Author : Arati Kochar 1
Date of Publication :7th February 2017
Abstract: In the past decade the world has woken up to the environmental deterioration & climate change. The scenario is not different in India. The main reason behind this is increased urbanization. Urbanization is an inevitable phenomenon and it is in fact a sign of a matured economy. India is witnessing tremendous growth in every sector. India has recently launched smart city project. But when the cities in developing world lack long term strategic planning, management skills and struggling with infrastructure provision and high concentration of poverty and slums, thinking of smart cities does not seem to be a realistic goal. Developing countries rather than being obsessed with the dream of smart cities should be focusing more to their villages and try to curb the urbanization growth. But smart village did not make inroads as the cost of developing physical infrastructure in low density rural areas were too high and the village Panchayets have scanty revenues to manage such infrastructure even if they are developed by state or federal funding. So sustainable villages can be another good option. Any society with less resource utilization and sustainable behavioral practices can help in controlling the deterioration of environment, achieving lower carbon footprint and thus could aid to minimize greenhouse emissions and climate change. Villages are more sustainable and resilient than cities. The main goal of the project is to develop a sustainable perspective plan for a village in Maharashtra. In the present study, the existing village has been studied in terms of efficient use of resources and energy. The overall consumption of electricity, water and other energy sources has been determined by circulating a questionnaire to all the villagers. Detailed analysis of last 10 years rainfall data and groundwater level survey has been carried out. After detailed analysis of the survey data, a perspective plan will be developed for sustainable development of that village. These findings will assist the government to strategize their efforts towards achieving village sustainability instead of smart cities.
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