The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : `Shakti' for march towards mega status

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 12, 2006
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

`Shakti' for march towards mega status

M.L. Melly Maitreyi

HYDERABAD: For a city that is undergoing dynamic pulls and pressures towards its march to emerge a mega city, vital research inputs and periodic checks and measures are imperative.

`Shakti,' a German research project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, will look into current and future needs of the city and devise solutions and strategies for its sustainable development.

The nine-year research project will be taken up in coordination with local research institutions, NGOs and urban development departments. Shakti will submit preliminary proposals by March, according to Barbel Schwaiger, Project Manager, European Institute for Energy Research.

It has signed an MoU for a pilot study of traffic and transportation with the Engineering Staff College of India. Another MoU between JNTU and a German university is under way for energy sector, she says.

Mega cities face massive problems in three dimensions — major influx of people, limited resources, goods and capital.

They need precautionary intervention and targeted urban development to prevent economic, social and ecological crises, she observes. "This is where local Governments and decision-makers need domain knowledge from research and functional experience," she says.

Sustainable solutions for urban infrastructure, mainly water, sewerage, sanitation system, energy and transportation sectors, should be in tune with local conditions and needs, she notes.

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