By 2030, more than 600 million Indians will live in cities, compared with 350 million today, and about 70 percent of new jobs will be created in cities, fueling the national economy like never before.
But the government says India’s infrastructure is inadequate for the massive urban growth. Only 20 percent of the country’s urban sewage is treated before disposal, and few cities have sanitary landfills for solid waste. Out of 85 cities with more than a half-million people, only 20 have local bus service.
India must invest more than $860 billion in urban infrastructure over the next 20 years, officials say. “Our cities are bursting at their seams with people, but urban services are lacking. We don’t have enough trained town planners. Our cities are growing without any plan,’’ said Kamal Nath, the federal urban development minister.
Hubli, which has more than 900,000 people, is emerging as an example of the problems and the promise accompanying India’s urban boom as cities of its size look for ways to prepare for additional growth.
Two decades ago, Hubli was a cotton and chili trading town, connected to the rest of India only by train. But it began to grow as businesses seeking to expand looked for places beyond expensive and clogged large cities and as the number of college-educated young people began swelling in small towns. Two large, national highways also were constructed through Hubli.
Its small airport, which began functioning in 2006 by handling propeller planes, is expanding its runway to make room for wide-bodied Boeing 737s to land. Officials are trying to combat the rising number of private cars and encourage public transportation by building dedicated lanes for buses.
But one of Hubli’s most dramatic projects focuses on overhauling the city’s water supply model to keep up with its residents’ growing aspirations. With a $39 million grant from the World Bank, the water department began a pioneering experiment in 2008 to deliver water to five neighborhoods 24 hours a day. The project’s success has triggered a clamor for similar programs not only in other neighborhoods across Hubli but also other Indian cities.
