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Contents

1. Abstract

2. Introduction

3. Guwahati

4. The Problems

5. Guwahati smart city project

5.1. Area based proposals

5.2. Pan-city Proposals

5.3. Other projects

5.4. Smart city isn’t progressing

6. conclusion

1. Abstract

Most of the world's population today lives in cities. By 2030, the population of
the cities around the world is expected to grow from 3.3 billion to 5 billion
people. Due to resource constraints, there will be a problem in the future to
provide all the services to the residents. To continue to serve and improve the
standard of living of the growing population, it is necessary to develop smart
cities. The Smart City aims to make optimal and sustainable use of all
resources, while maintaining an appropriate balance between social,

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environmental and economic costs. This paper indicate the Guwahati smart city
proposal – how it is being implemented with the various infrastructure projects
in the city to carter its problems.

2. Introduction
Nearly 31% of India’s current population lives in urban areas and contributes 63%
of India’s GDP (Census 2011). With increasing urbanization, urban areas are
expected to house 40% of India’s population and contribute 75% of India’s GDP by
2030. Urban planners ideally aim at developing the entire urban eco-system,
which is represented by the four pillars of comprehensive development-
institutional, physical, social and economic infrastructure. This can be a long-
term goal and cities can work towards developing such comprehensive
infrastructure incrementally, adding on layers of ‘smartness’. The Government
of India intends to transform 100 Indian cities into Smart Cities. Guwahati was
one of the twenty cities to be selected in the first round of smart cities
challenge. In the approach to the Smart Cities Mission, the objective is to
promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life
to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of ‘Smart’
Solutions. The focus is on sustainable and inclusive development and the idea
is to look at compact areas, create a replicable model which will act like a light
house to other aspiring cities. The core infrastructure elements in a Smart City
would include: adequate water supply, assured electricity supply, sanitation,
including solid waste management, efficient urban mobility and public transport,
affordable housing, especially for the poor, robust IT connectivity and
digitalization, good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen
participation, sustainable environment, safety and security of citizens,
particularly women, children and the elderly, and health and education.
Smart city with the smart solutions like E-governance and citizen services,
energy management, Waste management, urban mobility, water management
and other solutions like skill development. Strategic components of Area-based
development in the Smart Cities Mission are city improvement (retrofitting), city
renewal (redevelopment) and city extension (Greenfield development) plus a
Pan-city initiative in which Smart Solutions are applied covering larger parts of
the city. Each city has to formulate its own concept, vision, mission and plan
(proposal) for a Smart City that is appropriate to its local context, resources and
levels of ambition. In particular, the elements that must form part of a SCP are
assured electricity supply with at least 10% of the Smart City’s energy
requirement coming from solar, adequate water supply including waste water
recycling and storm water reuse, sanitation including solid waste management,
rain water harvesting, smart metering, robust IT connectivity and digitalization,
pedestrian friendly pathways, encouragement to non-motorised transport (e.g.
walking and cycling), intelligent traffic management, non-vehicle streets/zones,

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smart parking, energy efficient street lighting, innovative use of open spaces,
visible improvement in the Area (e.g. replacing overhead electric wiring with
underground wiring, encroachment-free public areas, and ensuring safety of
citizens especially children, women and elderly). This paper will first describe
the brief about Guwahati city. Then it will describe about the problems facing in
the city like flooding, congestion in roads etc. Smart city proposal in two
category i.e. Area based proposal and Pan-city proposal is described. At the end
of this paper conclusion points on the benefits of this projects and the lacking
points of the proposal. (Smart cities- mission statement and guidelines, 2015)

3. Guwahati
Guwahati is the capital city of the state Assam in India. This city is located at a
strategic location as it is also known for the gateway for the North-Eastern
Region. It is a regional hub all the other states in the north east are depended
on Guwahati for the connectivity to the rest of the country. Guwahati is also a
hub for promoting “Look east policy”. It is one of the most important city in the
region and has the fastest growing metropolis in the region. This city is having
388 schools, 101 secondary and high schools including degree colleges. There
are 18 higher educational institutions such as Cotton College, Guwahati medical
college, Assam engineering college, Guwahati University, and IIT. The city
attracts students form the north eastern states also from other parts of the
country for the higher education. The infrastructure facilities in the schools and
colleges are well equipped with basic water supply and proper sanitation
facilities. As per the tourism plan for north eastern region, Assam alone
received around 4lakhs of domestic tourists which is highest in the entire
region and 15,557 international tourists in 2010. There is unique wetland
ecosystem in the city. It lies between the shilling plateau and the Brahmaputra
River and its scenic beauty. Wildlife sanctuaries and Ramsar Conventional listed
site i.e. Deepar Beel are exclusive in the region and are main tourist attraction
in the region and having potential to boost the tourism economy. So, the city is
likely to have a potential to develop as an eco-tourism destination, by
preserving and conserving ecological and cultural treasures in addition with the
accommodation facilities in the city. This city is also referred as “The city of
Temples. It is having rich historical, cultural and religious heritage that creates
potential to promote tourism. For physical and economic development festivals,
temples, archaeological sites, local food, music, dance, arts, and craft etc. plays
a vital role in the city. (The smart city challenge- the smart city proposal of
guwahati)

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4. The Problems
The city is facing many problems. Flash floods and landslides: The city is
experiencing flash floods in yearly basis which are due to heavy rains and
general degradation of the city’s natural ecosystem. In 1980’s there were very
few reported floods as compared to the present Guwahati metropolitan area.
This situation is due to the main reasons of change in the pattern of land use of
the city unplanned urbanisation. The primary reasons for the land slides are
encroachment of hills and cutting downs of trees. This results in excessive
siltation and causing floods. Soil losses in the slopes (without vegetation) is
phenomenally higher compared to the slopes that are having vegetation cover
during the rains. Traffic congestion and road accidents: The city is facing
problem of traffic congestion. The road network grid of the city is unable to
handle the traffic flow. There is also lack of proper infrastructure for the
pedestrian, and road accidents are also increasing. Road accidents cause 50.4%
deaths in Assam, which is very high than the national average i.e. 36.4% in 2013.
Nearly 211 persons are injured and 72 died till March 2014 in road accidents. Also
70% of the street is not having the goof footpath facilities. Public transportation
system: In Guwahati the 30.2% of the transportation trips is made through PT
(public transportation), 13% through IPT (intermediate public transport) and 23%
trips are through walk. But the city lacks in the pedestrian friendly
transportation infrastructure like footpath, equitable distribution of road space,
barrier free components, and first and last mile connectivity. There is a need in
the improvement in the facilities to prevent the modal shift towards the cars
which will create more problems like traffic congestion and pollution. Urban
Expansion: expansion of the city in the hills results in frequent landslides. The
soil erosion which becomes as a slit and directly flows to the storm water
drains choak the drains and becomes one of the reasons for the floods in the
city. Sewage and pollution goes into the storm water drainage system: the city
has air and water pollution due to the growing number of vehicles and there is
direct discharge of sewage waste into the storm water drains and this becomes
a major issue affecting local as well as macro environment of Guwahati. (The
smart city challenge- the smart city proposal of guwahati)

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5. Guwahati smart city project
Guwahati has incorporated a special purpose vehicle (SPV) – Guwahati Smart
City Limited (GSCL) (the 'Authority') to plan, design, implement, coordinate and
monitor the smart city projects in Guwahati. GSCL is a company incorporated
under Indian Companies Act 2013 with equal shareholding from Govt. of
Assam. The basic objective of the assignment is to support GSCL to
Development of proposed ABD Modules and PAN City proposal. TCE will
provide strategic, advisory, liaising, consultancy and project management
services to support GSCL in planning, designing, implementing and monitoring
Area Based Development Project under the Guwahati smart city proposal.
The SPV has been established on 11th May 2016. Also, Total authorized
capital of SPV has proposed Rs. 400.00 Crore and total paid up capital of the
SPV is Rs. 378.00 Crore. As per the Government of India, the total proposed
cost for Guwahati smart city is around Rs. 2296 Crore; which includes Area
Based Development (ABD) cost is approx Rs. 1579 Crore and Pan City cost are
approx Rs. 622 Crore. (Government of assam: Guwahati development
department, n.d.)

5.1 Area based proposals

Area based proposals contains retrofitting of contiguous area of 696 acres of
connected water bodies in the city. These includes the Deepar Beel wetland,
Morabharalu stream, Bharalu River, Borsola Beel and the Brahmaputra
riverfront.
The area based proposal include international class 6km long riverfront
development along the south bank of the river Brahmaputra from the famous
Kamakhya temple to the Raj Bhavan. The proposal will create eco-corridor that
will connect the riverfront with the other linear storm water drains to form 696-
acre contiguous ecological public realm for the city. 700 acres of equitable
recreational space will be integrated with the eco-mobility corridors. This will
make an image of new sustainable climate-change-resilient Guwahati which
will create tourism as well as liveable, clean, and sustainable city for the future.
This proposal is to achieve long term goal for flood free and make Guwahati
ecological city. The two drain channels which connect the river mainly Bharalu
and Mora Balu has maximum flooding incidents. The two streams further
connects to wetlands i.e. Bhralu connects to Borsola Bheel and Morabhralu to
Deepar Bheel. Deepar Bheel which is international acclaimed Ramsar
convention site, which attracts migratory birds and has potential to develop as a

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wetland park. Borsola Bheel which is having immense potential to be developed
as eco-tourism site with the facilities like boating, water sports, and waterways
recreational activities, etc. All these connected water bodies are not maintained
properly and now carry untreated sewage. The project intended to transform
these spaces into ecological parkways and equipped with trail network for
walking and cycling. These trails will make the city car free eco-mobility
network. The linear character of the new green eco-corridor will promote
variety of transport options which includes motor boats, shuttle solar boats, and
other facilities like waste water recycling, solid waste management, smart
parking etc. Apart from restoring the ecological part the city will also leverage
its natural beauty of the Brahmaputra River and its attraction Ramsar-wetland-
site i.e. Deepar Bheel, managing storm water, cleaning sewage, connecting
tourist attractions, improves connectivity. (Indian smart city mission)

Projects

Area base praposal Area Cost(cr)

Borosola Beel(lake) project 30 80

 Construction of treatment plant
 Cleaning and re-section of beel(lake)
 Development of parks
Mora bharalu river project 92 421

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  Treatment plant at every one kilometre
 Cleaning and re-section of drain
 Construction of embankment and compaction
Bharalu river project 100 296
 Treatment plant at every one kilometre
 Cleaning and re-section of drain
 Construction of embankment and compaction
 Solar
 Walkway and cycling
 Shops etc.
 Restaurants, overbridges etc.
Brahmaputra riverfront project 90 532
 Embankment (filling and cutting of earth)
 Construction of concrete sloping wall with rock
filling
 Construction of infrastructure work
Deepar Bheel Project 380 260
 Base work – development for half area
 Construction of infrastructure- solar, walkways,
shops etc.
Total 696 1689

All the area based proposals project completion will complete the city’s vision
and goals of:
1) Decongest city
2) Improved public realm of the city
3) Strengthened Eco-tourism in city
4) Clean city

5.2 Pan-city proposals

The Pan City proposal will focus on using an ICT-based application to meet the
specific targets of sustainable development goals for Guwahati i.e. making
Cities and Human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Some
components are ICT-Based Transport System, Development of a hydraulic
information system, installation of GPS, Wi-Fi network, etc.

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The city has been suffering from flooding annually during the heavy rains, these
are due to the rapid urbanisation, increased impervious surfaces, and storm
water runoff. With this problem there is encroachment in hills which results in
landslides, siltation of the lakes, wetlands, storm water channels, decreasing
their carrying capacity. The level of the city is lower than the High Flood Level
(HFL) of the Brahmaputra River, therefore causing the water to back flow. The
city has started takin actions to tackle these problems like initiated desiltation
(removal of slit from the water body), removal of encroachment etc. The city has
started building the sluice gates and pumping mechanisms to prevent the water
to back flow into the city and this is for the flood mitigation strategy. All the
operations of opening and closing of the gates and the pumping mechanism will
be done through the system of IOT (internet of things) i.e. all the operation at
different locations will be controlled automatically when the water level
reaches the pre-destined level. These are for to ensure better flood mitigation.
The ICT based solution for the gates and different pumps at the different
locations can be programmed through specially designed software to ensure
better efficiency and consistency for the flood risks in the city. With the data
received from the various like weather sensors, flood sensors that are installed
across the city will give the data of water level rise and able to forecast the
flood situation and gives the early warning system to the city for taking
measurable step for emergency situations like opening or closing of sluice
gates, sending people to safe zones etc. For the vigilance and maintaining the

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infrastructure there should be a control command centre for the pan-city ICT
based system. (Indian smart city mission)
The population of the Guwahati is over 1 million and the number of busses
in the city is more than 2400. The average trip length in the city is about 5.7 km,
this can be converted into sustainable modes of transportation like walking and
cycling for smaller vehicular trips which will help in congestion problems in the
city. The city is aimed at improving pedestrian and non-motorised transportation
infrastructure and prioritise bus operations. Intelligent transportation system
(ITS) solutions will include the CCTV, GPS in buses, PIS (passenger information
system). Each bus stop will have LCD display which will show the real time
information of the bus i.e. expected time of arrival, traffic situation in the city,
weather conditions, important news and evets in the city. All these are aimed to
better the experience of bus experience. (Indian smart city mission)
The transportation system will be improved with the series of
infrastructure development in the city through infrastructure improvement
programmes with the convergence ‘AMRUT’ – improvement in safety, lighting,
barrier-free universal accessibility, and critical first & last mile connectivity
with the bus stops i.e. to and from the bus stops, street design improvement,
cycle tracks, safe pedestrian crossing, wheelchair friendly ramps, refuge island
on main road and audible pelican signals. (Indian smart city mission)

Pan-city proposals

Projects Cost(Cr)

ICT project on public transport 150

 Development of ICT application
 Development of Hydraulic information system
 Installing of GPS, WIFI network, Computer and other electrical
equipment
Bus stop wholly developed by private organizer (100%) on BOT model 432
 Construction of bus bay and bus stop with all facilities on all two
lane roads
 Marking of bus bay on three lane road
Improvement of roads/footpath/traffic junctions on PPP mode cost 40
 Construction of footpath
 Construction of road crossing
Total 622

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All the Pan-city proposals project completion will complete the city’s vision and
goals of:
1) Become a flood resilient city
2) Solar city
3) ICT based city

5.3 Other projects

Other proposed projects under GSC to enhance smart solutions and area
reorganization of Guwahati city. Few others have been proposed as per SCP
RFP of Guwahati Smart City.
Bio Toilets: To meet the demands of sustainable and hygienic sanitation
system in the city, prevention of open defecation, preventing pollution of water
bodies and promote safety and dignity for women and other users, the
installation of Smart Bio Toilets in different locations in the city. Any Time Water:
To meet the safe drinking water requirements at public places in Guwahati,
potable water is proposed to be supplied through Automated Water Dispensing
units (ATMs) at selected locations. Gandhi Mandap is a Museum constructed in
memory of "Father of the Nation" Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, on the hilltop
of Sarania Hill, Guwahati. The objective is to preserve the heritage and historical
significance associated with the place and convert the place into a potential
tourism spot with naturally existing scenic viewpoints. At Command & Control
Centre use of GIS maps & various GIS analyses tools, will help monitor and
manage various aspects of Smart city like, Street lighting, Traffic signals, Smart
poles, Wi-Fi Locations, Environmental Sensors, Smart Parking, CCTV Camera
locations, Flood monitoring system, Smart Governance, Waste management
system etc. (Govt. of assam: Guwahati development department: Guwahati
smart city limited, n.d.)

Projects

1) Gandhi Mandap- Guwahati prime hill site redevelopment

2) GIS mapping
3) ATW (any time water)
4) Roof top solar mission (Govt. building)

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 5) Smart bio-toilet

Other Projects (Proposed as Per SCP RFP)-II

1) Bus stop wholly developed by the private organiser (100%) on BOT model
2) Smart road – PWD (World bank funded)

5.4 Smart city is isn’t progressing

According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs stated that the unique
geographic and demographic conditions of the north-eastern states have
created challenges for the execution of the Smart City projects in Guwahati. This
has also led to the unavailability of resources, including professionals at a
competitive price. (guwahati plus, n.d.). Apart from a section of politicians
allegedly holding a few projects, the frequent transfer of managing directors of
the special purpose vehicle (SPV) is also reportedly creating hurdles. Many of
the smart city projects are on hold for various reasons that are unknown. (East
mojo, n.d.)

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6. Conclusion
The smart city project of Guwahati is proposed in such a way that it is solving
the current issues through providing new facilities through projects making an
ecological corridor which is having the following benefits:

Ecological corridor

Area based proposals Pan-city proposals

 New public realm  Flood mitigation

 Consolidating and revitalizing  Solar ribbon
open spaces  Better bus connectivity
 Walkable city and cycle able  Better streets
city  Connected city
 Riverine eco-system  Better traffic management
regeneration
 Wetland protection
 Decentralised sewage
treatment
 Strom water management

The smart city project of Guwahati has covered all the aspects that are
mentioned in the smart city mission document and has been proposed projects
are in such that it solves the existing situation and also completes the goals of
the mission. But the smart city proposed it takes the city to builds its economy
towards tourism only with betterment of transportation system, it does not
given emphasis on the other sectors like education, housing and skill
development. Apart from all these the implementation of the project in failed in
the ground. These are due to various unknown reason with the geographical
conditions. Proper Review system should be there for the identification of the
faults in the system to achieve the plan on ground.

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References

East mojo. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.eastmojo.com/in-depth/2019/08/21/guwahatis-

smart-city-project-remains-a-distant-dream

Government of assam: Guwahati development department. (n.d.). Retrieved from Guwahati

development department: Smart city project:
https://gdd.assam.gov.in/portlets/smart-city-project

Govt. of assam: Guwahati development department: Guwahati smart city limited. (n.d.).
Retrieved from other projects: https://gscl.assam.gov.in/portlets/other-projects

guwahati plus. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.guwahatiplus.com/daily-news/here-s-why-

smart-city-work-isn-t-progressing-in-guwahati

Indian smart city mission. (n.d.). 25-26.

Indian smart city mission. (n.d.). 47.

Indian smart city mission. (n.d.). 48.

(2015). Smart cities- mission statement and guidelines.

The smart city challenge- the smart city proposal of guwahati. (n.d.). 11-12.

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