INFRASTRUCTURE

The 21st century is referred to as the ‘Century of the City’ as it is expected that by the middle of this century, the world’s urban population will exceed its rural counterpart. Urban population will increase from 50% to 70% of the world’s population by the year 2100. This growth is expected to be fueled largely by developing regions, expected to grow annually at 2.27% till 2025 compared to 0.49% in the case of developed regions. In India, the urban population is expected to comprise 40% of the total population by as early as 2021.

A major problem associated with this rapid urbanization has been the inability of local governments to cope with the colossal demand for urban infrastructure. Many cities are at a breaking point. Their aging infrastructure-designed to serve much smaller populations-is bursting at the seams. Traffic, pollution, inadequate water and power are problems in all cities- large or small.

Considering the current situation in India, the urban infrastructure investment requirement is estimated to be anywhere between INR 1 trillion to INR 6 trillion; of this about INR 1.7 trillion is estimated to just meet  the target of 100% coverage of safe water supply and sanitation services by 2021. 

Learning from other countries

Besides the magnitude of the investment it is imperative that the investment is done in the right manner at the right time, and towards creating the right assets. In this regard India can leverage experiences of other countries worldwide- Public transport planning and travel demand management measures from cities like Singapore, London, Bogota and Curitiba; waste management measures like ‘Strategies by England and Wales’ and those inculcating the re-use and re-cycle of materials like the ‘Integrated Decontamination and Rehabilitation of Buildings, Structures & Materials in Urban Renewal’ being conducted in Europe; water supply improvement initiatives undertaken by Scottish Water (UK), PUB (Singapore), AUQA (Poland), SDE (Senegal) and NWSC (Uganda) represent some successful stories that can be applied to the Indian subcontinent after careful understanding and analysis.

Some Initiatives undertaken by the Indian Government include

• Schemes such as Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) & the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT). The focus of these schemes is on achieving reforms-driven fast track infrastructure development. JNNURM targets a total investment of a whopping INR 1 Lakh Crore over a five to six year period from (2007 to 2012). While the scale and scope of JNNURM is huge, this is a mere drop in the ocean if India were to try and address all its urban problems.
• Formulation of the National Urban Transport Policy emphasizing the role of public transport systems and non-motorized transport in cities. As a consequence of this policy, metro rail systems have been planned in metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore whereas bus based systems are being preferred by other smaller cities like Ahmedabad and Indore.
• National Urban Sanitation Policy which aims to achieve 100% urban sanitation by 2012. While some cities have made concerted efforts including the construction of the bio-methanation plant in Bangalore, the waste-to-energy plant in Vijaywada and pelletisation plant in Hyderabad by taking measures to improve collection, recycle and reduce waste, efforts remain scattered and non-focussed. A National Water Mission has also been formulated, the emphasis being on improving the coverage levels in an equitable manner and decreasing UFW levels.
• The Ministry of Urban Development has standardized service level benchmarks for some urban infrastructure services and has initiated a Peer Experience and Reflecting Learning Initiative to inculcate a continuous improvement, learning and monitoring system within cities.

It is expected that proper execution of such initiatives will help India in improving some of its infrastructure problems that have long prevented it from realizing its true potential, given the abundance of resources, both natural and human, at its disposal.