What Problems Do Mega Cities Cause Environmental Sciences Essay

What Problems Do Mega Cities Cause Environmental Sciences Essay With the open markets and the liberasation of the economy in 1991 India went on a fast track economic boom with an 8-9% GDP growth per year. Urban areas have experienced an unprecedented rate of growth over the last 30 years. India is considered to be one of the most attractive countries for industry in the world as the vast population and the low living standards ensure the cheap manpower (when a normal salary in Europe or America is 40 dollars per day the 80% of the population in India lives with less than 2 dollars among them the 34.7% with less than 1 dollar per day) and thus the viability for the industries. As a result the mitigation phenomenon to big cities from rural areas has started the last decades and cannot be controlled. Unfortunately as it is going to be explained below the infrastructure lacks and so does not usually ensure a friendly and sustainable place for the immigrant-dwellers. Creation of mega-cities During the last 50 years Indians population has more than doubled (today 1.2 billion), but the urban population has grown nearly five times (H.Taubenbock,2008). Right now more than 50% of the whole earths population live in urban areas (Clark, 2003). The graph below shows the population growth of Mumbai Graph 1. Ref (M.Barke, 1998) More than 20 huge cities (with over than 10 million inhabitants) around the world were identified; three of the cities, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkatta, were on the Indian subcontinent. Mumbai with 3.1% and Delhi with 4.1%, the highest, population growth rates in the world. Cities and their growth should be examined carefully as they cover only 2% of the earths surface and consume 75% of all resources as well as producing 75% of all waste (Girardet, 1999; UNFPA, 2007). Â  Picture 1 table 1 (Ref. H.Taubenbock, 2009. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems) Location of Indias large urban agglomerations and population growth in the 9 largest Indian cities in million of inhabitants. Lack of infrastructure-Problems In the new mega cities with the uncontrolled urbanization a huge percent of the population is accommodated in slums without houses, hospitals, hostels, roads, no kind of city planning and finally but most importantly no sanitation, drainage system and water treatment. Below there is a photo which shows the phenomenon of the slums in the huge cities in India. Picture 2 (Ref. http://www.google.gr/images?um=1HYPERLINK http://www.google.gr/images?um=1hl=eltbs=isch:1q=slums+in+indiasa=Nstart=306ndsp=18HYPERLINK http://www.google.gr/images?um=1hl=eltbs=isch:1q=slums+in+indiasa=Nstart=306ndsp=18hl=elHYPERLINK http://www.google.gr/images?um=1hl=eltbs=isch:1q=slums+in+indiasa=Nstart=306ndsp=18HYPERLINK http://www.google.gr/images?um=1hl=eltbs=isch:1q=slums+in+indiasa=Nstart=306ndsp=18tbs=isch:1HYPERLINK http://www.google.gr/images?um=1hl=eltbs=isch:1q=slums+in+indiasa=Nstart=306ndsp=18HYPERLINK http://www.google.gr/images?um=1hl=eltbs=isch:1q=slums+in+indiasa=Nstart=306ndsp=18q=slums+in+indiaHYPERLINK http://www.google.gr/images?um=1hl=eltbs=isch:1q=slums+in+indiasa=Nstart=306ndsp=18HYPERLINK http://www.google.gr/images?um=1hl=eltbs=isch:1q=slums+in+indiasa=Nstart=306ndsp=18sa=NHYPERLINK http://www.google.gr/images?um=1hl=eltbs=isch:1q=slums+in+indiasa=Nstart=306ndsp=18HYPERLINK http://www.google.gr/images?um=1hl=eltbs=isch:1q=slums+in+indiasa=Ns tart=306ndsp=18start=306HYPERLINK http://www.google.gr/images?um=1hl=eltbs=isch:1q=slums+in+indiasa=Nstart=306ndsp=18HYPERLINK http://www.google.gr/images?um=1hl=eltbs=isch:1q=slums+in+indiasa=Nstart=306ndsp=18ndsp=18) The picture above shows the largest slum in Asia at the heart of Indias financial capital Mumbai where millions of poor in India live in such conditions. The rapid and extensive sprawl of the urban population cannot provide the urban planners with the information needed in order to provide plans with the appropriate amenities such as water, sanitation and electricity. Main arising problems include: (Ref. R.K.MUTATKAR,1995) a) Housing: As the urban population has been increased from 20% in 1971 to 38% in 1991 and is still rapidly increased urban land becomes very precious and insufficient to cover all the needs. As a result 30% of the population lives in slums and 45% live in single room tenements. Around 20% of houses are made from mud and thatch and one third of the population has no access to a lavatory. b) Water supply: Common water posts are provided as the water in cities is inequitable. In Ahmadabad for example, 25% of the population consume 90% of the water whilst the rest of the population 75% have to consume 10% of water. Approximately the 34% of the poor urban dwellers do not have a piped water supply. c) Sanitation: Despite the improvement in providing sanitation facilities, most of the towns depend on open surface drains for the waste water disposal which in terms is vulnerable to communicable diseases from flies, bacteria e.t.c. Also where underground sewerage system exist there is a danger of seepage in the corroded pipes which may cause great health hazards like hepatitis and diarrhoea epidemics. d) Pollution: Air and water are mainly polluted from transport and industries. In Calcutta for example there are 11,516 factories and 525,000 cars. Also as the 70% of the population is using coal as cooking fuel, it is subsequently one of the most polluted cities in the world. Unfortunately rivers are heavily polluted by industrial wastes. e) Health care delivery: Despite the provision of municipal dispensaries, public hospitals and private clinics and the modern imported technologies the medical system does not operate normally. As the 80% of medical practitioners cater the needs of only 20% of the urban population. The public hospitals and its stuff shows a very apathetic attitude to the patients in the public hospitals which enforce them to prefer the private clinics. f) Transportation problems: The unplanned design of slums does not usually satisfy the efficient transportation of the workers. Due to the huge population concentration, the big distances to the work places and the undeveloped unfriendly to the environment transportation modes it is estimated that the transport sector is responsible for 70% of the national CO2 emissions. g) Morbidity and related problems: In these over-populated areas (regions), communicable diseases like leprocy and venereal are in high levels. The poverty leads the men to alcoholism and few women to prostitution. Crime rates have been increased tremendously as well as death in the cities due to accidents and lack of transport and road safety education. i) Climate change/fast growing cities: Except the lack of infrastructure and the living problems which that causes to slum dwellers mega cities contribute seriously to the climate change. Are charectirized from high levels of energy consumption, burning of fossil fuels and concentrated activities in disproportionate land. Unfortunately the overpopulation of these sites and their rapid expansion to the suburban areas makes the problem even worse and impossible to be solved apace. In conclusion urbanization problems have arisen from rural poverty and unemployment which motivated the citizens to migrate to big industrial cities. There is not however the appropriate infrastructure to accomodate the new comers or proper planning of transport, water, drainage and health care delivery system. Mellenium Development goals for India (Ref.Economy, Investment Finance Reports.2006) The Millennium Declaration adopted 8 development goals for India are briefly presented below. The majority of them are relevant to urbanizations arising problems. 1) Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger: India must reduce by 2015 the proportion of people below poverty line from nearly 37.5 percent in 1990 to about 18.75 percent. National Rural Employment Act will help to reduce the poverty ratio even further. 2) Achieve universal primary education: India should increase the primary school enrolment rate to 100 percent and wipe out the drop-outs by 2015 against 41.96 percent in 1991-92. 3) Promote gender equality and empower women: The female participation at all levels should be promoted to reach a female male proportion of equal level by 2015. 4) Reduce child mortality: The target is to reduce under five mortality rate (U5MR) from 125 deaths per thousand live births in 1988-92 to 42 in 2015 5) Improve maternal health: India should reduce maternal mortality (MMR) from 437 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1991 to 109 by 2015. 6) Combat HIV/ AIDS, malaria and other diseases: As the prevalence rate has increased from 0.74 per thousand pregnant women in 2002 to 0.86 in 2003, this increasing trend needs to be reversed to achieve MDG 6. 7) Ensure environmental sustainability: The proportion of population without sustainable access to drinkable water and sanitation is to be halved by 2015 and India is on track to achieve this target. Also this step involves the protection of forests and presrvation of natural resources. 8) Develop a global partnership for development: Basically meant for the Developed Countries to provide development assistance to developing countries. These goals are intended to confront poverty, illiteracy, hunger, lack of education, gender inequality, infant and maternal mortality, disease and environmental degradation. Solutions social-environmental-economical point of view (Ref. Manoj Roy,(2009)) A number of solutions and measures should be introduced in order to contribute in the elimination or at least decrease of the pre-mentioned problems. Activities and measures will involve land use planning, climate change and city sustainability towards an overall urban sustainability which in terms will lead to a better life type now and maintenance of it for next generations. 1) Economic activities will invole: a) Decentralisation by generating new jobs, work places in suburban areas or support to those existing in the rural areas in order to motivate the dwellers to stay, that will lead to a more balanced employment distribution. b) Establishment of export zones for promoting their production and linkages between the formal and informal sectors as well as linkages between the rural and urban economy. c) Support to micro-enterprises and especially those developed by women. Non governmental organizations could also provide micro-credit. 2) Social and institutional activities will involve: a)Measures to encourage the public participation in the planning process, strengthening the participation of municipal authorities and the adoption of a strategic planning approach. b) Land use plans and effects of land use alterations, research and development in the construction methods and building materials, mechanisms for private contractors to promote low cost housing scheme and development of secondary towns with the prospect to accomodate slum dwellers. c) Enhance community participation in slum improvement project components, urban infrastructure improvement projects, measures to reduce the total population and health service programmes. 3) Environmental activities will involve: Respect and proper implementation of the environmental laws, reduction of travel time, preservation of rural areas with high agricultural and ecological importance especially when these are located in or near to urban areas. Mitigation of flood, recycling, waste water disposal and sanitation and generally measures to reduce the pollution from industry and vehicles. As climate change is of high importance nowadays few economic, social and environmental measures which could reduce the phenomenon are presented. Economic measures related to climate change would be the enhancement of financial (the one which allows productive activities to get going)and social (shared values and mutual understanding) capital by reducing the travel time and distance, congestion, emmisions, industrial pollution and the promotion of sustainable technology (environmental measures as well). Synergy between the urban and rural climate change resonses is needed as well as reduction of vulnerability of poor and women. Social/institutional measures target on public awareness, education for appropriate environmental behaviour, reduction of carbon sinks, enhancement of responsive capacity of the local authorities e.t.c. Resilience of the built environment plans and energy efficiency with protection and measures against the vulnerability of the poor. Engineering role and contribution The problems presented above should be confronted and are big challenges for the humanity as whole. In this approach which will have as targets the above pre-mentioned goals which will lead to the improvement of human lives with respect to the environment, the role of engineers is really vital. For the city planning and development series of data, plans and knowledge are needed like scientific background, geo-information technology, planning support systems, urban morphology etc. All of the above in order to be efficiently used will be analysed and used from civil engineers. Especially civil engineers which are involved with the majority of projects such as sustainable city planning, development of existing infrastructure (strengthening of existing constructions, maintenance e.t.c), transportation issues (design of roads), waste water treatment and sanitation mechanisms e.t.c will be responsible for the sustainable development and future progress of these regions.

Profit Leverage Effect of Logistics and Cost Saving Opportunities Essay

Logistics was initially a military term but since the 1960s it has grown and covers various numbers of functional areas such as managing raw materials and inventory, handling of work in progress, storing and delivering of finished goods. It also includes customer service, demand forecasting, plant/warehouse site selection, traffic and transportation. Since it has an effect on most of the activities held within an organization, it has a great influence on the profits made. A recent US study found that logistics accounts for 10% of the Gross Domestic Profit (GDP) and that approximately 56 cents out of every dollar of revenue is spent on managing the purchasing of goods and services.   The process is lengthy but once handled right can run very smoothly and can prove very beneficial to the organization. An organization cannot be competitive and strive in this fiercely competitive corporate world till it delivers end products or services of the desired quality to its customers at the right time, right place and at a price the customer feels is reasonable. The way to sustainable competitive edge lies in improving logistics. Therefore to maintain profit earnings, it is important for firms to manage logistics efficiently. If a chosen supplier fails to deliver the required raw material of an agreed-on quality level at the right time then the firm will incur additional expenses in the form of higher scrap rate, wastage and direct labor. Prompt delivery is required to avoid costly rescheduling of production otherwise efficiency will be decreased. In order to maintain profit levels it is important for firms not only to satisfy customers but to delight them. This again becomes a part of the organizations logistics. To achieve this not only fast and reliable delivery of high quality goods but also innovative design and distribution of ideas is essential. Firms stress on logistics to create differentiation by providing its customers with unique products that are difficult to be imitated by competitors. Logistics is considered as the last point of contact between the organization and its customer and so leveraging successful logistics leads to cost reduction, increased customer satisfaction and market share and so eventually higher profits. Low total product or service cost is significant in logistics so that the firm can have a competitive edge in the market. There are many opportunities to achieve dramatic cost savings but to achieve this, vision and hard work is required. Firms can do this by coordinating the different parts of the supply chain. Departments within firms such as procurement officer, manufacturing, legal and R&D managers need to work in a cross-functional manner and promote joint cost-saving projects. One of the biggest opportunities for cost saving is to reduce the amount of inventory which will automatically drive costs down. This can be done by Just-in-time inventory management that emphasizes on continuous improvement. For this, it is important for firms to develop strong relationship with few, reliable suppliers who deliver raw material in time.   Also Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) model, one of the common techniques is used to control inventory. Outsourcing is often used to transfer some of the internal activities of a firm to an outside vendor to achieve greater efficiency and specialization. It is also used as a technique to meet unexpected demands that firms cannot handle. Wastage can be eliminated through focus on what the customers want. This can be done by continuous improvement using Lean Production. It emphasizes on customer focus. Greater efficiencies can be accomplished through use of technology tools that can enable the purchase of low value, low risk goods and services. With the usage of database systems, unnecessary paper work can be eliminated, and real time data can be accessed. Use of E-Commerce to track inventory and coordinate pickup and delivery for end customers can be a great cost saving opportunity. This has been adopted by Cisco and FedEx. Different alternatives of distribution means such as trucking, airfreight, shipping, and railroads should be constantly evaluated. Use of Excel OM and Production and Operation Management (POM) for Windows’ enables firms to correctly plan for the forecasted demand. Further, software like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) including Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) provide firms with great opportunity to save on costs. Gantt Charts are useful for loading and scheduling. It prevents firms from unnecessary delays in work. Quality is one aspect that firms emphasize on due to growing awareness for better quality goods amongst customers. This can be done by implementing Total Quality Management (TQM), meeting quality standards developed by International Standards Organization (ISO) and by adapting to Six Sigma and Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model. Mentioned above are some of the greatest costs saving opportunities in today’s world. References Lambert, D.M; Stock, J.R. and Ellram, L.M., (1998). Fundamentals of Logistics Management. Burr Ridge, IL: Irwin McGraw-Hill. http://www.mhhe.com/business/management/leenders12e/information/leenders_ch01.pdf

Ways of Protecting the Environment

Our environment is a gift from God so we must take the full responsibility in protecting and preserving it. Good environment can make people feel happy and fit. To improve the environment means to improve our life. Therefore, human beings can protect the environment in three ways: conserving water, recycling, reducing, reusing and saving energy. First, we can protect the environment through saving water. Water is very important to us because we can’t live it. Water which is suitable to drink is becoming less and less. It is because we always waste a lot of water in our daily life. For example, many of the people always turn on the faucet when brushing teeth, washing or rinsing. Instead, we can fill a container with water for our use. Second, recycling, reducing and reusing are other ways to protect our environment. We can recycle the aluminum cans, glass bottles and newspapers. Besides that, we can transfer the organic matter such as potato peelings, leftover food and leaves to a compost heap in the garden and used as a natural fertilizer for the plants. Next, we should reduce the usage of plastic bags because they are non-biodegradable and hard to recycle. Let us reuse the things that are still valuable instead of throwing it away. Donate your old clothes or things to those who are in need. Not only will you protect the environment, but you will also contribute to a good cause. Last but definitely not the least is conserving energy. Let us use compact lights in our houses for they conserves electricity and remember to turn it off when you leave a room. When you do not use a house device like TV, radio, laptops, etc. turn it off as well. It's an easy habit to take up which will help you save a lot of money. Be concern and be a part in protecting the Mother Nature.

Definition and Examples of Lipograms

A text that purposefully excludes a particular letter of the alphabet  is called a lipogram. The adjective is lipogrammatic. A contemporary example of a lipogram is Andy Wests novel Lost and Found (2002), which does not contain the letter e. Etymology From the Greek, missing letter Examples and Observations: The earliest lipograms are thought to have been composed in the sixth century BC, but none has survived; maybe they were never actually written down, only imagined, to circulate among the clerisy as instant legends of verbal skill. . . . [T]he lipogram should be a purposeless ordeal undertaken voluntarily, a gratuitous taxing of the brain, and the severer the better. It should make the business of writing not pleasanter but harder.(John Sturrock, Georges Perec. The Word From Paris: Essays on Modern French Thinkers and Writers. Verso, 1998)Gadsby: A Lipgram on EUpon this basis I am going to show you how a bunch of bright young folks did find a champion; a man with boys and girls of his own; a man of so dominating and happy individuality that Youth is drawn to him as is a fly to a sugar bowl. It is a story about a small town. It is not a gossipy yarn; nor is it a dry, monotonous account, full of such customary fill-ins as romantic moonlight casting murky shadows down a long, winding co untry road. Nor will it say anything about tinklings lulling distant folds; robins caroling at twilight, nor any warm glow of lamplight from a cabin window. No. It is an account of up-and-doing activity; a vivid portrayal of Youth as it is today; and a practical discarding of that worn-out notion that a child dont know anything.Now, any author, from historys dawn, always had that most important aid to writing: an ability to call upon any word in his dictionary in building up his story. That is, our strict laws as to word construction did not block his path. But in my story that mighty obstruction will constantly stand in my path; for many an important, common word I cannot adopt, owing to its orthography.(Ernest Vincent Wright, from Gadsby, 1939--a story of more than 50,000 words that does not contain the letter e)Most common of all marks from A to Z,Its tyrant to orthography, and smugThat not a thing of worth is said withoutOur using it. . . .(Daniel J. Webster, A Lipogram: Writing Without It. Keeping Order on My Shelf: Poems and Translations. iUniverse, 2005)A Void: Another Lipogram on ENoon rings out. A wasp, making an ominous sound, a sound akin to a klaxon or a tocsin, flits about. Augustus, who has had a bad night, sits up blinking and purblind. Oh what was that word (is his thought) that ran through my brain all night, that idiotic word that, hard as Id try to put it down, was always just an inch or two out of my grasp--fowl or foul or Vow or Voyal?--a word which, by association, brought into play an incongruous mass and magma of nouns, idioms, slogans and sayings, a confusing, amorphous outpouring which I sought in vain to control or turn off but which wound around my mind a whirlwind of a cord, a whiplash of a cord, a cord that would split again and again, would knit again and again, of words without communication or any possibility of combination, words without pronunciation, signification or transcription but out of which, notwithstanding, was broug ht forth a flux, a continuous, compact and lucid flow: an intuition, a vacillating frisson of illumination as if caught in a flash of lightning or in a mist abruptly rising to unshroud an obvious sign--but a sign, alas, that would last an instant only to vanish for good.(Georges Perec, La Disparition--a 300-page novel that does not contain the letter e; translated by Gilbert Adair as A Void)181 Missing OsN mnk t gd t rb r cg r plt.N fl s grss t blt Sctch clips ht.Frm Dnjns tps n rnc rlls.Lgwd, nt Lts, flds prts bwls.Bx tps, nt bttms, schl-bys flg fr sprt.N cl mnsns blw sft n xfrd dns,rthdx, jg-trt, bk-wrm Slmns.Bid strgths f ghsts n hrrr shw.n Lndn slp-frnts n hp-blssms grw.T crcks f gld n dd Iks fr fd.n sft cltl fstls n Id fx dth brd.Lng strm-tst slps frlrn, wrk n t prt.Rks d nt rst n spns, nr wd-ccks snrt,Nr dg n snw-drd r n cits rlls,Nr cmmn frg cncct lng prtcls.(Unknown, quoted by Willard R. Espy in The Game of Words. Grosset Dunlap, 1972)