Mudit Jain, a final-year B.Tech student of IIT Bombay, is now working on creating a comprehensive development plan for Karjat, on the outskirts of Mumbai, which can then be used as a framework for similar initiatives. This is part of a new initiative launched recently by IIT Bombay which will enable undergraduate students to work on “live” projects and earn credits/grades for them.
“We will conduct exhaustive research that will cover areas like transport, healthcare and education, solid waste management, water supply and tourism, among others. A status report will be submitted by mid-March. We will propose solutions on each aspects. We also intend to develop a generalised framework so that if someone wants to conduct any city development plan analysis, ours can be used as a framework,” said Jain about his project that focuses on a part of the fast-urbanising Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The initiative, called “supervised learning opportunities for undergraduates”, is being coordinated by the Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA), IIT Bombay. “The aim is to enable the undergraduate students to do live projects, both urban and rural, with a development agenda. Good engineering always has a deliverable and the attempt is to solve a problem. Each of the problems will involve multi-disciplinary skills, direct interaction with stakeholders and formulation of solutions,” said a project coordinator. Around six such projects are currently underway.
While one looks at developing an integrated design of sewage and municipal solid waste treatment facility for urban areas, another involves an analysis of proposed and alternative plans for the new Mumbai airport. Students will analyse the current situation, number of flights, passengers and how the runways are used. The projected demand and factors involved such as fluctuation in oil prices and recession will be outlined. Actual infrastructural costs (terminals, runways), other infrastructural costs (connecting roads and bridges to Mumbai), environmental cost and long-term transportation recurring costs will be key study areas too.
Even as each project looks at solving critical issues, the grades will be based on deliverables. Students can either opt for a six-credit course or a 12-credit one. Seed funding will be provided for the projects. At the end of each project, students will have to give a final presentation, highlighting the deliverables. Reporting the proposed solutions/recommendations to stakeholders will be integral.
“We are working on a project that aims to implement a multi-village drinking water scheme. We are looking at institutional, societal aspects. We intend to design a self-sustainable system, while simultaneously drawing up a revenue collection model,” said Nikhil Kumar, a fourth-year dual degree student. With most urban areas facing water shortages, another important project will estimate the water requirements and fresh water availability of urban centres in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to arrive at the water balance. Students are expected to develop an improved methodology to calculate water requirement and availability in the region.
