There are many ways to define urban development. Let me give you a very simple one because that is what I am going to talk about today! When we think of urban development, we think of high-rise buildings, flyovers and a lot of cement work.
The Power of Cement for Urban Development in India: a blog about how cement can help improve urban development within India.
The Power of Cement for Urban Development in India
India’s urban population is expected to increase from 340 million in 2008 to 590 million by 2030. It is estimated that the country needs to build 800-900 million square metres of additional urban housing and create another 200-250 million jobs in cities by 2030 to meet the current demand. To achieve these, the government has launched many initiatives such as Smart Cities Mission and Housing for All. However, a key challenge remains: how does one provide basic facilities like water, electricity, sanitation, etc., for the millions of citizens who will be living in these new habitats?
The answer lies in cement. Cement is an essential ingredient for any construction activity. It is used in every aspect of infrastructure development including roads, bridges, buildings and housing. Given India’s growth rate and its focus on improving the quality of life for its citizens through accelerated urbanisation, cement demand is expected to grow at 9% over the next seven years (Cement Manufacturers Association).
This blog aims to discuss how cement can help improve various aspects of urban development within India.
India’s urban population is at present 34 Crore and is expected to touch 54 crore persons by 2050. By 2030, India will have 68 cities with a population of over one million, up from 42 currently. The numbers are huge and the implications are deep.
Our cities today are ill-equipped to manage this massive growth with the current infrastructure being insufficient in terms of connectivity, sanitation, housing and transportation. In order to meet these challenges, India needs to invest heavily in urban infrastructure. And it can be safely said that cement will play a crucial role in building our nation’s future.
The recent budget has increased the outlay for urban development by Rs 7000 crore over last year. The Finance Minister has also announced 100 smart cities and AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) for 500 cities. It is noteworthy that under AMRUT, at least 15% of the funds would be earmarked for water and sewerage facilities to ensure adequate water supply to every household and improving sanitation under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
There is a clear emphasis on improving urban governance in this budget, which is critical for the nation’s socio-economic growth. One of the key areas that need attention is ensuring good quality of life for
India has the potential to become a global manufacturing hub. But, for this, the country needs to develop its urban infrastructure. Increasing urbanization is adding an additional burden on the already crumbling urban infrastructure in India. In fact, by 2030, India will have 590 million people living in cities and it is estimated that India will add close to 90 million people to its urban areas over the next decade.
Urban development is essential for the success of such initiatives as ‘Make in India’ and ‘Smart Cities’ programme of the Government of India. For this, there is a need for a robust urban infrastructure especially in developing concrete roads as well as commercial and residential buildings.
Urban Infrastructure Development: A Case Study
In order to understand how cement can be used as a tool for development, let’s take an example of a flyover at Siripuram Junction on NH-5 near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. This was once one of the busiest junctions in the city but was very congested due to high traffic flow. The traffic flow at this junction was around 50,000 Passenger Car Units (PCU) per hour during peak hours which led to daily jams lasting anywhere between half an hour and
In India, cement is an important building material. It is a key component in the construction of buildings, roads and other structures across the country. It also contributes to economic development as it can be used to make a variety of products such as concrete, bricks and pipes.
India has one of the fastest growing economies in the world and urbanisation is playing an important role in this growth. The construction sector accounts for over 10% of India’s GDP which makes it an important contributor to employment and income generation. The housing market has been expanding rapidly since 2000 with demand for new homes increasing as people move from rural areas into cities due to better opportunities available there. Over 50% of all private residential housing units are being built within cities which means that there are more than 60 million households living in towns and cities across India today compared to 40 million back in 2001 according to data from census 2011.
The government aims to build 100 smart cities by 2022 through its smart city mission (SCM). These projects will require significant investment from both private developers and investors but there are challenges facing them due to lack of land availability in urban areas which makes it difficult for developers who want to construct high-rises on small plots without paying exorbitant amounts for land acquisition rights or demolishing existing buildings
Nagarjuna Cement is one of the leading cement manufacturers in India. The company has established itself as a prominent player in the industry with its state of-art-technology and innovative product range. Since inception, Nagarjuna Cement has always been at the forefront of technology and has pioneered many new products that have become industry standards.
Nagarjuna Cement Limited is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company which was established in the year 1987 with an installed capacity of 0.6 Million MTPA (at present, the capacity stands at 5.08 Million MTPA). It manufactures 43 & 53 grade OPC & PPC cements under brand name