City Image

CITy IMAGE Kenya tries innovative solution to “Harvest tHe sun twice”

an innoVaTiVe ProJecT officially called “Harvesting the sun twice” is being tried in Kenya for efficient use of solar power. it uses a special solar panel technique called agrivoltaics, which installs solar panel for the twin role of generating clean energy and giving shade to crops. This technique is the result of a year-long research by the University of Sheffield, World Agroforestry and the Kajiado-based latia agripreneurship. according to Stockholm environmental institute, 73 per cent of the east african population does not have access to electricity. hence, the idea was to help solve the problem of energy in the region without putting too much pressure on land space.

NEWSCAN Shimla: Development Plan 2041 to have ‘counter magnet town’

ShiMla: To mitigate the load of urbanisation from Shimla, a ‘counter magnet town’ in proximity to the airport has been proposed in ‘Development Plan 2041’, to make space for approximately one lakh future population. following the transit-oriented development proposal of bypass road, satellite towns in ghandal naldhera, fagu and chamiyana have also been proposed. These will be incorporated in the already existing development proposal. Shimla Municipal corporation, Kufri Special area Development authority, ghanahatti, etc. are included in the development plan of Shimla. The town will have a giS-based development plan, which will ease down various issues, said Suresh Bhardwaj, urban Development Minister, government of himachal Pradesh.

This plan entails integration of ropeways and rapid transport system so as to reduce the already existing traffic scenario on Shimla roads. In the aforementioned plan, multimodal hubs, tunnels and junction improvement throughout the city will also be involved. out of the total land available that is 12.15 per cent, residential land will be allotted 5.51 per cent. The area under public and semi-public use has been increased from 1.15 per cent to 1.39 per cent on the basis of identification of government land available.

Chandigarh EV Policy: Transformative bliss promising skill development

chanDigarh: The chandigarh electric Vehicle Policy is working for job creation, innovation, skill development, and developing recycling infrastructure for the battery-run-vehicle sector, in addition to the larger goal of a major transition toward electric vehicles (eVs). The eV Policy was announced by the administration of union territory (uT) of chandigarh in february, and it is set to take effect on april 1. Skill development, training, and job creation will all be expanded as a result of this, allowing the sector to grow and become more sustainable in the city. “unlike traditional autos, manufacturing and maintaining eVs necessitates skilled labour. Special measures for skill development will be conducted to enable a smooth transition to electric mobility,” stated a top official. The education department, in partnership with the chandigarh transport department, is planning short-term courses in electric mobility, electric vehicle supply equipment (eVSe), repair and maintenance, and battery production and maintenance under the programme. for skill development, polytechnics will provide two-week courses on electric vehicle knowledge. in addition, an e-mobility centre of excellence (coe) will be established. To be eligible for financial incentives, a firm must be registered with Start-up India and have a valid central government certificate.

Bengaluru metro contributed to improving air quality: Study

air quality at six places of the Phase-ii Bangalore Metro rail corporation (BMrcl) increased between 2017 and 2021, found a study conducted by Bangalore university’s Department of environmental Science. This indicates that the metro project had a significant beneficial influence on improving the air quality in the area. “During the year 2017, PM 10 levels went above the permissible limits of 100 g/m3 and then significantly declined from 2018 onwards. from 2018 to 2021, the air quality monitoring data show that PM 10 concentrations at all monitoring sample stations stayed below the cPcB’s 100g/m3 standard for industrial, residential, rural, and other locations,” reads the report.

CM Khattar announces ` 1K crore urban infra investment in Haryana

chief Minister of haryana Manohar lal Khattar addressed a gathering at the concluding session of the two-day urban Development conclave in gurugram. he mentioned that the government has set the target of developing five big cities in an area of 2.5 lakh hectares near the Kundli Manesar – Palwal (KMP) expressway. each city will be developed in an area of at least 50,000 hectares. he announced the state’s decision to allocate `1000 crore for supplementing its urban infrastructure investment requirements in the coming budget.

IPCC report chalks out “Atlas of human suffering”

neW Delhi: The intergovernmental Panel on climate change (iPcc), the united nations body for climate science, published the second installment of the Sixth assessment report (ar6) on february 28. The report titled ‘climate change 2022: impacts, adaptation, and Vulnerability’ has subtly warned the world of how global leaders have failed in protecting over half of the world’s population, which is on the verge of losing their homes due to uninhabitable conditions. “atlas of human suffering”, stated antónio guterres, Secretary-general, un while commenting on the report. The IPCC report explicitly defines how climate change has the potential of essentially converting the earth into an uninhabitable hotbox.

impact on city life

climate change, when combined with increased urbanisation, will present cities with new issues. “growing urbanisation and climate change together pose complicated dangers, particularly for places with poorly planned urban growth, high levels of poverty and unemployment, and a lack of essential amenities,” said Debra roberts, Working group co-chair, iPcc.

Several indian cities and states, including Mumbai, ahmedabad, Bihar, and Punjab, are susceptible hotspots, according to the iPcc assessment, with a high probability of extreme events ranging from flooding to heat stress. furthermore, this will result in more people being displaced due to climate change. according to report, the fatality rate from floods, droughts, and storms in africa, South asia, and central and South america would be 15 times higher between 2010 and 2020.

The report warned that india is one of the most vulnerable countries on a global level in terms of the population affected by the sea-level rise. if the emissions levels continue to soar high, then over 35 million people in india could face annual coastal flooding by the middle of the century. The numbers could rise to over 50 million people and damages amounting up to $24 billion. Mumbai, India’s financial capital, in damage control from sea-level rise may spend up to $162 billion a year by 2050.

Surge in Wet-bulb temperature

The report notes that indian cities will experience intolerable conditions with increased heat and humidity if the emissions are not rapidly reduced. Wet-bulb temperatures, a measure that combines heat and humidity, are mentioned in the report. even for fit and healthy adults, the present wet-bulb temperature of 31 degrees celsius is exceedingly harmful, while a temperature of 35 degrees is

The report warned that India is one of the most vulnerable countries on a global level in terms of the population affected by the sea-level rise. If the emissions levels continue to soar high, then over 35 million people in India could face annual coastal flooding by the middle of the century. The numbers could rise to over 50 million people and damages amounting up to $24 billion

unsurvivable for more than six hours. according to the iPcc, wet-bulb temperatures in india rarely exceed 31 degrees celsius at the moment, with majority of the country seeing maximum wet-bulb temperatures of 25-30 degrees celsius. Many portions of northern and coastal india would attain extremely dangerous wet-bulb temperatures of over 31 degrees celsius by the end of the century if emissions are decreased just to the levels now promised. Wet-bulb temperatures will approach or exceed the unsurvivable limit of 35 degrees celsius throughout much of india if emissions continue to climb, with the bulk of the country experiencing wet-bulb temperatures of 31 degrees celsius or higher.

What comes with a warmer globe?

individuals’ physical health may also be jeopardised since illness transmission is expected to accelerate. The greatest threat comes from vector-borne and water-borne diseases like malaria, which are particularly prevalent in asia’s sub-tropical regions, where warmer temperatures allow diseasecarrying insects like mosquitoes to spread quickly. in the coming decades, mortality from respiratory disorders, diabetes, infectious diseases, and other diseases is anticipated to rise. on the other hand, a rise in global temperature will result in a dramatic increase of new born mortality. The research emphasises on the impact of the climate issue on cities, which house more than half of the world’s population. heatwaves, urban heat islands, excessive precipitation, and storms can all have a major impact on the people and infrastructure of the world’s overloaded cities.

Melting glaciers

The most vulnerable ecosystems on the planet are expected to be the hardest hit. according to the iPcc, glacial lake outburst floods will become more common in mountain regions, putting

Highlighting water crisis in Bengaluru

Bengaluru’s urban development and infrastructural advancements are rupturing the water tank system preserved by its communities for generations, iPcc highlighted. according to the report, urban growth has taken a toll on community-managed water tanks. “Today, Bengaluru relies on long-distance water transfers that cause political tension, as well as a dense network of private boreholes that are diminishing the city’s water resources,” states the report. “The restoration of existing network of community-managed water tanks provides a more sustainable and socially just way to manage water supplies.” The report stated, “as tanks became underused, polluted, or built over, the ancient network of tanks gradually deteriorated.” in the post-colonial period, more extensive and costly water transfers occurred, supplying water from the cauvery river in a large engineering project with a high energy cost and entangled in inter-state water disputes. in Bengaluru, scarcity is still a problem. Despite efforts to mitigate the risks, scientists at the iPcc report stated that human-induced climate change is creating hazardous and pervasive upheaval in nature and disrupting the lives of billions of people throughout the world. the lives of downstream inhabitants in peril. recent events like the chamoli disaster’s ice and rock avalanche, as well as cloudburst-like precipitation in himachal Pradesh and uttarakhand, have served as sharp reminders of this grim reality. in the future years, the iPcc predicts that glaciers in the hindu Kush himalaya region would melt at a faster rate. Meanwhile, as temperatures rise above 1.5°c, important river basins such as the ganges and the Brahmaputra may experience more flooding. It will also have a devastating effect on world plant and animal species, who are already suffering from heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and floods. furthermore, with a 1.5°c increase in global warming, nearly 14 per cent of the species analysed in the paper stand a high danger of extinction. if the temperature rises over this level, it will rise to 29 per cent. With cascading climate change, trees, corals, tidal marshes, seagrass meadows, planktons, and many more related communities will be on the verge of extinction.

Deterring global mental health

The iPcc stated that climate change and an increasing number of climate catastrophes have an effect on physical and psychological health. For the first time, the IPCC clarified that climate change poses a serious threat to mental health, including stress and trauma from frequent extreme weather events, loss of livelihoods, and even future instability on a much warmer globe.

cities are the solution

cities can play an important role in combating climate change. The important point is that reducing emissions, keeping a tight eye on deforestation operations, and planting more trees will all benefit the environment in the long run. “cities also give chances for climate action,” roberts states, “green buildings, reliable sources of clean water and renewable energy, and sustainable transportation networks that connect urban and rural areas may all lead to a more inclusive, fairer society.”

India’s traffic congestion dipped by 23% from pre-pandemic level: TomTom report

Mumbai found to be the 5th most congested city in the world, Bengaluru at 10th, Delhi 11th and Pune stands at 21st spot

NEW DELHI: India’s traffic congestion levels in places like Mumbai, Bengaluru, new Delhi, and Pune were 23 per cent lower than before the coViD- 19, found a survey by TomTom Traffic Index. Delhi has emerged as the 11th most congested global city in 2021 despite the pandemic-induced lockdown and restrictions in the city. The 11th edition of the TomTom Traffic Index’s global top 25 list has the names of four indian cities, with Mumbai at the fifth position and Bengaluru at tenth. Pune ranked 21st among 404 cities across 58 countries, the report said.

The average congestion levels in Mumbai, new Delhi, and Pune decreased by 18 per cent, 14 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively, in comparison to 2019. according to a survey by TomTom (ToM2), a geolocation technology company, india’s most crowded cities reduced from 13 to 6 in 2021. Throughout 2021, the research examined traffic trends in 404 cities across 58 nations. istanbul, Turkey will be the world’s most congested city in 2021, with a congestion level of 62 per cent. While work from home became normal practice for most companies, physical meetings were replaced by zoom calls and teleconferences. The commuters avoided driving and were able to offset their rush hours owing to flexible working hours, dropping the congestion level in the cities. The TomTom Traffic Index looks at the traffic congestion situation in various cities across the globe. it provides data on real-time traffic management and historical traffic congestion data. This data is then used by various countries to plan their infrastructure projects and introduce more public transport systems.

The congestion level percentage denotes the extra time a driver has to spend on reaching from one place to another over and above the time needed in normal and free-flow traffic situations. The baseline per city is calculated by analysing the free-flow travel times of all vehicles on the entire road network throughout the year. for instance, if the congestion level is 30 per cent, then it means that on average, the time taken for travelling was 30 per cent longer during baseline non-congestion conditions. new modes of transportation have gained popularity as a result of the pandemic; e-scooters and bicycles are becoming more popular, aided by cycle lanes in several cities. While micro-mobility can help with intercity movement, inter-urban traffic is the source of the majority of traffic congestion. During the pandemic, public transportation lost a lot of its appeal as people preferred to drive their own automobiles, which they saw as a safer way to preserve social distance. according to Sachin Tyagi, Strategic automotive Business Development Manager, TomTom, the real-time traffic information collected to identify congestion patterns reveals that mobility alternatives are rapidly shifting as a part of the adaptive lifestyles arising from the pandemic. “We feel that authorities must be aware of the good development and promote holistic guidelines targeted at improving the road infrastructure,” he added. he opined that this will help to reduce traffic congestion and promote alternative sustainable transportation modes, which may help to reduce emissions as well. The key to change is the adoption of better technology that uses real-time data, bold investments, and bold policy decisions. Making traffic information more accessible to both drivers and traffic authorities can aid in the real-time detection and management of traffic congestion bottlenecks. For truckers, logistics providers, and ondemand services, TomTom’s navigation software anticipates traffic and provides enhanced route calculations and precise anticipated times of arrival, saving time and fuel (ride-hailing, food delivery).

NEWSCAN COVID-19 still remains topmost worry of urban India: Survey

neW Delhi: ipsos released its monthly survey on ‘What worries the world’ on february 25. even as india is witnessing a decline in the number of new coViD-19 infections, the novel coronavirus has emerged as the top concern among urban indians and global citizens. 33 per cent, on average, said that it is one of the biggest issues that their country is facing today. The survey reported Japan as the country most concerned about the coViD-19, followed by South Korea and australia. The survey was conducted in 28 markets and analysed the response from 19,022 netizens.

The survey found that 33 per cent of the global citizens pointed coViD-19 as their top worry, 31 per cent said that it is poverty and social inequality, whereas 29 per cent voted for unemployment. in case of urban indians, survey showed that 43 per cent of Indians find coViD-19 as the top worry. on the other hand, 40 per cent of indians said unemployment is the topmost worry and 28 per cent said that it is financial and political corruption. Inflation overtook healthcare to become the sixth most worrying issue worldwide. The great Britain saw the greatest increase in concern about inflation. 63 per cent, on average, people from across the globe said that their nation’s economy is ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ bad. unemployment remained one of the top worries among urban indians. it registered a two per cent increase in worry levels in comparison to the January survey results. amit adarkar, ceo, ipsos india, said that restrictions are easing in india and the common man is learning to live with the novel coronavirus and job opportunities are also increasing. “let’s face it, the coronavirus has not gone away completely and so worry levels continue to stay. While elections are major events and it is important for commercial places to function, crowds should follow all safety measures to avoid infections from going up. also, the job market needs to keep pace with the demand,” he added. adarkar added that the survey highlights the macro issues by markets and what worries the citizens to enable governments to prioritise them over others. on the other hand, india came out as the second most optimistic market in the survey after Saudi arabia. 78 per cent of people in india and 93 per cent in Saudi arabia remain happy with the economy. india has completed the vaccination of 1,80,19,45,779 citizens and the vaccination drive is in full swing. The government of india is making sure that no one is left behind. as a result, the central government has also announced the booster doses for all those who are above the age of 60. however, the experts from the indian institute of Technology, Kanpur, have suggested that fourth wave of the coViD-19 will be towards the end of June, 2022. one after the other, different variants of the novel coronavirus (SarS-coV-2) has crippled the economy and thus, this still remains the top worry of people across the world.

In case of urban Indians, survey showed that 43 per cent of Indians find COVID-19 as the top worry. On the other hand, 40 per cent of Indians said unemployment is the topmost worry and 28 per cent said that it is financial and political corruption

C40 Annual Report highlights best practices by cities

neW Delhi: c-40, a global network of mayors to take action against climate change, released its annual report on March 28, 2022. The present chair of c40 is Sadiq Khan, Mayor of london, elected by the peer cities. in 2021, 68 new climate actions were taken across eight sectors- Transport, energy and Buildings, adaptation, Waste, food, land use Planning, clean construction and air Quality. This brings the total implemented actions to 871.

Johannesburg and eThekwini in Durban made policies towards net zero carbon new buildings. Three more cities, including Kuala lumpur, now require renewables for buildings, and five more cities are reducing use of fossil fuels. in 2021, for the first time six cities have implemented policies restricting use of single-use plastics, including Delhi, in a bid to reduce waste emissions. number of cities which increased green cover to reduce urban heat risk surged to 17. finance

a joint partnership between c40 cities finance facility and Deutsche gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (giZ) enables emerging economies to access finance for implementing climate infrastructure projects. This is done for a fair distribution of funds across the global north and South. cities have adopted ‘climate Budgeting’ as a way to fund climate actions. This has proved to be a successful strategy in the case of oslo, norway where emissions are declining. other cities like Stockholm, Barcelona, Berlin, Montreal, Paris and Tshwane have also adopted climate Budgeting. inclusion is one of the major goals of c40. inclusion is achieved through participation of multiple stakeholders in the climate action plans. for instance, accra, ghana conducted workshops and focused group discussions with the community to understand their needs; Barcelona has created climate Shelter network ensuring that vulnerable people can stay cool during high temperatures.

air Quality and reduction in emissions

The goals of c40 are aligned with the Paris agreement goal of keeping global heat under 1.5 degree celsius. By 2030, c40 cities aim to reduce emissions by half. in october 2021, london expanded the ultra low emission Zone (uleZ), which was introduced in 2019 causing a 44 per cent reduction in no2 levels in central london, rose to 18 times the previously covered area, now covering four million people. it also introduced schemes to support people to switch to greener options for vehicles. Through ‘cities race to Zero’ portal hosted by c40, 1000 cities have committed to reduce their emissions by half. Six more cities (auckland, copenhagen, glasgow, Paris, rio de Janeiro and Seattle) have joined the list of cities pledging to reduce dependence on fossil fuel and employ sustainable methods, in 2021. This has expanded the existing list of 18 cities namely london, new York city, Berlin, Bristol, cape Town, Durban, los angeles, Milan, new orleans, oslo, Pittsburgh and Vancouver.

elimination of consumptionbased waste

in 2021, Milan won the prestigious earthshot Prize for its commendable efforts in successfully minimising edible waste in the city. it has created local food hubs to collect excessive food from retailers and food providers, and redistribute it to people who need it through various organizations, thus enhancing food security as well as reducing waste. They aim to reduce edible waste by half by 2030. Incidentally, this proved beneficial during the coViD-19 crisis to meet the needs of people. Milan is also helping peer cities to achieve the same through c40 food Systems network which it leads.in 2021, 61 Danish municipalities pledged to take climate action plans through c40 climate action Planning framework. nearly all municipalities of Denmark are now committed to keeping global heating below 1.5°c. c40 global Youth and Mayors forum released a playbook for youth engagement at coP26 (annual un climate change conference) in 2021. The playbook presents insights from young climate change leaders, case studies from 15 cities and approaches for successful engagement with the youth.

Webinar traces smart mobility initiatives in Sejong and Rotterdam

The event was organised by citynet on february 7, where the representatives from the cities of Sejong and rotterdam met for the second time to share knowledge and experience on smart mobility. The focus of the meeting was cooperative intelligent Transport Systems (c-iTS), Intelligent Traffic Lights, and autonomous vehicles. The cities presented examples of relevant cases in the webinar. in his presentation, robert Kooijman, advisor of Traffic Management and Smart Mobility at Municipality of rotterdam, expanded on the Rotterdam’s intelligent traffic lights system. The traffic lights in the city are connected to the integrated traffic system, MobiMaestro, which is also equipped with rain radar. This implies that their traffic lights can reflect the weather. rotterdam’s presentation also elaborated on the structure and functionality of their intelligent iVri lights. These lights can exchange information between the vehicles and the traffic lights. The motion control system can adjust the duration of the green light to the intensity of the traffic. iVRI can not only send information (about the red or green lights) but also receive data and see what kind of vehicles come up. The signaling device can direct specific traffic participants (eg. public transport, trucks, cyclists, emergency services). rotterdam can be aware of different traffic situations in the city with the help of the 24-hour control centre for MobiMaestro. The city is developing lights to prioritise not only emergency vehicles, but also public transport, logistics, and cyclists. The system in the city currently has 100 lights implemented, but this number will continue to grow in the future.

Presentation of Sejong complemented rotterdam’s presentation as they talked about the features of their own intelligent traffic lights. These intelligent traffic lights currently target emergency vehicles, thereby allowing traffic lights to prioritise them when they are within 300 meters. Moreover, when there are pedestrians crossing the streets, the traffic lights will not change until after the pedestrians have finished crossing. The pedestrian-first mentality is taking root in the cities of South area. The presentation revealed that this system has been applied to 23 intersections in the city of Sejong and has reported to dramatically reduce the passing time of emergency vehicles by 51.5 per cent for an average of 23 seconds.

Presentation of Sejong talked about their service enhancement plan. With the help of Sejong city integrated information centre, the city aims to improve signal control solutions based on feedback through data analysis after service introduction. Identifications of problems and improvements in pilot project in the city will provide knowledge for the purpose of expanding to other living zones in Sejong city.

Sejong and rotterdam further talked about the autonomous vehicles. currently, both the cities have employed autonomous outdoor robots for various purposes. it was mentioned that in Sejong, autonomous outdoor robots are used for security, food delivery, and sanitization in city parks. in rotterdam, they are being used for grocery deliveries on university campuses. rotterdam has also begun to implement autonomous shuttles, such as between airport terminals. The meeting noted that both the cities, with the help of significant data analysis and extensive testing are expanding their central command centres for autonomous vehicles and testing their use in the city.

Towards the end of the meeting, both the cities talked about their intention to visit each other during their study visits to the european union and Korea.