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Non-Revenue Water Imperatives to Improve
Water Management of ULBs/WBs in Indian Cities
-- Mona N Shah and Thilak Babu Gottipati
Prioritizing and minimizing Non-Revenue Water (NRW) commands least attention for those in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)/Water Boards (WBs) in India. NRW management critically affects the ULBs/ WBs in terms of minimizing the debt burden and preventing revenue losses. Acknowledging the significance of NRW, recently, the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has given high priority for the reduction of NRW under the government’s flagship program, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Water demand in urbanized India is forecasted to increase from 31% in the year 2000 to 42% by 2025 and 61% by 2050 (Amarasinghe et al., 2007). Compared to the developed countries where NRW is in the range of 10- 20%, and in exceptional cases, as low as 5% (Germany 7%, UK < 5%), the developing countries exhibit exceptionally high NRW figures. Except Japan, the NRW levels in South Asia are estimated to be more than 40%. This paper begins with a global and Asian perspective of NRW using secondary data, followed by a discussion on NRW with reference to India and Indian cities. Using the annual financial statement data of key metropolitan cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi and Pune, an attempt is made to compute NRW losses arising out of coverage, metering and cost recovery issues. Correlation analysis was performed to find the relation between lower NRW and higher operating revenues. The paper also estimates the revenue loss per day in the four cities due to NRW, and the implications of NRW for city managements. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Use of Energy-Efficient System for Temperature
Maintenance in Buildings
-- S Gupta, R Kansal and A Tiwari
Energy saving is the order of the day. Large quantity of energy is required for cooling and heating the buildings during summer and winter seasons respectively, especially in the tropical zones. Thus, there is a need to use innovative methods for temperature maintenance in buildings. This study discusses a system which uses the earth temperature and solar energy to maintain the temperature in buildings. Life cycle costing of the system is carried out and compared with the traditional system of cooling and heating the buildings. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
ICT and Rural Infrastructure: Cases from Indian Rural Sector
-- Sumanta Dutta and Surajit Das
The idea of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) can be applied to a wide variety of areas across different geographical locations, sectors and contexts in order to improve efficiency. There is a general agreement among policy makers and researchers that ICT is necessary to support various commercial, developmental and government activities. This paper examines some of the major cases for ICT implementation in the Indian rural sector, specifically exploring the interactions between the ICT intervention and the context within which these projects were rolled out. ‘ICT for development’ intervention is showcased as a process involving different macro and micro environmental factors and targeting particular social welfare improvements where citizens, especially in the context of rural people’s constraints and welfare, are placed at the heart of the technology implementation. This makes the development impact far greater and more sustained. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Telecom Technology Transfer in Rural India: A Study with Respect
to Marathwada Region in Maharashtra
-- Milind Pande and Neha Patel
Today Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has become an essential part of the common man’s life. It is a fact that communication innovations at the global level are occurring at a very fast rate, but its outreach to population in general and rural population in particular is very poor, especially in underdeveloped and developing nations. Of late, the developing nations, like India, have started giving a thrust to developing technology realizing its immense role in changing the economic and social face of its population. Around 65% of the nation’s population lives in rural areas. Rural people should have the same quality of life as is enjoyed by people living in sub-urban and urban areas. Further, there are cascading effects of poverty, unemployment, poor and inadequate infrastructure in rural areas on urban centers, resulting in the rise in slums and consequential social and economic tensions manifested in economic deprivation and urban poverty (http://abhinavnirman.in/programmes/rural-development/). © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Infrastructure in India: Contribution of Ports to the Economy
and the Road Ahead
-- N Bhanu Prakash and B V Ramalingeswara Rao
The economic development of a nation depends on several factors, and a developed infrastructure sector is one of the key determinants. 21st century has mandated adequate investments by the government and private sectors in the infrastructure sector for sustainable economic development. Economic liberalization has allowed a free flow of investments across the world, and Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) are looking for safe avenues for easy investment and expansion. One of their primary issues of concern is obviously the status of infrastructure in the target country. India, being a favorable destination for investments from MNCs, attracts huge exports and imports. Port infrastructure is one of the key indicators of sound infrastructural setup of a country. Ports are the gateway for foreign trade and developed port facilities provide a platform for smooth exports and imports. Around 13 major and over 190 non-major ports in India contribute to around 95% in volume and 75% in value to Indian foreign trade. The substandard performance of Indian ports, in comparison to their counterparts, affects business. The present study aims to track the progress and advancements made by the Indian ports and their future scope for development. It also highlights the inherent constraints in the development of Indian ports and suggests certain pertinent measures to enhance the functioning of this key sector. © 2011 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
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