Lucknow: The 2nd ‘Sustainable Urban Innovation Conclave-Uttar Pradesh Edition’, organised by APAC News Network, puts forth the agenda of holistic urban transformation with sustainable Technology leveraged as an enabler. Be it infrastructure, housing, cities, water, energy or urban Mobility, expert speakers agreed that sustainability is the path to take for future innovation. Durga Shanker Mishra, IAS, Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh graced the inaugural session as the Chief Guest along with G Asok Kumar, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga (Namami Gange), Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India as the ‘Keynote Speaker’. The event was held in Lucknow on Friday in which the ‘Urban Development Department’ and ‘Jal Nigam’ of Uttar Pradesh are the Host Partner and Supporting Partner.
Durga Shanker Mishra, IAS officer and Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh, said, “People often misunderstand sustainability as only technology.
For me, it is all about doing things smartly. Economic, environmental & social sustainability is most important and that is why we are focusing on the holistic sustainable development of cities.”
Urban population is on the rise, and with more and more people shifting to urban areas for an elevated lifestyle, there is a need to ensure that people are receiving basic facilities, like water and energy, to ensure sustainable living.
The availability of clean water and energy is of the utmost importance in any location, a thought that aligns with that of G Asok Kumar, as he says, “Water has never been a part of urban planning in the past.
Things have started to change in recent years though, and technology can be an effective enabler to fight some of the challenges of water management.”
The element of technology can catalyse the process of sustainable growth for India, and Schneider Electric’s contributions towards a technologically transformed India cannot go unnoticed. “Urban development, energy growth and meeting climate goals are needed. But we have to manage both growth and maximising available resources in India.
Technology can bridge that. Schneider Electric is ensuring sustainable development through Technology & Innovation,” said Venkat Garimella, Vice President, Schneider Electric India.
With the rapid growth of urban areas, and a major population shift from rural areas, the offerings of one cannot go without the other. Illuminating this phenomenon, IAS Durga Shanker Mishra said, “In 2022, India’s urban population crossed 50 crore, which will touch 60 crore by 2030 and we will majorly become an urban population country. Urban centres are driving economic growth. Rural area production gets value added in urban areas…so both are complementing each other.”
The construction of smart cities has brought about massive developments that tip the scales towards sustainable living without the wastage of resources. Bringing up this topic, Mishra said “Honourable Prime Minister guided us with his Smart City Vision. Through this, we have tried to find new answers to the challenges of urbanisation in India. Mantra has been- Getting More from Less.” Going back to the roots of civilisation, that saw a harmonious coexistence of people next to water bodies, Mishra added that more than 50 rivers in Uttar Pradesh have been revived. “People have to be connected with rivers. As long as that is done, rivers will never die,” he said.
The influx of population comes with a lot of issues, like health risks, transportation issues and pollution. Addressing his initiative to combat these issues, IAS officer and Secretary of Medical, Health & Family Welfare Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Ranjan Kumar said, “Managing air pollution, transport problems, etc are a challenge for urban healthcare. We have to ensure greener spaces in cities. We need to make infrastructure more sustainable with the help of emerging technologies for ensuring optimisation. In all this, we have to think about life. Mental health needs to be given importance.”
Further breaking down the participation towards a healthier lifestyle, Ranvir Prasad, IAS officer and Housing Commissioner, U.P Housing & Development Board, Government of Uttar Pradesh, said, “We are giving importance to walkability in urban planning along with creating green space first and then building township. This is a paradigm shift in the thought process.” He firmly believes that a dedicated budget should be made available to ensure sustainable efforts.
It is no secret that the distribution of water takes up a lot of energy, resulting in the creation of wastage. Amritanshu Kumar, Segment Head of Water & Waste Water, Schneider Electric said, “3-4% of the world’s electrical engineering is consumed by the water segment. We at Schneider Electric are helping our customers to help in reducing losses and improving efficiency.” Schneider is taking the initiative to work with various water departments in various states, including Uttar Pradesh, he added.
Amit Kumar Singh, IAS officer and the Special Secretary to the Urban Development Department and Joint Managing Director, Jal Nigam, Government of Uttar Pradesh, said, “Water is an important part of our overall urban development plan in the state. 24*7 tap water supply scheme will be implemented in 60 cities which will ensure a completely different experience for both govt and citizens.
This water supply system is sustainable as it is based on new age technologies.” This crucial initiative will truly enable a technology that enables urban, water and energy transformation for a sustainable future.
The APAC 2nd Sustainable Urban Innovation Conclave, Uttar Pradesh, saw several other dignitaries grace the event. Dr. Balkar Singh, IAS, Managing Director, UP Jal Nigam (Rural), Government of Uttar Pradesh gave a special address, along with Roshan Jacob, IAS, Division Commissioner & Chairman.
Neelam Janaiah, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation Ltd. (TSREDCO), Government of Telangana and Ishwar Chandra Yadav, Director (Projects), Energy Department, Government of Bihar gave presentations on tackling challenges of India’s Energy Sector through technology for a sustainable future.
Vishal Kumar, BU Manager, Phoenix Contact India Pvt. Ltd., gave an industry perspective about this topic. Jitendra Tyagi, Managing Director, Uttarakhand Metro Rail Urban Infrastructure and Building Construction Corporation Limited (UKMRC) and Anil Kumar Shrangarya, Director Projects, National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), gave presentations on making urban public transport seamless with integrated system driven metro connectivity.
Lastly, A.K Gupta, Additional Director, Regional Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies, Lucknow, Pankaj Yadav, Executive Engineer, Uttar Pradesh, Jal Nigam, Mahesh Gautam, Superintendent Engineer, Uttar Pradesh, Jal Nigam, and Amit Tyagi, Vice president, Phoenix Contact India Pvt. Ltd., gave presentations on making urban water management sustainable through new age innovations.
