Quality of air horrible, traffic chaotic

HYDERABAD: Congested roads, polluted air, drinking water shortage, litter, inefficient public transport system, health and education disparities, growing slums and urban migration -- Hyderabad is not alone in grappling with these issues. Many cities across Asia are confronted with the same problems. But what’s the solution? “There’s a need to make our villages more livable and economically self-sufficient so that migration of people to urban areas could be checked,” suggested Governor ESL Narasimhan. Begging to differ, Prof Ashok K Dutt, founder of Asian Urban Research Association, believes development of rural areas is no solution since urban areas will continue to be hubs of economic activity. These and other ideas were exchanged at the 11th Asian Urbanization Conference organized by the department of Geography, Osmania University. The four-day program had over 12 sessions, with scholars from across the country and the US, Germany, France, South Africa, Pakistan, Iran and other countries presenting over 300 papers.  Inevitably, in a conference of this nature, comparisons will be drawn between China and India. Prof Dutt said China had been tackling its urbanization problems by not stopping migration but by strengthening its infrastructure in cities. Prof Yves Boguet from France compared four Asian cities namely Hyderabad, Hanoi (Vietnam), Manila (Philippines) and Guangzhou (China). Visiting Hyderabad after 34 years, he felt the city had become extremely polluted and congested. “The quality of air is horrible, and traffic chaotic,” he observed. He added that Hyderabad was similar to a lot of other Asian cities. Offering a solution to the chaotic traffic system, he said Bus Rapid Transit, a system followed in developed cities of the world, would be a good solution.