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

ENGINEERING FOR DEVELOPMENT: APPLICATIONS AND INFRASTRUCTUREtechnologies and, often, changes in the governing regulations;infrastructure development, economic development and environmentare interdependent and, therefore, policies for infrastructuredevelopment need to be approached on the basis ofall these considerations. Furthermore, the need for improvinginfrastructure in developing countries calls for a new scientificapproach and techno-economic regime for solutions that canbe implemented in these resource-poor countries.The following broad areas might be considered when workingtowards ensuring proper infrastructure development in developingcountries:■ Planning and policy-making: Policies for integrated infrastructuredevelopment have to be formulated by governments.Environmental impacts on ecology and watersupplies and the long-term effects need to be understood.There is a need for multi- level planning to counter the illeffectsof urban growth (such as regional imbalances andinformal settlement growth, and so on). The urban localbodies need to be strengthened further so as to generatecapability to stimulate new growth centres with sufficientemployment opportunities, and to plan for the process ofurbanization. Strong institutional mechanisms as well assound strategies for resource mobilization and investmentare needed.■ Providing employment and services in rural areas: Thereis a need for generation of employment opportunities inthe rural areas to eradicate poverty. Investments have to bemade in agricultural as well as non -agricultural activities inrural areas in order to help address the inequalities betweenthe rural and urban areas. Services that should be providedshould prioritize water and sanitation, public transport,health centres, telecommunication facilities, improvedaccess to governance structures, schools, vocational trainingcentres, and economic facilitators such as cooperatives,local generation of distributed energy, and so on.■ Transportation in urban areas: Transportation is a keyrequirement for trade. Proper transport planning allows forthe provision of an efficient and affordable transport systemaccessible by all communities, as well as pollution minimizationand energy conservation. An integrated multi-modaltransport system needs to be developed in many ‘megacities’,along with other feeder transport services to ruralareas.■ Technology intervention and knowledge networks: Theworld is experiencing rapid technological innovation andthere is need for disseminating knowledge between countries.A mechanism for international joint observation ofinfrastructure development would ensure the disseminationof knowledge and capabilities that allows lessons to belearned from projects around the world, and would raiseawareness for the need for investment in infrastructure forthe needs of the interdependent, globalized economy.■ Development of fi nancial infrastructure: To attract ForeignDirect Investment (FDI) in the infrastructure sector, amechanism has to be evolved to help build confidence inthe durability of agreements entered into by governments,particularly since many major infrastructure projects byinternational institutions are seen to have failed. Nationalcapital pools need to be created for financing training andeducation of local bodies and technical and financial management,and to handle the difficult issues of land tenure.The World Federation of Engineering Organizations’ Committeeon Engineering and the Environment ( WFEO-CEE) enablesthe global engineering profession to address the UnitedNations Millennium Development Goals through the development,application and enhanced understanding of sustainableengineering practices, the adaption of infrastructure tothe impacts of a changing climate, and through mitigating therisks of natural disasters.6.2.8 Infrastructure Report CardsKevin Wall and Sam AmodInfrastructure report cards: international practiceOne of the earliest report cards on infrastructure was producedin the United States of America in 1988 by their NationalCouncil on Public Works Improvement. Ten years later theAmerican Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) took over the reinsand produced the first Report Card on America’s Infrastructure.Since then, they have produced updates in 2001, 2003, andthe most recent in 2005. The reports have gradually becomemore detailed and broader in scope so that now reports areproduced by the State and, in some instances, by the county.In 2006, flowing from the 2005 report, ASCE produced anaction plan appealing to Congress for such actions as establishinga National Commission on Infrastructure, increasingfunding for specific improvements and, most notably, promotingcertain Acts that are presumably under considerationby the legislators. The ASCE initiative is well funded and is anintegral part of the lobbying process that is so much a partof American public participation culture, as the followingexcerpt testifies:Congested highways, overflowing sewers and corroding bridgesare constant reminders of the looming crisis that jeopardizesour nation’s prosperity and our quality of life. With newgrades for the first time since 2001, our nation’s infrastructurehas shown little to no improvement since receiving a collective299