the school old text

The major thrust of all ‘Clean City’ programmes is directed towards remedial actionsimproved segregation, collection and disposal of municipal waste.

Alongside, greater focus is needed on the prevention side, namely reuse, recycling, and so on

books to be distributed to needy new academic year students. Many families from economically weaker sections would be happy to get used text books free. This will have a huge impact on waste reduction and environment protection. It will also build better citizens of the future.

Prime Minister Modi made reference to the vital issue of citizen participation in his address at the India Sanitation Conference-INDOSAN- recently. He called for a mass movement in order to achieve the mission objectives. Like Satyagraha freed the Country from colonialism, Swachhagraha would free the Country from dirt, he observed.

Just like students, housewives and office goers, corporates too can make valuable contribution, and they must. They have access to expertise, information and innovation. Product packaging for example can have a major impact on how much success we achieve in the Swachh Bharat Mission objectives. Use of reusable containers and recyclable paper cartons can ensure that we have less waste going to landfills. The proliferation of vinyl banners (also called flex) used to advertise products, events and so on in the outdoor media is of concern.

Reportedly these do net themselves to recycling and at best they can be repurposed, meaning old banners can be cut up to make bags, covers and so on. They thus present problems for safe disposal. Commercial establishments, small and large, need to adopt better practices. For example some are known to paste paper notices and banners on public walls, buildings and structures.

When these are removed, they are torn and dropped on pavements creating a mess. What they do to the aesthetics of the city is another matter.

Restaurants and small eateries serve snacks in disposable paper plates generating waste comprising greasy used paper plates and napkins, mostly non-recyclable. These just end up in landfills while putting great burden on local bodies.

There is need for intensive campaigns to improve citizen awareness. All cinema halls, for example, could

devote 2-3 minutes before each show to screen a social awareness film by the ULB. Radio and television must give some free air time too. Prime Minister Modi made a reference of this in the earlier referred speech. He said, “We can start with Doordarshan.

A bulletin can be dedicated to news related to cleanliness”. He appreciated the role of media in supporting the cause of cleanliness saying “If there is someone who has furthered the cause of cleanliness more than me, it is the media”. Swachh Bharat can go beyond making our surroundings visually appealing and hygienic. The Mission can promote the equally crucial issue of environmental sustainability. By using less, reusing and recycling.

These virtues are already part of the Indian DNA known for frugality and stretching all resources fully. As the Prime Minister said, there is need to make this more technology driven.

Here is where the scientific community and corporate sector can contribute.

More innovations in waste-to-energy space are required. NGOs and CSR supported activity with respect to managing food waste can address the twin issues of feeding the hungry and managing waste. Feeding India, the organization whose founder was this year among the 17 global young leaders awarded by the UN, estimates that 40% of all food goes waste and mostly ends up in landfills with harmful ecological consequences.

Swachh Bharat’s success will make dramatic improvement on the environment front too. Recycling and reusing material can have very salubrious effects on the environment front. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that in 2013, recycling and composting prevented 87.2 million tons of material from being disposed. Diverting these materials from landfills prevented the release of approximately 186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent into the air in 2013— equivalent to taking over 39 million cars off the road for a year. Swachh Bharat will give us cleaner cities, and safer ones too.

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

35

Article | e-Waste

Mounting burden of e-waste Electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers have made our life easier than ever before. Swiftly changing technology and media, and planned obsolescence of devices produce hazardous e-waste in large volumes. Local bodies and governments need to prepare themselves to handle the impending challenges linked with management of e-waste as reports suggest that India’s e-waste is growing at 30 % annually

A

Poorva Chhatre Comunication Assistant, AIILSG

fter the industrial revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, the development in the domain of information and communication technology in the 20th and 21st century has changed the life of human race. These noteworthy developments have definitely helped us all and made our lives easier. All of us want to keep ourselves updated with the latest technology. Whether it is a mobile phone, laptop or washing machine, we want the latest models.

However, the same technological development has also led to several

problems related to the massive waste generated from it. With advances in technology, we see new devices being manufactured making the old machines obsolete. This leads to the generation of e-waste which comprises all electrical and electronic equipment like computers, mobiles and refrigerators.

The electronic waste consists of different components including toxic waste that have a dangerous impact on human health and environment, if not handled properly.

E-waste Management

According to data released by the

We are making new appointments for dedicated for e-waste collection.

Currently, the e-waste collection amounts to only 5-10% of the total e-waste generated in Mumbai and is collected at our dry waste centre. We are aiming for at least 50% e-waste collection from the source itself Vijay Balamwar Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Mumbai Zone IV

36 October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), India’s ‘production’ of e-waste is likely to increase by nearly three times, from the existing 18 lakh metric tons (MT) to 52 lakh (MT) per annum by 2020 at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 30%. An AssochamcKinetics study pointed out that global volume of e-waste generated is expected to reach 130 million tonnes in 2018 from 93.5 million tonnes in 2016, a CAGR of 17.6 percent. According to the study, in India, Mumbai (1,20,000metric tonnes) tops the list in generating e-waste followed by Delhi-NCR (98,000) and Bangalore (92,000). Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Pune find a place in the ladder, at 67,000, 55,000, 36,000, 32,000 and 26,000 metric tonnes per year respectively.

However, the report released by Ministry of Environment and Forests in April 2016, approximately 62 million tonnes of waste is generated annually in India which includes plastic waste, bio-medical waste, hazardous waste and e-waste. India ranks the fifth largest e-waste producing nation with over 15 lakh tonnes of the electronic waste generated annually. State of Maharashtra leads the e-waste generation in India and produces 20,270 tonnes of e-waste (E-Waste in India, Research Unit (LARRDIS) Rajya Sabha Secretariat, 2011).In a study by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board in 2007, it was found that the Mumbai Metropolitan region has some of the largest e-waste generation in the state.

Maharashtra is followed by Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Challenges

Informal disposal of e-waste is a major challenge for e-waste management in India. Many a times, the electronic waste is disposed of by unorganized and untrained workers who donot have proper knowledge about disposal and managementof the same. These workers sort the e-waste for reusable items and burn off the rest in open spaces.

This technique of disposal is highly dangerousfor humans as well as the

Highlights ♦♦ Mere 2.5% of India’s total e-waste gets recycled because of poor infrastructure and legislative framework which leads to a waste of diminishing natural resources, irreparable damage of environment and health of the people working in industry; ♦♦ 65 cities generate more than 60% of the total w-waste in India; ♦♦ Computer equipment accounts for almost 70% of e-waste material followed by telecommunication equipment (12%), electrical equipment (8%) and medical equipment (7%). Other equipment, including household e-scrap account for the remaining; ♦♦ Over 95% of e-waste generated is managed by the unorganised sector and scrap dealers; ♦♦ About 5 lakhs child labours between the age group of 10-14 are engaged in various e-waste activities, without adequate protection and safeguards in various yards and recycling workshops; ♦♦ E-waste consists of ferrous & non-ferrous metals, mercury, arsenic, lead, plastic, glass, wood, etc.

Source: Assocham, International Association of Electronic Recycler (IAER)

environment. Second major challenge is the low awareness about the hazards of wrong e-waste disposal amongst the consumers and manufacturers.

Dr Sneha Palnitkar, Chief Executive Officer, Waste Management Research Centre of AIILSG, says “E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams.

Inventorization of E-waste is one of the most critical challenges. A different set of rules is being made for the disposal of E-waste as the nature of this waste is completely different, unlike the hazardous waste, bio-medical waste, plastic waste and C & D waste. With the current technological progress, the issue of electronic waste and its management has been sensitively addressed and is being acted upon”.

The government has recognised the importance of e-waste management and has approved recycling agencies like E-parisara, EcoReco and WEEE Recycle.

The recycling agenciesemphasize on reusing and recycling of e-waste. In addition, theyaim at improving the awareness of electronic waste and its hazards among the producers as well as general public.

“We are making new appointments for dedicated for e-waste collection.

Currently, the e-waste collection amounts to only 5-10% of the total e-waste generated in Mumbai and is collected at our dry waste centre. We are aiming for at least 50% e-waste collection from the source itself.” Says Vijay Balamwar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Mumbai Zone IV. With improvement in e-waste disposal methods, we are sure to achieve a better environment as e-waste is largely hazardous for land, water and air pollution if handled incorrectly.

Besides, proper e-waste management will also ensure the health of the workers as they won’t use hazardous practices for disposing the e-waste.

People need to play a constructive role in reducing the generation of e-waste.

Due to the easy availability of new machines and societal status linked to advanced gadgets, it is very important for individuals to contribute their bit in e-waste management. People can donate their old gadgets or machines to educational or other institutions to reduce e-waste generation. In case they want to dispose of their machines, they should give the responsibility to organizations or agencies thatspecialize in the same.

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

37

Article | Urban Mobility

Technological Innovations in Public Road Transport Kulwant Singh Advisor (Asia), Urban Basic Services, UN-Habitat kulwant.singh@unhabitat.org

T

echnology has changed the way we live, making the previously impossible, possible, including the ability to get a ride

38 October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

Innovation in sustainable transport delivers economic value.

The author addresses the core innovation trends in key areas of public transport, such as App-based Innovative Mobility Solutions, electro-mobility, automation and Mobility-as-aService (MaaS). He also talks about the new business models and practices, such as integrators’ and aggregators’ platforms.

The key objective of the author is to only mark key innovation clusters, which are likely to revolutionise business models, service offer and indeed citizens’ mobility behaviour in the very near future

anytime, anywhere in the world. The mass use of smart phones and apps across the globe, in developed and developing countries, by business to do business, and by customers to use these

services, are indeed the most visible part of the technology revolution iceberg. Today well over 60 percent of all Internet traffic comes from a mobile source and half of that is driven by

apps. The impact of this Smartphonebased app revolution is being felt in almost every industry: from communications and commerce, to banking and entertainment. Mobility, in general, and urban transport, in particular, has also experienced its own revolution caused by the various mobility apps, which allow passengers/ riders to connect with services and drivers through the app by just pushing a button. Passengers no longer need to call and book, or stand on a street corner hoping a taxi will come along.

Within minutes, one can get a taxi ride anytime, anywhere.

A Future with Fewer Cars

The ability to get from A to B at the touch of a button will have a profound impact on car ownership and the use of public transport over time. When it is that easy to get around, why should people own a car, especially as cars remain idle for more than 96% of the time?

Congestion is more than just an annoyance; it’s a drain on the cities’ economies, adversely impacting health and the climate of the planet. As a matter of fact, cities in India suffer from some of the worst congestion in the world. The average speed of vehicles in Delhi is 16Km/h and, if the current trends persist, it is expected to reduce to 5Km/h by 2020. Yet there are 1,463 new private Vehicles (cars and two wheelers) being registered in Delhi every day, a situation bound to increase congestion. Bangalore currently has more than 1.1 million cars – the highest in South India – and traffic situation continues to worsen. Since 2010 the average speed of vehicles in the city has fallen from 20 Km/h to 9.2 Km/h last year.

There is a felt need for more options for reliable, efficient and affordable ways to get to and from work, particularly around commuting routes under-served by public transit.

Across India it is estimated that traffic congestion leads to a total loss of USD 10 billion per year including fuel wastage. All these vehicles on the road also generate harmful pollution in

India’s largest cities: Delhi holds the undesirable position of being the most polluted city in the world. Particulate matter in the Delhi air on one day in December 2015 was sixteen times higher than what is considered safe.

App-based taxi services can help make cities like Delhi cleaner, greener and more efficient. In cities like San Francisco, Paris and Delhi thousands of passengers are seen wanting to get to almost exactly the same place at exactly the same time. Car- and taxipooling services, when allowed by law and used at a large scale, could contribute to meeting such a demand, in combination with flexible services offered by traditional public transport service-providers.

The passenger-pooling service makes it possible for people going the same direction to share a car, which is convenient for passengers because it reduces the cost of a trip. It is also beneficial for cities because it helps reduce congestion over time. Indeed, over time such trips become a perpetual ride, changing customers’ perception and behaviour: a driver picks up one person, then another, then drops one of them off, then picks up another.

It’s on-demand, convenient and more affordable because the cost of the trip is shared. That makes it less expensive than owning a car and a real game-changer for cities, when such new services are wisely integrated into cities’ mobility planning and public transport offer.

Ultimately, by providing a convenient and cost effective alternative to private car ownership, since cars are one of the most expensive assets people are owning only to sit idle 96% of the time.

It is therefore important for Governments to acknowledge the positive role that technology can play to scale up the use of passenger-pooling services to provide safe and reliable transportation to citizens. To this end, it becomes imperative for governments to introduce progressive regulations that can accompany and incentivize technological advancements, whilst at the same time disincentivising car ownership, and facilitating adoption of mobility concepts that could address

social, economic and environmental goals effectively.

Given the condition of cities in many developing countries, passenger-pooling services, which are increasingly offered by many app-based taxi operators, should be empowered to play their role to strengthen the public door-to-door mobility chain, and to create sustainable cities, which foster entrepreneurship and economic growth.

Digital Revolution and Digital Platforms

The digital revolution is already having a major impact on mobility and transport, in both demand and supply.

In terms of demand, information and communication technology (ICT) is enabling telecommuting, whilst video and audio-conferencing can replace longer-distance travel. ICT innovations have also given rise to the sharing economy mobility models, making bike sharing and car-sharing systems much more viable, competitive and attractive.

In terms of supply, ICT improves the efficiency of transport networks and coordination of different transport modes through passenger information systems, real-time traffic management centers, integrated electronic ticketing systems, automated control systems allowing vehicles and infrastructure to communicate.

The open data policy has enabled the creation of services and a culture of data sharing. Integration of mobility services and data in digital platforms, becoming e-marketplaces, is more and more common and leading to new mobility schemes.

The last several decades have seen an explosion in innovation in three categories of technology relevant to transport: power, vehicles, and operating systems.

Technology Innovations in Transport Power

Technology innovations in transport power can reduce carbon emissions, as well as local emissions of NOx, SOx, and PM2.5 / PM 10, whilst providing access to fuels and power generated locally. A

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

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Article | Urban Mobility

Smart electric bus technology from India

India currently has more than 1.2 million buses in operation, with 50,000 being added every year. Most use diesel engines that contribute significantly to air pollution in Indian cities. Each diesel bus emits 48 tonnes of CO2 per year on average. Replacing 5,000 diesel buses in Indian cities with electric buses would reduce diesel consumption by 95 million litres and save 238,000 tonnes of CO2.

The India-based global technology firm KPIT Technologies developed a system that can convert new as well as existing diesel buses into full electric buses. The smart electric bus technology is modular and thus highly versatile; making it possible to retrofit different vehicle types from mini buses to large 12-metre public transport buses. This technology has the potential to lower congestion by making public transport more attractive, as the ride is smoother and more comfortable compared to a diesel bus. It can also cut carbon emissions and contribute to the global effort to limit climate change .

The first such retrofitted electric bus was unveiled by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2015. Two such retrofitted buses are currently operated by the Indian Ministry for Road Transport and Highways. While the current focus is India, KPIT Technologies is planning to reach out to customers in South East Asia, Africa, Middle East and South America.

Developing decarbonised urban transport through large scale deployment of Electric Transit Bus Fleets in India

Urban EV Buses have immense commercial potential within cities. However, for long distance transport and for rural areas the Internal Combustion (IC) Engine vehicles or their Hybrid Versions will continue to play a very important role where the concentration of pollution will be diluted and spread over large area, aided by natural winds. It is necessary to control the increase in IC Engine vehicles in urban areas, because their heavy concentration in a small area can cause significant air pollution problem. Electric vehicles can play a positive role in terms of reduction in local pollution and noise and in improving energy security. The potential can only be realized with an appropriate charging infrastructure and business innovations (primarily in the management of energy storage, either through fast charging, Bus Terminal Charging, Battery swaps etc.). It also needs significant technology efforts.

40 October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

transition to very low carbon fuels is of course a central part of a long-term climate strategy.

The development of alternative fuels for heavier and longer transport including biofuels for aviation and LNG/LPG for heavy duty vehicles (trucks, long distance coaches) with centralized refueling systems, also shows promise.

Electric Mobility and Climate Change

The transport sector is a vital enabler of economic activity and social connectivity, but is also the second largest and one of the fastest growing energy end-use sectors, representing 23% of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. The Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI) of UN-Habitat phases out conventionally fuelled vehicles and increases the share of electric vehicles in the total volume of individual motorized transport in cities to at least 30% by 2030, to achieve a 30% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in urban areas by 2050. However, the high uptake and adoption of electric vehicles depend on a number of factors, for example: advances in vehicle and battery technologies and reduction in costs from economies of production; the availability of charging infrastructure, increased awareness of citizens and an enabling policy environment and incentives provided by governments including city governments.

In India an ambitious target of putting 5 million electric and hybrid vehicles per year on the road by 2020 had been set under the National Mission for Electric Mobility (NMEM).

In addition to supporting the industry, NMEM seeks to create a significant positive

impact on the health index of country by promoting zero pollution electric vehicles and reducing the dependence on fossil fuel.

FAME India - Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India - is a part of the National Mission for Electric Mobility.

The scheme envisages support of Rs. 795 crore in the first two fiscals starting with the current year, to promote eco-friendly vehicles, offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs 29,000 for bikes and Rs 1.38 lakh for cars.

Electrification of vehicles for short distances transport/ commuting (passenger cars, buses, and light rail) is a fast growing segment. Over the past 20 years, China has introduced 250 million electric twowheelers in its cities. Thanks to tax incentives for hybrid and electric vehicles, Colombo, Sri Lanka, currently has the most hybrid and electric vehicles per capita in any developing country city.

On the other side of the world, Norway reports that, in response to tax incentives and the prevalence of charging stations, 25% of all newly registered cars are plugin electric vehicles. Major investment is currently being made also in electric busses in developed and developing countries. When considering the benefits of electrification, it is crucial to factor in the way that electricity is produced, and the global trend toward electrification will ultimately yield benefits only with a concurrent energy revolution.

It is also important to put the advances in electrification in context, considering the scale of uptake in comparison to the overall growth of a country’s fleet.

Urban Aesthetics | one on one

“No discipline,

total urban chaos”

Urban aesthetics has long been ignored in India. It has to be an integral part of city planning. We must attach importance to the concept of ‘city beautiful’ says Dr P S N Rao, Chairman, Delhi Urban Arts Commission

Kumar Dhananjay Consulting Editor kd.urbanupdate@gmail.com

While planning cities, what role does urban aesthetics play and how is it implemented?

Urban aesthetics is an integral part of the city planning. It is very much considerable but all depends on the extent to which one is sensitive towards the urban design and incorporates aesthetics into the whole skin of work. The extent to which it is actually implemented is also very important. Planning is one part while implementation is the other part.

When we are making master plans of cities what importance is given to local government, city government and state government?

Unfortunately, there are things which have been sidelined. Nobody has given importance to ‘city beautiful’ concept as such. We have borrowed the concept of master planning from the west but not the ‘city beautiful’ concept. It is just now that we are wakening up to it. The importance of city aesthetics is realised totally now.

Urban update team found on your website that ‘Urban Art Commission’ was established in Delhi with a mission to upscale it in other states after a certain time period. What happened to the mission? Was it achieved?

Very sadly and unfortunately, I may say that only Delhi has an ‘Urban Art Commission’. These are the subjects which are in the domain of State Government, so Central government cannot really create legislation or an institution which can tell people their job.

The Delhi Urban Art Commission Act of 1974 is a legislation that is meant only for the National Capital Territory of Delhi, it is not meant for the other states yet. So, for doing something in other states, that particular state has to enact legislation. And there comes a problem, because all city developmental activities are under State government like town planning, land development.

Therefore states have to come forward for this.

Some attempts in city of Bangalore were taken to enact ‘Urban Art Commission’, but unfortunately again that was very short-lived. And in the recent past, Amaravati had a move to enact legislation called the ‘Andhra Pradesh Urban Art Commission Act’ and I was also a part of it, they are in the process of creating draft legislation.

All the big cities in this country need an urban art commission so that atleast prominent buildings can create visual impact on city structure. There should

be a committee which can look after their work. It is a kind of filter that is what DUAC does, when all the projects are sent to the urban local bodies they refer to those projects twice.

Talking about the visual aspects of the city, like if we take the example of Delhi, the pictures seen on the website are kind of depressing. Where are we losing out in the aesthetics part of the city?

Yes up to a great extent and that is because we have 1000 or 5000 unauthorised colonies where aesthetics is not yet known, even the basic fundamental planning principles are not followed, so we have huge pockets which are illegally developed where there is no planning or structure or elevation. And unfortunately greater part of the city has been engulfed by this kind of settlements. No discipline, total urban chaos with no order and zero sense of aesthetics. In earlier days when cities were planned we didn’t have these kinds of rampant commercialisation, today we have it.

In all the residential areas, houses are converted into banks, shops and guest houses which are not wrong as long as you do it in a sensitive or planned manner. We have no sense of order in terms of vehicular parking or hawkers.

We can always take a good street picture if the hawkers are organised well. So there are very large numbers of factors and forces that work into the shaping of a city in a particular manner

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

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and some are controlled, some are not.

These things are not happening in the central part of Delhi because we have strong control, nobody dares to put a Pan shop in the middle of Rajpath. But not everywhere this kind of controlling is found.

punishments regarding the same are not given. If people are found doing unauthorised constructions, nobody comes to demolish those structures..

So there is no fear of law. This is not only in Delhi, it is almost everywhere in India.

Delhi is unique it has a central as well state government and 4 municipal corporations. Is there a lack of synchronisation in these bodies so these kinds of problems are prevailing?

It’s not about the lack of synchronization. Even if there is only one municipal corporation, problem prevails. Problem is- no governance.

As the law is not respected, and

In old cities Banaras, Mathura or Vrindavan, in terms of urban aesthetics,similar buildings are found in every locality. How do they manage to do it?

In older days building craftsand workmanship was passed on from generation to generation just like the musical gharanas. People perfected the art of building in a particular manner.

The second aspect-Technological

options were very few. So the whole building material vocabulary was very limited. There can only be size difference not the design difference.

On an entire settlement there is a symbol of uniformity, repetitiveness and order. These are all principles of aesthetics. But over a period of time things have evolved. On a street, we have mixed visibility so nothing gels with the other thing. Depending on the region we have same kind of design and models of havelis.

If you travel from Mathura to Millenium city Gurugram, there is a criticism it has absolutely no sense of design?

True to the core, no uniformity because technology has become advanced, choices have become upstream. There is democracy and choice. Earlier people were found in same kind and colours of cloth in white dhoti, saree or kurta. All those things have gone, again which is subjective. So this is one aspect.

Other aspect probably could be that showing off money was not in culture.

Value system has changed, society and technology has transformed. Its physical manifestation is seen in terms of the buildings, streets, etc.

Apart from building design, what other components do you think urban aesthetics involves?

Urban aesthetics involves everything I see. If you see London Red Buses, the moment they take off all the red coloured buses, it will look drab and dull, the red colour creates a lot of vibrancy. Similarly shops, hawkers also add to the vibrancy of the street.

Provided you put them very neat and clean and put them in order. The colour of the buildings, roofs, cars, street decoration, graffiti includes whole thing in street picture. At many places even this so called chaos is structured in a proper manner. Recent example of it is the lanes of New York City, where there is a French quarter which has very old and royal heritage building of the French residencies. That place is now a place of entertainment which is lively and active and a proper use

42 October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

Urban Aesthetics | one on one

of the public spaces. But on the other hand there are places of silence and peace. Strict controls have been put for various activities. Even if you talk about Delhi cantonment, you can’t fool around.There are rules and strict governance. The cycle Rikshaws should be permitted in specific pocket areas together with proper parking space.

They can be brightly coloured for a good scenic view with some kind of uniformity. The moment we roam around the streets, it will become sight driven with proper markings. But who is going to take the responsibility of doing the same. If there is a tree planted in front of a red light, it is creating a nuisance at the road.

DUAC has completed more than four decades, even if your work is limited to Delhi. How much of your advice has been considered by the urban local bodies and state government and actually implemented?

Very limited because our role is limited to those buildings which have an area of more than 1000 sqmtrs which are referred to us. We are supposed to give comments and suggestions on these which is barely heard by the authorities concerned. The construction of flyovers, underpasses or bridges is hardly ever referred to us. Again the same procedure of giving suggestions takes place. Currently, at the Supreme Court junction near ITO we have proposal of connecting two metro stations there with a foot overbridge, which will not be a simple thing but a network of foot overbridges. We are trying to make it user friendly and it will soon be implemented. These are small limited cases that come to us.

Huge Mangolpuri is coming up but I have no role to play there. We are not authorised to demolish an unauthorised building if it comes on way.

May be some suggestions of Art Commission were not sought in Delhi, what suggestions would you like to give to the new Amaravati law so that the things Delhi missed out can be implemented in Andhra Pradesh or in other states?

All these are the responsibilities undertaken by urban local bodies. As far as aesthetics in a city is concerned Urban Art Commission is doing its job. There is nothing wrong with the Amaravati law, it is very clear. There is something wrong with the people of that place, they are corrupt. The problem lies with the implementation of the powers of the urban local bodies.

Amaravati should have an urban local body and they should strictly implement it.

Prime Minister is also putting pressure for preserving and integrating the culture of the city along with its heritage. Like the case of Bhopal which has changed its location for smart city project and there was a huge debate that all the smart cities will have same visuals. What is your

idea about preserving the culture with the city development?

See we have a big change in preserving cultural diversity. There is no difference in the outfits of people coming from different states. Nowadays almost everyone wears jeans and a T-shirt, which is far more different from the regional dresses. But we are moving to an era of not taking the culture and heritage from past generations. A lot of cultural erosion has already happened.

Evolution will continuously happen.

We cannot freeze something in time, Cultural mutation will also happen. We can keep our culture alive to a certain extent. The world has changed and we cannot go back. If possible we will conserve our cultures, but we have to be moving with the modern times. Culture will remain the same it is nothing to do with the smart city project.

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

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Good reads | Migration Pattern

Watch the reshaping of our world!

W

Book Arrival City Author Doug Saunders Publishers Random House, London Pages 356 Price Rs 897 / £18.99

Good

Reads

Abhilash Khandekar National Political Editor Dainik Bhaskar kabhilash59@gmail.com

44

October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

hen I first read this book, quite frankly I did not realise the high intensity of the migration pattern across the world, something the author calls “the largest migration in history”.

Three years later, today when I am trying to understand the import of this trend all over again with a re-read, I must admit that our generation would be the last to see this kind of a frightening rural-urban upheaval!

In other words, what will be remembered about the 21st century, more than anything else, is the great, and final, shift of human populations out of rural, agricultural life and into cities. Doug Saunders, an award winning British journalist predicts, “we will end this century as a wholly urban species, as this movement engages an unprecedented number of people-two or three billion humans, perhaps a third of world’s population-and will affect almost everyone intangible ways.”

The book takes into account almost the entire globe’s rural and urban landscapes while literally travelling the length and breadth of the world to understand, from very close, what all is happening in London and Europe to Iran, India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Kenya and China. Arrival cities are built on the logic of the bootstrap: as a rural outsider without a real urban income, you cannot possibly afford to live in the city, but in order to escape being rural outsider, you must first have a place to live in the city.

To just provide a little more insight into the arrival city phenomenon, I would say in arrival city’s boom time, ancient model was to just enter the city, acquire private or government land by the squatters. Rural migrants between 19401970s (perhaps not in India but in the West), usually in organised groups that had met in inner-city enclaves, would simply take over a plot of unoccupied land, cut roadways and build houses

there, and hope for the best !

Today this trend continues, acquiring new methods. But the influx continues.

The central theme of the book is not just about migration but about how the whole world would look like in the coming years, considering the new set-ups of “arrival cities “. He says the population of rural people that is shifting its base near cities is creating strikingly similar urban spaces all over the world: spaces whose physical appearance varied but whose basic set of functions whose network of human relationships was distinct and identifiable. And there is a continuous, standardised pattern of institutions, customs, conflicts and frustrations being built and felt in these places across the poor expanses of the “developing “ world and in the large, wealthy cities of the West.

The author presents the scenario in such a powerful manner that, when we look around, we actually feel that the new developments in cities are not just the sites of potential conflict and violence but also the neighbourhoods where the transition from poverty occurs where the next middle class is forged, where the next generation’s dreams, movements and governments are created.

The new concept being rolled out before us is that of the Arrival City that exists on the fringes of established cities-in the slums, in the suburbs, in the immigrant quarters of both the Western and the developing world. If understood and dealt with properly, these peripheral enclaves transform the fortunes of both the family who makes it through, and the established city itself. If not, Saunders warns, they become breeding grounds for violence, revolution and war. Are some nations,including India, not witnessing it already?

Any serious work on urbanisation and its different forms and challenges, cannot ignore India. So, this book also talks about Mumbai but what is more

interesting is the fact that the British journalist-turned author, visits smaller villages like Kolhewadi in Ratnagiri (the Konkan part of Maharashtra), Dorli in Vidarbha and Mulund (Mumbai) to understand their problems of living for decades in underdeveloped villages.

He has also visited a number of small the hamlets Kibera near Nairobi in Kenya, Tatary Poland, Shuilin near Sichuan in China, Les Pyramides, Evry in France and Jardim Angela near São Paulo, Brazil, to name a few.

The book has been constructed in a very riveting fashion, with each of the 10 sections (On the edgE of the city, Outside in: The Lives of the New City, Arriving at the top of the pyramid, Urbanisation of the villages and The first great migration: How the West Arrived, etc.) having typical mention from two to five villages/cities to explain the humongous problem the world is facing and would continue to face and suffer as there appears no solution to reverse the trend of mass migrations. Though throughout he does not much comment, this migration suits all stake holders even if for a short time in life. Real estate developers, businessmen, factory labourers, small vegetable vendors and sundry service providers.

Under the chapter ‘The Urbanisation of the Village’, the book provides an insight into a village which is up for sale! Ever heard of a village being sold?

Well, the author says in Dorlivillage in Vidarbha’sWardha,people have put up a board saying: This village is up for sale including houses, animals and farms “.

The population of the village is a meagre 270 and the villagers have given up any hope of development through a government scheme to reach them.

The 40-odd families expected some rich industrialist (author actually quotes a resident mentioning Tata’s name as a prospective buyer) may be forthcoming because they had, after long and painful sufferings concluded that subsistence farming had become a deadly pursuit... rather than riding the downward spiral of rural poverty to its agonising end, they felt it was worth taking a long shot in order to make their escape to the comparative comfort of urban poverty.

Indian scenarios throw up more such Dorlis as conditions of Indian village is eye-wetting, to say the least!

It is Vidarbha region in India which has earned an ignominious distinction for itself due to serial suicides by farmers over the last decade as farming failed completely due to faulty or non-existent irrigation facilities in Maharashtra. But politicians were not jolted out of their deep slumber when innocent people were dying.

Of course, it’s not the case of rural backwardness of India alone, but the author gives a different example of Tower Hamlets near London, his own country. He talks of a Bangladeshi settlement near London and of Tafader family experiences of starting small businesses in the heart of a successful ‘arrival city’. Much of the functioning of the Tower Hamlets arrival city is devoted to the transfer of cash, information and people. The small businesses of Internet cafes, Islamic finance offices, marriage arrangement offices and much of sparetime activities of the residents here are devoted to establishing a homeostatic relationship between village and city.

This is what arrival cities do, the author tells readers.

In another telling example, the book takes us to Los Angeles to narrate the story how, after Los Angeles was burned, swathes of the city’s core turned from poor neighbourhoods populated by black tenants who rented from absentee white landlords into Latino arrival cities whose residents struggled to buy their ghetto homes, such notoriously dysfunctional neighbourhoods as South Central, Crenshaw, Watts and Compton turned into Spanish-speaking enclaves populated by new village arrivals who were even poorer than the previous black occupants.

Saunders writes beautifully in the beginning when he states: “I have gone into the hidden interstices and inaccessible corners of the urban core, examining the places that extended before me during my extensive travels for research. These are always fascinating, bustling, unattractive, improvised, difficult places, full of new people and big plans. My trip to the edge was not

always by choice: I have found myself drawn by news events to the northern reaches of Mumbai, the dusty edges of Teheran, the hillside folds of São Paulo and Mexico City, the smouldering apartment-block fringes of Paris and Amsterdam and Los Angeles...what I found in these places were people who had been born in villages, who had their minds and ambitions fixed on symbolic Center of the city, and who were engaged in a struggle of monumental scope to find a basic and lasting berth in the city for their children. “ While reviewing this book for my readers I was constantly wondering what would really be interesting for the readers. I suppose that the restlessness among the vast majority of this world living in villages, has been captured very forcefully by the author. Scholars in migration studies, geography, anthropology, demography or even economics and urban studies may well find this book of immense value. Not that migration as a subject with different contours has not been dealt with earlier by authors and domain experts; but the phenomenon described in this book quite extensively and with some tinyvillage examples after a world-wide tour, adds tremendous value to the whole new pattern of mass migrations.

The author, while crisscrossing India, may not have had the time to visit remote areas of Bihar or Orissa, but what the BIMARU concept of the mind 1980 had projected before policy makers was nearly this fact that some states and their villages were in a pitiable condition and the inhabitants always looked up to cities for ensuring their bread and butter. After reading this book twice, and flipping through its chapters on more occasions, it appears that the problem is pretty serious, more than we may all collectively think it to be. It would add to the existing problems manifold urban people are facing today. After all there can’t be everything urban in this world!

However, reading this book, it’s seems more a reality than a dream.

So beware!

(The writer, a senior journalist with DAINIK Bhaskar group,can be reached on his Twitter handle abhikhandekar1)

www.urbanupdate.in | October 2016

45

URBAN AGENDA | Sanitation & Health

Poor sanitation threatens urban health

O

ver two billion people worldwide do not have access to basic sanitation facility—a proper toilet.

One billion people defecate in the open out of which 600 million are in India. Realising the urgency to address the issue, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a ‘toilet revolution’ to ensure everyone in the country, especially women and girls, get access to toilet facility and lead a dignified life. The issue is not only related to cleanliness but heath too. Indian cities are densely populated which adds to the problems because open defecation becomes disastrous when people in close contact practice it.

According to the data by World Health Organisation, more than 2 million people die every year from diarrhoeal diseases globally. Each day, nearly 1,000 children die due to preventable water and sanitation-related diseases. Poor hygiene and unsafe water are responsible for nearly 90 per cent of these deaths and mostly affect children.

Sanitation is vital for health. Indian government has taken the initiative of Swachh Bharat Mission which not only proposes corrective measures for improving cleanliness everywhere, especially in densely populated human settlements, with support from local communities and municipal corporations. Awareness about the significance of ending open defecation is crucial because use of toilets by all members of the community is necessary to reduce faecally transmitted diseases.

There have been many initiatives by all tiers of the government to bring about change among people of all age groups.

The mission has addressed the sanitation issue as no effort will bear fruits unless the basic issue of sanitation is addressed in totality. Pouring finances

46 October 2016 | www.urbanupdate.in

and concrete to build toilets on war footing needs to be looked at through a pragmatic prism because excreta management also needs attention. It is to be noted that more than 80 per cent of wastewater resulting from human activities is discharged into rivers or sea without any pollution removal. There is no specific provision to address this issue in the present scheme of things.

Spending money on cleanliness and sanitation also makes economic sense as it enhances social development and improves the environment.

According to a World Bank report, 6.4 per cent of India’s GDP is lost due to adverse economic impacts and costs of inadequate sanitation.

The issue is of global importance and has been recognised by governments in many developing countries and also by the international agencies such as the United Nations and World Bank. In 2010, the UN General Assembly recognized access to safe and clean drinkingwater and sanitation as a human right, and called for international efforts to help countries to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinkingwater and sanitation. Despite progress, the 2015 Millennium Development Goal target to halve the proportion of the population without access to improved sanitation facilities was missed by almost 700 million people.

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 also focuses on ensuring access to water and sanitation for all because every year millions of people, most of them children, die from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene. Government of India can link these goals with their indigenous initiatives and pool in resources from countries around the world to expedite the process of achieving sanitation for all.

Ashok Wankhade Managing Editor bhau1008@gmail.com

Sanitation is fundamental for ensuring healthy environment to all.

Resolving the hygiene and cleanliness related issues in overcrowded poor habitats of Indian cities needs urgent attention to make sure Swachh Bharat Mission achieves its objectives in time

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“Planning Mobility for City’s Sustainability” Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 8-11 November 2016 Research Symposium

Technical Session

♦♦ ♦♦ ♦♦ ♦♦

Integrated Land use Transport Planning Transport Policy and Practice Public Transport Planning, Operations and Management Travel Demand Management for Sustainable Mobility Green, Safe and Inclusive Transport ♦♦ Freight Management, Transport Economics & Planning for Future Mobility

Technical Session for Municipal Councilors ♦♦ Smart Parking Solutions ♦♦ Inclusive Mobility: Improving Access for Pedestrians

State Specific Session ♦♦ ♦♦ ♦♦ ♦♦

Mobility Solutions in Smart Cities of Gujarat Mobility in Smart Cities of Madhya Pradesh Mobility in Smart Cities of Maharashtra Mobility In Smart Cities Of Rajasthan

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Introduction to PTV Improving City Bus Service Financing Metro Systems Smart Traffic Solution for Smart Cities Intermediate Public Transport: Systems in between Public Transport and Private vehicles Solution for Multimodal Urban Transport ITS for Smart Mobility Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning: Lessons Learned Smart mobility – Swiss innovations Electric Mobility for City’s Sustainability Smart Mobility – Swiss innovations Ensuring Equity and Accessibility in Urban Transport Transport and Road Safety Benchmarking Urban Transport Past, Present and Future

Round Table Discussion Plenary Session ♦♦ Mobility in Small and Medium Towns ♦♦ Institutional and Financial Framework for Metro Systems ♦♦ Climate Resilient Transport

♦♦ Mobilize Your City - Comprehensive Mobility Plans for Low Carbon Strategies ♦♦ Advancing Bus-Based Public Transport for Green Urban Mobility in India ♦♦ Road Pricing: A Demand Management Tool

Leaders Forum Knowledge Partners

Knowledge Partners

Sponsors & Exhibitors 2016