To Make Smart City Plans A Success, Get The Basics In Place

In the run to become smart, civic bodies are coming up with plans and proposals that would beautify their cities and make them stand out in the rank lists. But in the process of coming up with exclusive ideas, they might have derailed the growth of a few. Are our planned Smart Cities inclusive? What are some of the basic issues that have to be treated right in order really turn cities Smart? Here are a few:

Plight of the centres of economics

Rajendra Nagar, Parivartan, Basanti Nagar, Satnami Nagar, Mehbullapur, Saroj Nagar, Indiraamma Nagar, Nochikuppam, Bhalswa and Dharavi. What are we referring to? These are the well-known centres of economics in Indian cities. They house the dabbawallahs, the dhobis and other menial workers in the metropolitan cities. As we talk about Smart Cities, reimagining these spaces is a need.  However, take a look at the numbers. The Slum Rehabilitation Authority constructed only 1.60 lakh homes for slum dwellers when the need was for 15 lakh such homes. And, this took 26 years to complete. Nevertheless, the authority is now working towards encouraging slum dwellers to upgrade. All the promises of providing incentives, basic infrastructure remains the same. But can we afford the wait?

The Bhubaneswar Development Authority is planning to come up with 6,000 affordable homes which would be allocated to them in their own locality at subsidised rates- Rs 1.50 lakh for each of these. Smart Cities Indore and Bhopal have also evicted about 1,200 families. In yet another Smart City, Dharamsala, 300 families have been evicted from Charan Khad, a slum settlement.

Bhanu Joshi, researcher, Centre for Policy Research, Delhi was quoted as saying, “Most cities that have submitted development proposals in order to be picked as a Smart City, plan on spending more than 70 per cent of funds on developing an area for the benefit of only about four per cent of the city's population. It's a very exclusionary plan that doesn't take into account everyone who makes up an urban space.”

Also read: How Long Before We Are Actually 'Smart'

Water at a price

Two decades ago, mineral water wouldn't be as popular as it is today. If they asked you for Rs 20 per litre, you would have probably frowned. Today, the water crisis in Indian cities is stronger. Pune, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai along with many other big and small cities are no strangers to water crisis. Where possible, real estate developers in these cities are assuring water supply round the clock. These projects get picked up faster than anything else.

Water tankers in upcoming localities command anything starting from Rs 500 per tanker. Mineral water per household takes another Rs 50. Water in most of these societies is a part of a household's monthly budget.

Three countries have shown a way out. Singapore, for example, banks on importation, desalination plants, rainwater and even recycling of sewage water. The country, with a population of five million, is also educating those who may be reluctant to consume recycled water.

Qingdao in China, too, has to provide for nearly nine million people. The city's desalination plant produces enough for five lakh people every day. Now, take the example of California. Year 2012 to 2014 was dreaded because these were the driest years ever recorded. However, conservation efforts thereafter proved to be helpful. Nearly 96 million shade balls were released into the Los Angeles Reservoir. These black spheres muted the pace of evaporation, conserving water.

If India cannot provide clean water to its teeming millions it should work towards embracing science and technology to mitigate the issue.

How you treat waste is how you treat your city

Solid Waste Management has roped in a lot of funds but little attention is given to how such hazardous throw-away has been treated. Even in cities that have ranked high on the Swachh Bharat charts are twisting and turning under the weight of poor civic control.

Most households in Kerala either fume their non-degradable waste or bury their degradable kitchen waste. There is negligible corporation intervention here although residents have often raised a cry. Burning so much of plastic waste is also known to deplete the ozone layer which in return causes radiation resulting into dire health hazards such as skin cancer etc.

Thanks to the terrain of the city and the lush vegetation, as a tourist in Kerala you would hardly get to see the filth. However, God's Own Country just like many other Indian cities is in urgent need of balanced and effective civic intervention.

Also read: Smart City Mission: Will The Face Of Indian Realty Change?