BergerWorld: 3rd Quarter 2006

Keeping Up With India's Remarkable Urban Growth

India is the world's seventh largest country by area and second most populous. With a population of over one billion, India is rapidly urbanizing. In 1950, a mere 17 percent of the country's residents populated urban areas; experts project that nearly 50 percent will reside in cities by 2030.

Extending over 192,000 square kilometers on the western half of India's Deccan Plateau, the dynamic state of Karnataka has a population of over 55 million. Bangalore, Karnataka's capital, located halfway between the coasts in southern India, is the country's third largest city. Known as "India's Silicon Valley" and "The Fashion Capital of India," Bangalore is the thriving home to over six million people as well as a $47.2 billion economy, India's fastest growing market. However, Bangalore is suffering from erratic power supplies and growing transportation constraints, as well as an infrastructure base inadequate to meet the booming industrial and commercial sectors' needs.

Under the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) first major urban infrastructure project in India, Berger was selected as the Project Management Consultant (PMC) to assist in the management of the implementation of the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Project. The ambitious eight-year, $112 million program is developing alternative-growth centers at Mysore, Channapatna, Ramanagaram and Tumker to reduce pressures on Bangalore's already overtaxed infrastructure and enhance living conditions for the target area's 1.2 million people, expected to reach two million by 2011.

Berger's ambitious program included institutional strengthening; new road improvements; truck and bus terminals to reduce urban congestion; low-income housing; development of industrial sites and services; and upgrading water, sewerage and solid waste management.

Rajasthan, home to over 58 million people, is the largest state in India in terms of area. The state's population has grown at an annual rate four percent higher than the national average since 1961. Since most of the state's historic cities were designed for smaller populations, they now face issues of overcrowding, aging infrastructure, inadequate water and sewerage systems and congested roadways.

The Berger Group was selected by the Rajasthan Department of Urban Development and Housing, under a $362 million, ADB-funded program, to manage the Rajasthan Urban Infrastructure Development Project in improving land development practices, water supplies, sanitation, drainage, solid waste management, road networks, traffic and transportation management, markets, residential sites and services, slum upgrades and conservation of Rajasthan's many historical areas.

The project entailed extensive measures to improve shelter and expand urban infrastructure and services, as well as institutional strengthening. The Team encouraged active participation of the local governments in planning and implementing extensive urban development programs; providing technical assistance and training; financing new investments; raising environmental awareness and responsibility; and improving the operation, financing and maintenance of facilities and services. The Team prepared guidelines for infrastructure improvements and plans for strengthening the capabilities of agencies involved in improving urban infrastructure and providing urban services. In addition, the Berger team developed master plans and recommended significant administrative improvements, including efforts to introduce computer technology into urban operations and procedures.

Under an ambitious ADB/Government of India urban program, the Berger Group, in partnership with SWK, was selected to prepare improvement designs, resettlement plans, environmental assessments, tender documents and construction supervision for urban projects and programs in Jammu and Srinagar, serving over 3.5 million residents. The improvements include water supplies, sewerage, drainage and solid waste management and urban transportation.

The Team will also assist in strengthening urban project management, planning and implementation capabilities of the Project Management Unit (PMU) and the Project Implementation Units (PIUs) of the Jammu & Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency. These responsibilities include capacity building; master plans for upgrading water supplies, sewerage, drainage and solid waste management; carrying out cost recovery studies for urban services; and developing a road maintenance system. Berger will also assist the PMU and PIUs by identifying additional future improvements.

Mumbai, the most populous city in India with approximately 13 million people, is India's commercial and entertainment capital, housing many of India's most important financial institutions, including the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India and the corporate headquarters of many leading Indian enterprises. Although the economy is vibrant, Mumbai's population has grown by more than nine million since 1947, and existing infrastructure has not kept up with the rapid growth.

Funded by the World Bank, the Berger team is providing construction supervision for the $20 million six-to-10 lane Santacruz Chembur Link Road, from Mithi River Bridge to Amar Mahal Junction on the Eastern Express Highway at Chembur. The new highway would provide a critical East-West Link between two important North-South Corridors in Mumbai, the Western Express and the Eastern Express Highways. The project also includes the widening of an existing congested local road, equipping it with pedestrian facilities, a traffic signaling system, street lighting and street furniture; replacing an aging steel bridge; and developing a vehicular subway under the Eastern Express Highway.

Berger was also selected to assist the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Agency (MMRDA) launch the initial segment of a $20 million Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS). The 11.6-kilometer project connects Versova, Andheri and Ghatkopar, and includes a link to the International Airport terminal.

Berger's work included assisting the MMRDA in obtaining clearance and approvals for the project work; land acquisition, including a database of land acquisition needs and reviewing the project feasibility study; and environmental regulations and concerns.

The Urban Administration and Development Department of the state of Madhya Pradesh is the Executing Agency for a $275 million, ADB-funded project to improve urban infrastructure services for nearly 10 million people, in four major cities in the region: Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Indore. The project involves preparing master plans and strengthening the existing municipal corporations, fostering community development and upgrading underdeveloped settlements under the Municipal Action Plan for Poverty Reduction. Given the shortage of adequate drinking water in the region, the project will rehabilitate and expand urban water supplies and improve wastewater collection and treatment systems. The program will also include upgrading solid waste management and storm water drainage.

The Berger Group is serving as the PMC, providing general management assistance, institutional strengthening and technical assistance. The PMC is assisting the PMU to develop master plans and approve the project components, analyze and approve conceptual and final designs, issue tender documents, evaluate and select contractors and report on the progress of the work. The Team will also assist the PMU in designing, contracting, installing and implementing new systems and procedures; implementing, managing and monitoring project activities; recommending ways to accelerate project implementation; identifying potential improvements; and providing training for state and local officials.