18 June 2024 – The Hindu

Moving Towards Sustainable Urbanism

• India is currently experiencing a period of revolutionary growth in its urban landscape. Driven by economic vitality, American cities are expanding at an accelerated rate. But this quick growth has also sparked a heated discussion over the sustainability and quality of metropolitan areas.
• A number of recent incidents have brought attention to safety problems, including the fall of enormous hoardings in Ghatkopar and Pune, a fire outbreak in Rajkot’s Game Zone, a boiler explosion at a chemical business in Dombivli, and an oxygen cylinder explosion in a paediatric hospital in New Delhi.
• Thus, India needs to adopt a nuanced approach to urban design that promotes a balance between safety, economic development, and population well-being.

What is the Indian Framework for Urban Governance?

Organisations:

• Developing national policies and supervising central government programmes pertaining to urban development is the responsibility of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• State Departments of Urban Development: These agencies carry out national policies and establish state-specific laws pertaining to urban development.
• Municipal corporations, often known as municipalities, are in charge of overseeing growth, providing services within their borders, and planning at the local level.
• Urban Development Authorities (UDAs) are specialised organisations created to advance particular urban projects or locations.

Legal and Constitutional Frameworks:

• Articles 243Q and 243W of the Indian Constitution give local governments, or municipalities, the authority to plan and develop urban areas within their borders.
• The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992 added Part IX-A to the Constitution and granted constitutional standing to urban municipal authorities.

What are the main issues facing India’s urban areas?

• Inadequate Housing and Slum Proliferation: Over 65 million people live in slums or informal settlements in India, where there is a shortage of urban housing of approximately 18.78 million units between 2012 and 27, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Air Pollution and Environmental Degradation: Car emissions, industrial processes, and building projects are the main causes of India’s extreme air pollution in urban areas.
• As an illustration, nine of the ten most polluted cities in the world, according to the World Air Quality Report 2023, are in India.
• Mobility Issues and Traffic Congestion: The surge of private automobiles and rapid urbanisation have resulted in extreme traffic congestion, which has lengthened commutes and reduced productivity.
• Example: It is estimated that during peak hours in Bengaluru, the average traffic speed is about 18 km/h, which leads to huge economic losses from fuel waste and lost productivity.
• Inadequate Solid Waste Management: Garbage piles and health risks result from Indian cities’ poor solid waste management.
• Example: Indian cities produce about 62 million tonnes of municipal solid trash a year, of which only about 20% are appropriately handled or managed, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
• Problem of Cybersecurity and Resilient Digital Infrastructure: As major urban areas become more digitally connected, there is an increased risk of cyberattacks, making it imperative to create resilient digital infrastructure.
• The 2022 ransomware attack on AIIMS Delhi serves as a reminder of how susceptible metropolitan digital systems are.
• Water Scarcity and Poor Water Management: Due to increasing urbanisation, population increase, and groundwater depletion, many cities are experiencing severe water shortages.
• For instance, people in Chennai had to rely on water tankers and desalination facilities due to a serious water crisis in 2019. The severity of the problem is further shown by the recent water crisis in Bengaluru.
• Urban Heat Island Effect and Loss of Green Spaces: The urban heat island effect, which raises temperatures and energy consumption, is a result of rapid urbanisation and the loss of green spaces.
• For instance, in May 2024, the intense heatwave in Delhi caused the city’s power consumption to reach a record high of more than 8,000 megawatts.
• Increasing Numbers of Fire Hazard Cases: Because there is little infrastructure and knowledge on fire safety, urban fires present serious risks.
• These places are densely populated, which increases the risk of fire. As a result, emergency services have a harder time responding to calls for help.
• Urban flooding and drainage infrastructure: During the monsoon season, urban flooding is a common occurrence due to inadequate stormwater drainage systems and encroachment on natural water bodies.
• Major floods have occurred in India recently, causing many people to flee, especially in Hyderabad (2020 and 2021), Chennai (November 2021), Bengaluru and Ahmedabad (2022), portions of Delhi (July 2023), and Nagpur (September 2023).

What Are the Principal Urban Area-Related Government Initiatives?

• Intelligent Cities
• Mission AMRUT
• Urban Swachh Bharat Mission
• Urban Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana
• District Programme with Aspirations
• National Urban Livelihood Mission – Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY-NULM)
• Which Approaches Are Needed to Bring India’s Urban Landscape Back to Life?
• Decentralised and distributed waste-to-energy systems: encouraging public-private partnerships for waste collection, sorting, and processing; providing incentives for community-based waste management efforts.
• promoting the construction of small-scale waste-to-energy facilities that transform municipal solid waste into electricity or biogas, two forms of renewable energy.
• Encourage public-private partnerships for garbage collection, sorting, and processing, and provide incentives for community-based waste management programmes.
• Implementing smart water metering and monitoring technologies to find leaks, improve water distribution, and encourage economical water use is known as smart water management and recycling infrastructure.
• putting money into cutting-edge facilities for the recycling and treatment of wastewater in order to recycle and reuse treated wastewater for non-potable uses including industrial cooling, landscaping, and flushing.
• Urban Digital Twins and Predictive Modelling: Digital twins are virtual representations of cities that are used to simulate and assess a range of situations, infrastructure developments, and environmental effects.
• utilising artificial intelligence and predictive modelling to optimise infrastructure management, resource allocation, and urban planning using real-time data and simulations.
• Digital twins are being integrated with urban government platforms to facilitate citizen involvement, data-driven decision-making, and participatory urban planning procedures.
• Applying the “Sponge City” concept, which entails incorporating permeable pavements, green roofs, rainwater gardens, and other water-absorbing elements into urban landscapes, will result in permeable urban landscapes.
• promoting Blue-Green Infrastructure in urban areas to improve water retention and flood reduction by preserving and restoring natural water bodies, wetlands, and floodplains.
• integrating nature into the built world by implementing biophilic design ideas into infrastructure and urban architecture. The Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore is a noteworthy illustration of biophilic design.
• Democratising smart city infrastructure—such as smart grids, intelligent traffic management systems, and Internet of Things-enabled public services—will increase productivity, lower carbon emissions, and improve the standard of living for locals.
• Real-time Fire Risk Assessment and Alert System: Utilising weather and smart metre data integration, sensors are placed to monitor temperature, humidity, and air quality in high-risk regions, particularly public buildings.
• utilising artificial intelligence to evaluate the risk of a fire and send out notifications via mobile alerts and public address systems to locals, firemen, and law enforcement.
• Cybersecurity and Digital Infrastructure Resilience: To safeguard vital urban digital infrastructure from cyber threats, significant investments should be made in strong cybersecurity measures, such as access controls, improved encryption, and real-time threat monitoring.
• putting failover and redundancy measures in place for digital infrastructure to guarantee that crucial services continue even in the event of system failures or cyberattacks.