Engineering: issues, challenges and opportunities for development ...

ENGINEERING: ISSUES CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENTEngineering and associated capacity building, applications andinfrastructure is of vital importance in social and economicdevelopment, as indicated in the comments of world leaders onknowledge societies and economies, and in the declarations ofinternational conferences and world summits. Yet engineeringis routinely overlooked in the context of development policyand planning – it is hardly mentioned in relation to the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs), or in many Poverty ReductionStrategy Papers (PRSPs), for example. This chapter focuseson engineering for development applications and infrastructure,with particular reference to the Millennium DevelopmentGoals and related international development priorities, and theconnection to engineering standards. There is an initial focuson poverty reduction, with a case study from South Africa, andsustainable development, including a study on the MDGs, sustainabledevelopment and engineering standards.The importance of technology in climate change mitigationand adaptation has been emphasized by the IPCC and recognizedby many governments, and the role of engineeringin this context is vital. Engineering is also vital in emergenciesand disaster response, reconstruction and risk reduction,as recently evidenced by the Haiti earthquake. Technologiesfor development need to be appropriate to context, and theimportance of ‘ appropriate technology’ has been recognizedand promoted since the 1960s, albeit with mixed receptionaround the world. The case for appropriate technology ispresented here, with an interesting case study on the use ofappropriate building technologies. Sections on engineeringinfrastructure include contributions on water supply andsanitation, energy, transportation, communications, reliabilityand maintenance management. There is a concludingsection on the development of infrastructure in developingcountries, including a discussion of Infrastructure ReportCards, designed to focus attention on the importance ofinfrastructure – with case studies from South Africa, Australiaand USA.Fiscal Stimulus Package Survey 2009The global financial crisis has led to most major countriesannouncing a stimulus package – a special fiscal package ofspending and tax measures meant to increase economic activity(more formally, fiscal stimulus aims to boost economicactivity during periods of economic weakness by increasingshort-term aggregate demand). These packages generallyinclude a significant percentage for infrastructure projects thatrequire consulting and engineering services. The InternationalFederation of Consulting Engineers ( FIDIC) monitors the overalleffect of this infrastructure spending on the demand forthese services.As mentioned in the Introduction, it is interesting to reporthere the results of the FIDIC survey of economic stimuluspackages around the world – with stimulus packages totallingUS$2035 billion, with US$1163 billion earmarked specificallyfor infrastructure, and an estimate of US$20 billion that will bespent on engineering consultancy services.Stimulus Packages: Infrastructure ComponentCountry Instrument Date Total InfrastructureEuropeanUnionEuropean CouncilAgenda (includesMember Countrystimulus packagesgiven below)11-12 Dec 08 US$ 252 billion US$ 218 billion for extrameasuresAustralia Announcement 15 Oct 08 US$ 7.4 billion12 Dec 08 US$ 2.2 billion US$ 2.2 billionBrazil Signed into law 23 Jan 09 US$ 20 billion US$ 37.7 billionCanada Announcement 13 Jan 09 US$ 30 billionChile 5 Jan 08 US$ 2.0 billion US$ 0.7 billion248