Urban transportation in the country is currently facing a number of challenges such as traffic congestion, poor road safety and parking, and high levels of pollution, pointing to a dire need for a switch to cleaner technologies. Further, rapid urbanisation has created a burden on the existing civic infrastructure resulting in issues related not only to mobility, but to water and sanitation, waste management, etc. To overcome these challenges, the government launched the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) to deploy smart solutions to provide core infrastructure services to cities. Indian Infrastructure discusses the smart mobility and smart water and waste components of the mission…
Smart mobility
While the provision of physical infrastructure is fundamental for enabling mobility, there is however a tipping point after which additional supply will no longer be an efficient means to service demand. Here, smart solutions can help in improving efficiency of the system and redistribute demand across modes, routes and time. One of the core infrastructure elements of the SCM is efficient urban mobility and public transport. A gamut of innovative projects ensuring last-mile connectivity, such as public bicycle sharing have been implemented in Bhopal, Pune, Mysuru and Jaipur to provide seamless app-based access to vehicles for last-mile transport. Another smart mobility solution being adopted is the use of smart cards. Smart cards facilitate seamless movement across various modes of transport through the use of a single card for payment of tickets and tolls. In February 2019, the Maha Card was launched in Nagpur while Bengaluru is in the process of implementing a common mobility card as well. Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited is also expected to roll out a multi-utility smart card, called the Smart Trivandrum card.
Smart cities are also adopting passenger information systems (PIS) that provide real-time information to passengers using a public transport system. The Chandigarh Transport Undertaking has developed a mobile application that enables commuters to track long-route buses in real time and know the estimated time of arrival by using smart phones. An automatic vehicle location system and PIS have also been embedded in the app. Ahmedabad has successfully deployed a PIS to provide real-time bus information via its mobile app, website, and in-station boards to enable passengers to plan their route and estimate waiting and arrival times.
Dedicated rapid transit corridors and real-time parking management are other technological solutions being adopted under the smart mobility component of the SCM. Plans are afoot for expanding the existing bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune and Indore. Besides, cities such as Nagpur, Chennai and Kochi also planning to develop BRT corridors.
Smart water and waste
Against the backdrop of a growing urban population and increasing shortages in service delivery, smart cities are incorporating technologies such as smart meters, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and smart bins into their day-to-day operations in a bid to improve water supply coverage and make solid waste management more efficient. The use of these technologies enables cities to better manage water distribution networks and streamline the waste collection process.
Smart cities are increasingly relying on geographic information systems (GIS) to improve water supply system efficiency. Further, the use of SCADA enables remote monitoring of the water supply distribution system and its various process parameters such as water quality, process variables (flow level and pressure) and control elements (electric actuators for valves). Various utilities are also taking up projects to replace conventional meters with smart metering solutions. Smart meters enable them to accurately measure the quantity of water being supplied to each consumer and improve revenues. Another noteworthy initiative under the water and waste management component of the SCM is the installation of waste-to-energy (WtE) plants. These plants serve the dual purpose of eliminating waste while also generating energy from it. To this end, the urban development department of Madhya Pradesh is already in the process of generating energy from waste materials in Jabalpur, where a WtE plant has been set up and about 800 tonnes of solid waste is converted into energy every day. Earlier in February 2019, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation inaugurated three projects at Punjabi Bagh – a biomethanation plant, an aerobic composter and an effluent treatment plant. Smart bins are also being installed under the mission to clear waste in a systematic manner. Global positioning system-based vehicle tracking systems for optimising transportation of garbage and mobile applications for effective redressal of customer complaints are also being deployed under the SCM.
In sum
In the four plus years since its launch, the SCM has gained significant traction. Innovative technology-led initiatives are being implemented across cities. Those such as Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Surat, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai have launched initiatives for the deployment of advanced communications systems, intelligent transit management systems, smart meters, GIS for solid waste management, and mobile applications. The increase in the pace of implementation notwithstanding, the SCM still has a long way to go in developing the urban infrastructure in the mission cities.