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Development
Constraints of Allahabad City to Become Smart City |
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| Paper Id :
18995 Submission Date :
2024-06-17 Acceptance Date :
2024-06-22 Publication Date :
2024-06-25
This is an open-access research paper/article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.13073361 For verification of this paper, please visit on
http://www.socialresearchfoundation.com/innovation.php#8
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| Abstract |
Urbanization has been a key driver of change in human societies and from the previous two centuries it has observed the great changes occurred mainly in rural way of life. Indian government has taken great initiative to develop hundred smart cities by 2023 under the Smart City Mission which has been praised as major step in the direction of socio-economic transformation of urban areas. The Allahabad city is one of the chosen cities to develop as smart city. Allahabad city has emerged as winner city in nationwide city challenge competition organized by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. It is a chosen one out of 12 future smart cities from Uttar Pradesh. The present study focus on the identification of the main challenges and problems of Allahabad city to become a SMART city and the study also evaluate the areas most affected by these challenges in the city. The study contain methods of factors against the scale of responses (frequency distribution). This in turn enabled the identification of the factor with the highest frequency to find the most occurring method using the Relative Importance Index formula (RII). Allahabad is facing a number of urban environmental issues and challenges. Large size of the city population lives in slum areas which have poor infrastructure facilities are absent in some areas. Water supply and sanitation conditions in slums are gruesome. The shortage of urban housing is another emergent problem in the city. |
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| Keywords | Smart City, Relative Importance Index, Socio-Economic, Safety, Congestion. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduction | Urbanization has been a
key driver of change in human societies and from the previous two centuries it
has observed the great changes occurred mainly in rural way of life. There was
around five percent of world population inhabited the urban areas in eighteenth
century (Nel-lo, 2016; History Database of the Global Environment, 2010). These
phenomena will be more pronounced in case of developing countries like India,
where the increase in the number of secondary and tertiary cities will retain
most of the growing urban population which is around 2.5 billion people which
accounts for 90 percent of total additional urban population (United Nations,
2019). Indian government has taken great initiative to develop hundred smart
cities by 2023 under the Smart City Mission which has been praised as major
step in the direction of socio-economic transformation of urban areas (MoUD,
2015). There is extensive work have done on smart cities in the last two
decades (Deakin, 2014; Townsend, 2013; Hollands, 2015; Graham and Marvin, 2002;
Bajracharya and Allison, 2008). Therefore, smart cities are the most
feasible research areas at present world. The smart city development is part of
India’s long-term plan to accommodate the continuously growing population. The
Allahabad city is one of the chosen cities to develop as smart city. Allahabad
city has emerged as winner city in nationwide city challenge competition
organized by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. It is
a chosen one out of 12 future smart cities from Uttar Pradesh (Press
Information Bureau, 2015). The idea of smart city is still in the nascent phase
and the process of defining and conceptualizing is in progress (Boulton et al,
2011, Hollands, 2008). There are various methods of smart city development.
Prioritizing corporate marketing is one of the methods that focus on smart
cities in the past, but social intelligence for cities needs to be grounded in
community-led communication and information for the advancement of culture and
the environment (Deakin, 2014). |
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| Objective of study | The present study focus on the identification of the main challenges
and problems of Allahabad city to become a SMART city and the study also
evaluate the areas most affected by these challenges in the city.
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| Review of Literature | The research by Landry and Burke (2014) has emphasized the importance of creating knowledge regions and creative cities in addition to a focus on technologies. The concept and definition of smart city varies from people to people, city to city, nation to nation, depending upon the level of development, resource availability, zeal for transformation and aspirations of city residents (MoUD, 2015). Zubizarreta et al., (2016) describe smart city as “A city that gives inspiration, shares culture, knowledge, and life, a city that motivates its inhabitants to create and flourish in their own lives”. Giffinger et al., (2007) have described six characteristics of smart city namely smart economy, smart people, smart governance, smart mobility, smart environment and smart living. For creating smart cities, there are several helpful conceptual frameworks available. For instance, Nam and Pardo (2011) distinguished three essential components of smart cities: people, technology, and institutions. |
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| Main Text |
The city of Allahabad (as per the Allahabad Municipal Corporation) extends from 81° 43ʹ 20ʺ E to 81° 53ʹ 30ʺ E longitudes and from 25° 23ʹ 00ʺ N to 25° 32ʹ 00ʺ N latitudes. From east to west the city limit is about 25.2 km, and from north to south, the city stretches for about 30.5 km (Figure 1). The total area under the Allahabad Corporation is 75.6 sq. km. It is located at an altitude of 98 m above the mean sea level (Census of India, 2011).
Figure 1: Study Area Ancient times
referred to the area as the large nation. The Baghelkhand region borders it to
the south and southeast, the middle Ganges Valley of North India, or
Purvanchal, to the east, the Bundelkhand region to the southwest, the Avadh
region to the north and northeast, and the lower Doab region to the west with
Kaushambi. The climate in Allahabad is representative of the humid subtropical
climate that prevails in towns throughout North-Central India (District Census Handbook,
Uttar Pradesh, 2022). |
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| Methodology | This study has completed on the source of both primary and secondary data. Qualitative and quantitative data is collected from both primary and secondary sources. Data: Primary data is obtained from questionnaire surveys and interviews of city residents and officials. The study has included the field observations, with the help of filed survey in the study area, formal and informal interviews were also been taken to collecting the requisite information. This study will include field survey of 400 respondent of the study area, which proved to be highly beneficial in collection of factual data and reliable information. Secondary data is taken from various Indian government information portals, city-specific government websites, city-specific department websites, research papers available publically, public reports and statistics and surveys done by various analyst organizations. There are various central and state government reports such as Allahabad District Census Handbook 2022, Allahabad Town Directory 2011, Census of India 2011, 2011, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission reports of Allahabad city, etc. City components that are significant in understanding the current situation of the city and the smart city transformation are identified. The data for the components is collected from different city-specific departments such as Allahabad Nagar Nigam, Purvanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited, Jal Kal Vibhag Allahabad, Disaster Management Department Uttar Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh Fire Service, Revenue Department Allahabad, Higher Education Department, Uttar Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Board, Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare Uttar Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh Transport Department, Allahabad Development Authority, Uttar Pradesh Police, etc. Data Analysis: The data has used for descriptive analysis and the study also used bar, pie, line graph have been used in the study and statistical table has been used to elaborate the status of facilities in Allahabad city.
Relative Importance Index: The tables contain methods of factors against the scale of responses (frequency distribution). This in turn enabled the identification of the factor with the highest frequency to find the most occurring method using the Relative Importance Index formula (RII) as given by (Tam et al., 2000).
where ‘w’ is the weighting given to each factor by the respondent, ranging from 1 to 5 in which “1” is the least important and “5” the most important; A is the highest weight, in this study A = 5; N the total number of samples. Considering disposal as an example, the following is how the formula is used as;
The example above is based on the data collected from the field and applied in the formula. |
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| Result and Discussion |
Major Problems in Allahabad city Allahabad is a fast-urbanizing city of Uttar Pradesh, India. To achieve sustainable development, it has been realized that no programme can get success at the desired level without people’s active participation and role in its planning, implementation, monitoring, and appraisal. These man-made environmental problems cannot all be solved by technology alone. The relationship between man and nature must be reconsidered. The components of challenges faced by any SMART city is categorized as economic, social, and environmental problems. These issues and challenges make the city worst place to live (Figure 2). The economic challenges such as urban sprawl, housing issues, unemployment, transportation, communication and social challenges such as sanitation, sewerage, drinking water, education, health, safety and environmental issue such as pollution and solid waste management and hazards etc. are major causes of concern in the study area.
Economic problems Housing Issue: The total area of Allahabad city is around 75.6 sq. km which comprises of 80 municipal wards grouped under seven zones. The city can also be classified into Old City and New City areas. The Old City includes areas in and around Chowk and the New City includes areas in and around Civil Lines. The city has grown around the Old City Centre since the beginning. Table 1:
Growth of Households in Allahabad City
Source: Statistical Handbook of Uttar Pradesh, 2022 The number of households increased from 1, 24,479 to 1,50,157 from 1991 to 2001 which shows an increase of about 20.6 percent. During the next decade 2001 to 2011, the number of households increased from 1, 50,157 to 1, 95,259 which is 30.04 percent (Table 1). During 2011-2017, the total number of households increased from 1, 95, 259 to 2, and 33,149 which is about 19.40 percent. High Concentration of Population: High rate of population growth coupled with in migration from surrounding areas has led to a rapid increase in the number of households in Allahabad City (Table 2). Urban household density has a huge impact on the availability of civil amenities in the city. Large population squeezed into small space causes overcrowding in urban areas. More population increases the traffic on roads causing various traffic related issues. High demand of land results in increase of land cost which causes the marginal income group people to live in slums and squatter settlements. Table 2: High Concentration of Population in Allahabad City
Source: Statistical Handbook of Uttar Pradesh, 2022 Security and safety: The Allahabad city needs more emphasis in utilization of technology and components for city surveillance. The basic foundation of any Smart City is safety of its citizens and vital resources. The Allahabad city has not upheld the data protection regime till now. So this city does not compliance with the data protection of the people living in the city.
Figure 3: People Perception about the Communication and Safety in the city There are 58 percent of the respondents did not observe any surveillance and safety feature in the city (Figure 3). There are only 16 percent respondent said that they have find camera installation for the safety purpose in the city. Traffic Congestion issues: Roads and transport constitute the main components of an efficient urban functioning. The major roads of the Allahabad city such as Tej Bahadur Sapru Road, C S P Nyay Road, Mahatma Gandhi Road, University Road, Kasturba Gandhi Road, Kamla Nehru Road, Muir Road, Drummond Road, Sarojini Naidu Road, Bank Road, Ram Das Gulati, Thornhill Road, Lowther Road, Kamla Nehru to Chowk Road and Sir Suleman Road, etc. are major road which shows high traffic congestion point in the city which need to be decongested by developing flyover and underpasses in Allahabad city. Social problems: Sanitation-The Allahabad city has proper sanitation amenities. There are 61 percent of respondents have water sealed sanitary facilities and 29 percent respondents has pit latrines in the Allahabad city. Both category represents 90 percent of respondents who have sanitary facility in Allahabad city (Figure 4). The city has lacking in sanitary for all the people in Allahabad city.
Figure 4: Problem related to Sanitation Sewerage- The city drainage system is barely sufficient to handle such a rapidly growing population. It requires building new sewerage facilities as well as repairs and maintenance of existing one. Towards the outer city margins one can also observe that most of the drains and open nalas are suffering encroachment by slums, small shops, vegetable growing belts, etc. the existing sewerage system does not fulfill the demand of the population of the city. Health Centers- Health is an important component to measure the smartness of people and living style. The public health institutions of the Allahabad district comprises of four district hospitals, one Tuberculosis hospital, nineteen Community Health Centers, seventy Primary Health Centers, including new PHCs and 572 Sub-centers. Health centers are not enough to handle large section population in the city. Environmental issues: Air Pollution- Allahabad has seen colossal development in and around the city which has caused numerous outgrowths on the outer periphery of the metropolitan zone. In 2021, there is a marked rise in the Nitrogen Dioxide concentrations in Allahabad City. The maximum values of NO2 have surpassed the national and WHO standards as well as the annual average are also way above the desired limit of 40 μg/m3 (Figure 5). Allahabad city has high pollution level and NO2 level is also high due to which city cannot be declared as fit to become SMART city. Figure 5: NO2 concentration in Allahabad city
Figure 6: SO2 Concentration in Allahabad city
Figure 7: PM10 Concentration in Allahabad city The SO2 concentration in Allahabad city is already higher than the national average which denotes that the city does not perform better than national average. It means city do not comply with the air quality norms due to which air pollution level is very high in the city (Figure 6). PM stands for particulate matter (also called particle pollution) is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets floating in the air. The NAAQS for PM10 concentration is set at 60 μg/m3 annually and 100 μg/m3 daily for residential, industrial and rural areas. WHO has set the permissible limit of PM10 pollution at 20 μg/m3 (annual mean). The Laxmi Talkies have highest concentration of PM10 in Allahabad city followed by Bharat Yantra Nigam Limited with 296 PM10 level (Figure 7). These centers shows highest concentration level of PM10 in the city and very high in comparison to national level norms. Therefore, the city is considered much polluted and pollution is one of the biggest hindrance for the city to become a SMART city. Water Pollution- Allahabad is very strategically located at the confluence of two major mighty rivers of India i.e. Ganga and Yamuna rivers. Being densely populated, there is a large scale municipal waste generation which is released into the river in most cases without proper treatment and segregation. Due to which, it has been observed that the levels of DO throughout the monitoring period has remained higher than the tolerance level of 6mg/l. Decrease in DO represents an increase in biological and photosynthetic activity. BOD level has also remained greater than the tolerance level of 2mg/l. Unpolluted river waters are likely to have a BOD value <3mg/1 O2 and values significantly above 4-5 mg/1O2 indicate possible pollution. The level of BOD has however decreased during the monitoring period. Total coliform level was highest in 2019 but has deceased gradually in the year 2022 (Table 3). It is also observed that standards for coliforms are exceeded more frequently than for BOD and DO. Therefore it can be concluded that coliform and BOD emerge as the most critical parameters of river pollution. The data shows that throughout the study period the level of DO is above the critical level of 6mg/l which is good. The level of BOD is also slightly above the critical level of 2mg/l. Table 3: Yamuna
River Water Quality Assessment at Allahabad City (Average Annual Values)
Source: CPCB, New Delhi. 2021 Unpolluted river waters are likely to have a BOD value <3mg/1 O2 and values significantly above 4-5 mg/1 O2 indicate possible pollution. But the level of total coliform is very high and far above the critical level of 5000 MPN/100ml. The level biological indicators of river Yamuna is much worse in most of cities as compared to that of river Ganga. 5. Relative Importance index of Challenges of SMART city The waste management practices are most important aspect for the proper waste management. Therefore, various activities are being practiced to control and minimize the impact of waste on society and human being and environment. Therefore, the method such as waste management index in form of Relative Importance Index (RII) have been used to assess the quality of waste management practice in the study area (Table 4). Table 4: Relative Importance
Index
Source: Calculation based on Tam et al., 2000 There are number of components such as People Perception about the urban Sprawl in Allahabad, People Perception regarding Digital safety of people, Income level of Respondent in Allahabad City (Monthly), People getting Financial Assistance, Getting Food, Having Bank Account, Having Insurance Policies, Sanitation Amenities Available to the Respondents in Allahabad City and Water related facilities in Allahabad etc. all these issue are major component for a city to grow as SMART city. These components reflects the need of a need to enhance their capacity to become SMART city. The sanitation facilities get rank one because their relative importance is very high in SMART city approach in Allahabad city then water related issues are 2nd most importance aspect that Allahabad city needs to solve to become SMART city in near future. The food and income have got 3rd and 4th relative importance rank because these two are also basic and major components for city. Allahabad city has to tackle all these two issue effectively to become the SMART city. |
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| Conclusion |
Allahabad is facing a number of urban environmental issues and challenges. As the population in the city is increasing, more and more land is required to fulfill the housing needs of the people which results as reduction in cultivated land and forests lands. Large size of the city population lives in slum areas which have poor infrastructure facilities are absent in some areas. Water supply and sanitation conditions in slums are gruesome. The sewerage system of the city is insufficient and very poor. Large quantities of untreated sewage waste are disposed of in the rivers Ganga and Yamuna using of drains which pollutes the river water which in turn affects the human health in the city. It is estimated that 36.14% of total city waste belongs to the non-biodegradable category and remaining 63.86% belongs to the biodegradable category. The shortage of urban housing is another emergent problem in the city. |
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| References |
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