Large Indian Cities Research Articles

PM2.5 exposure, glycemic markers and incidence of type 2 diabetes in two large Indian cities

IntroductionExposure to fine particulate matter has been associated with several cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. However, such evidence mostly originates from low-pollution settings or cross-sectional studies, thus necessitating evidence from regions...

Study on consumer food preference and brand association in India: A socio-economic study

In both small and large cities of India, urbanization is observed, accompanied by significant developments across all industries, resulting in increased prosperity. The success of the food and beverage business is further fueled by the aspirations of the emerging middle class to emulate Western lifestyles and explore new culinary experiences (Bamberg 1997). A significant driver of this transformation is the shift from traditional joint families to nuclear families, leading to changes in dietary habits as people veer away from traditional meals. Manufacturers have sought to attract new customers and retain their existing market by strategically marketing their products (Bamberg, 2006). These dynamics necessitate an examination of consumer behavior in relation to specific food brands. The primary objective of this study is to assess how various socioeconomic factors influence consumer food preferences (Gabriel 2004). Specifically, the study aims to identify the food brands that residents of Delhi-NCR associate themselves with. Furthermore, the study investigates the relationship between brand association and consumer behavior, exploring how this connection influences consumer preferences, recommendations of a specific brand, acceptance of its extended product line, and willingness to pay a premium price.

Urban Sanitation in Small Towns in Uttar Pradesh: A Study of Perception Analysis of Municipal Officials

AbstractProviding safe, environmentally friendly sanitation is difficult. To achieve this economically friendly and sanitize environment, the Indian government has increased investment in urban sanitation, implemented new policies and regulations, and launched public awareness campaigns. Large cities in India have centralized sewerage systems with underground pipelines, pumping stations, and treatment plants. On‐site pit latrines, septic tanks, and other systems make up a large portion of urban toilets. While Swach Bharat Mission (SBM) will largely contain human waste, treating it will be difficult. Many Indian cities lack safe and sustainable sanitation, causing health problems and polluting water and soil. In contrast to on‐site sanitation systems, proper construction, maintenance management, and safe disposal of fecal sludge and septage from septic tanks and pit latrines have received little attention. Present paper purports to examine the views of municipal officials of selected urban local bodies (ULBs) of Uttar Pradesh pertaining to the urban sanitation, septage, and fecal sludge management.

COVID‐19 and the urban housing affordability – evidence from select Indian cities

AbstractThe COVID‐19 crisis, globally, has significantly impacted the residential real estate market. Health concerns and lockdowns have contributed to the downturn of the sector. High unsold inventory, financial crunch, and lack of stakeholders' perspective fueled the decline in housing affordability. However, with the steady bouncing back of the economy and recovery in the market between the intermittent spikes in the pandemic, there has been a path to recovery. Housing sales, which is one of the significant yardsticks to ensure a robust economic recuperation, had an upswing of nearly 60% annually across major Indian cities during January–June 2022, as reported by Knight Frank's India Real Estate Report. Housing in India had been unaffordable even in the pre‐pandemic period, but due to several government interventions during the pandemic, the housing sector was able to recover its lost ground.This paper aims at understanding the affordability of housing in seven major metropolitan cities across India. This is discerned through the analysis of the housing price data published by NHB‐RESIDEX and the price‐to‐gross domestic product (GDP) ratios for the cities. It also examines the work from home (WFH) phenomenon and looks at the incentives and programmes from the government during the pandemic on housing in large cities in India.

Natural ventilation versus air pollution: assessing the impact of outdoor pollution on natural ventilation potential in informal settlements in India

Despite the proven benefits of natural ventilation (NV) as an effective low-carbon solution to meet growing cooling demand, its effectiveness can be constrained by poor outdoor air quality. Here, we propose a modeling approach that integrates highly granular air pollution data with a coupled EnergyPlus and differential equation airflow model to evaluate how NV potential for space cooling changes when accounting for air pollution exposure (PM2.5). Given the high vulnerability of low-income populations to air pollution and the dearth of energy and thermal comfort research on informal settlements, we applied our model to a typical informal settlement residence in two large Indian cities: New Delhi and Bangalore. Our results indicate that outdoor PM2.5 levels have a significant impact on NV potential especially in highly polluted cities like New Delhi. However, we found that low-cost filtration (MERV 14) increased the NV potential by 25% and protected occupants from harmful exposure to PM2.5 with a minor energy penalty of 6%. We further find that adoption of low-cost filtration is a viable low-carbon solution pathway as it provides both thermal comfort and exposure protection at 65% less energy intensity—energy intensity reduced to 60 kWh m−2 from 173.5 kWh m−2 in case of adoption of potentially unaffordable full mechanical air conditioning. Our work highlights ample opportunities for reducing both air pollution and energy consumption in informal settlements across major Indian cities. Finally, our work can guide building designers and policymakers to reform building codes for adopting low-cost air filtration coupled with NV and subsequently reduce energy demand and associated environmental emissions.

Prostate health in India (BPH & Prostate Cancer)

The prostate gland, found only in men, is an extremely important organ of the reproductive system, but it is not taken care of adequately, leading to prostate inflammation and benign hypertrophy or even cancer. Benign prostate enlargement compresses urine flow through the urethra, leading to uncomfortable urinary symptoms. Hyperplasia increases the risk of bladder stones, urinary tract infections, and kidney problems. In India prevalence of Benign Prostrate Hyperplasia (BPH) is around 50% of men by the age of 60 years. Studies suggest that benign prostatic hyperplasia is a result of the disproportion between oestrogen & testosterone. A higher proportion of oestrogen within the prostate boosts the growth of prostate cells. The management of BPH is streamlined in recent times and the majority are on medical treatment. Prostate cancers are one of the cancers showing a significant increase in incidence along with mouth and kidney and lung cancers among the male population. With an estimated population of 1400 million and about 98 million males over 50 years of age in mid-2022 and the average life expectancy increasing 68.4 years, has a bearing on the changing incidence and pattern of prostate cancer in the current decade in India. Based on the five population-based cancer registries in 2009-10, the age-adjusted annual incidence rates per lakh population of prostate cancers were highest in Delhi (10.2) followed by Bengaluru (8.7), Mumbai (7.3), Chennai (7) and Bhopal (6.1). Cancer can co-exist with BPH. Prostate cancer management is still in the development stage with a 5-year life expectancy of around 64%. The prostate is the second leading site of cancer among males in large Indian cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, and Thiruvananthapuram, and the third leading site of cancer in cities like Bangalore and Mumbai. Despite the limitations of diagnosis, the annual cancer incidence rate ranges from 5.0-9.1 per 100,000/year, as compared to the rates in the United States and other developed countries of 110 &180 for whites and blacks respectively. This article is a review of Prostate health in India based on a personal observation of around 183 cases by the author in the last 10 years. Materials & methods: This is an observational study report of three cohorts of men across the country. The sample was of people encountering the author. The sample included i) 69 septuagenarians plus ii) 30 senior citizens aged 60 - 70 years and iii) 84 men in 40 – 60 - year age groups over the last decade. The data source was sharing annual check-up reports or consultation report in person for seeking 2nd opinion. A minimum of 2 consultations, first when diagnosed and the recent between July 2021 to June 2022.

Role of industries in employment and economy of Nagpur City

Nagpur city lies in the Nagpur district of the state of Maharashtra. It enjoys the status of being the second capital of Maharashtra and is located in the geo-graphical centre of India. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nagpur is projected to be the fifth fastest growing city in the world from 2019 to 2035 with an average growth of 8.41% (Nagpur, n.d.) . It is also an administrative educational, commercial and cultural centre of Vidarbha region. This paper will be focusing on the existing economy condition of Nagpur City which includes employment in agricultural & non-agricultural activities. Working population, density of workers and per capita income will be the major area of research in this study.

The effects of ridesourcing services on vehicle ownership in large Indian cities

The role of ridesourcing services on vehicle ownership is an important research area, especially in the context of the environmental implications and long term sustainability of these services. However, evidence from literature so far is mixed, with studies reporting both an increase and reduction in ownership, sometimes in the same country. This research adds to the current knowledge by econometrically estimating the impacts of ridesourcing services on vehicle ownership in a large emerging economy, India. Using a cross-sectional timeseries data on vehicle registrations in 18 large cities in India over 17 years, we find a statistically significant reduction in vehicle ownership (compared to baseline) since the introduction of these services. The growth in vehicle ownership has reduced by around 7.7% in the cities together since the introduction of ridesourcing services and this impact appears to grow over time; but the overall ownership is still increasing.

Extending Resource Value-Based Circular Economy Business Model in Emerging Economies: Lessons from India

The linear economic model fueled by misconception and ignorance towards our limited resources led us to extract, produce, consume, and dispose of materials faster than putting them back into the chain or reproducing. The circular economy (CE) business model answers these concerns, and exploring the implementation of such models in densely populated emerging nations is overdue. An open-ended interview of the executive team of Paperman Foundation, the organization in concern, was conducted, along with documentary analysis of the organization’s website, international news coverage, and government legislation to collect data for the research. The Paperman Foundation (hereinafter referred to as Paperman) has successfully implemented a circularity business model based on resource value extension in one of the largest cities in India. They have been scaling their operations for almost a decade and sustainably returned the recovered resources to the supply chain extending the resource value of post-consumer plastic waste and thus cutting down on carbon emission. This study established that such contemporary business models like the circular model can achieve lowered carbon emissions in emerging and transitional economies such as India successfully. Although, there is a high volume of research output from academia in CE in the past decade, most of them are not conducted on cases based in emerging economies. Only one representative organization is considered in this case study. Studying several organizations from similar economies could provide a better understanding.

A Descriptive Study of Community based Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV2 antibodies among adult population in Mumbai, India using an ELISA based assay

Background: Mumbai, with over 12 million residents, is one of the largest cities in India and the capital of the state of Maharashtra that accounted for close to 20% of the total COVID-19 cases in India. Regular serosurveys in Mumbai have shown stark differences in seroprevalence between slum and non-slum areas. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Mumbai residents and assess the impact of the second wave and ongoing vaccination campaign on the population antibodies. By the start of the study period, 63% of Mumbai residents were partially vaccinated and 21% were fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional seroprevalence study in all 24 wards of Mumbai between August 12 and September 08, 2021. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody seropositivity was detected using an ELISA based assay. Sociodemographic and exposure related data was collected via a verbal questionnaire to analyse risk factors and association with COVID-19 vaccination. Findings: Of the 8,674 participants recruited, 7,516 were positive for IgG SARS-COV-2, resulting in a crude seroprevalence of 86.6%. Using residence type based on the recruitment location (municipal dispensaries for slum residents and general practitioners for non-slum residents), the difference in prevalence between slum and non-slum is not significant (87.0% vs. 86.2%; RR: 1.009, CI: 0.992-1.026). Seroprevalence was higher in females (88.3%) than in males (85.1%) (RR: 096, CI 95%: 0.94-0.97) Conclusion: Our results suggest that the levels of immunity are high in the Mumbai population across residence types. These findings highlight the extent of virus transmission during the second wave and point to the susceptible population to guide the vaccination strategy and better understand transmission dynamics in urban settings.

The Impact of Website Design on Online Customer Buying Satisfaction and Loyalty to E-Tailers

The popularity of e-tailers has distorted the retail industry in India. Websites are becoming an important means through which customers get product information and purchase items for their needs. This research paper focuses on four dimensions, i.e. user interface, convenience, personalized recommendations, and perceived security of the website, to assess their impact on online customer satisfaction with and loyalty towards E-tailers. The study questionnaire used established measures. The data was collected from four large cities in India, namely Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. Analysis of the survey results suggests that perceived website security is the most important dimension for customer loyalty. E-tailers have to ensure adequate security provisions in their websites to build up consumer perceptions of trust and so repeat business loyalty.

Development, Prosperity and Aspirations: A Narrative from the Peri-Urban Areas of Noida

Urban development at city periphery as a unique process of urbanisation, manifests in distinctive spatial and socio-economic characteristics. The emergence of settlement types—an admixture of rural and urban characteristics—functionally transient between agrarian and non-agrarian economy with pervasive change in land uses and attendant livelihood sources, retreating mode of rural social norms and advancing urban way of life are remarkably obvious in peri-urban landscape of large Indian cities. The resultant socio-economic challenges for peri-urban inhabitants often create chasm between promised development agenda and their aspirations. Delving into the socio-economic transformations on account of land appropriation by the State government for urban and industrial development and ramifications of land negotiations in five peri-urban villages of Noida—this study reveals the discordant side of urbanisation benefitting urban at the cost of rural, and administrative processes which remain oblivious to the aspirations of those whose lands provided the grounds of this development agenda.

Challenges of Urban Green Space and Its Accessibility in Planning District 12 Mysuru City

Improving the Accessibility of Urban Green Space (UGS) is an integral part of city planning system. People with better access to green space enjoy a wide range of health benefits. Therefore, it is a crucial element to be taken care and nourished in a land use framework. Mysore City is one of the planned large cities in India. The City had a population of about 0.9 million in 2011 and it is estimated to cross the million mark by 2021. There is a growing consciousness on health and wellbeing among the people resulting an increasing demand for urban green spaces both at neighbourhood and city levels. The accessibility helps in promoting usage of UGS and maintaining the balance in environment within the city areas. The main aim of this paper is to study the existing scenario of the UGS within the planning district-12 and to analyse the green space accessibility. The land use of Mysuru city is analysed to understand the city and the micro level land use analysis of Planning district-12 is made. The existing scenario of the UGS within the study area and its accessibility is analysed using different accessibility indicators. Considering the key findings, issues and challenges are identified. Later the suggestions and recommendations for the identified issues is proposed to enhance the green spaces quality and accessibility at neighbourhood levels. The Accessible Natural Green space Standard (ANGst) type of accessibility analysis has been carried to know UGS functionality. Henceforth urban green space network at Planning District levels (local levels) in the City of Mysuru is prepared as a model which can be implemented to the city as whole at the later stages

Year-long Concurrent MAX-DOAS Observations of Nitrogen Dioxide and Formaldehyde at Pune: Understanding Diurnal and Seasonal Variation Drivers

Year-long observations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and formaldehyde (HCHO) using the Multi-Axis Differential Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) technique are reported from Pune City, India. We studied the diurnal and seasonal variations, effect of biomass burning and the weekend effect on both species. NO2 diurnal profiles displayed a traffic induced peak at ~09:00 hrs. HCHO also showed a morning peak ~10:00 hrs due to production from oxidation of VOCs in the presence of solar radiation. Both NO2 and HCHO show the highest average concentrations during the winter (October, November, December, January and February—ONDJF), with mean mixing ratios of 2.0 ± 1.4 ppb and 3.0 ± 1.4 ppb, respectively. These observations suggest that a lower boundary layer (BL) height during ONDJF leads to higher concentrations of trace gases. During June, July, August, and September (JJAS), both trace gases show a minimum in their concentrations, with average mixing ratios for NO2 and HCHO being 0.9 ± 0.6 ppb and 1.1 ± 0.7 ppb, most likely due to removal by wet deposition. There was no significant difference in both the trace gases on weekdays and weekends. Using back-trajectory analysis, we conclude that air parcels coming from regions of biomass burning increased the concentrations in Pune. Emissions from nearby industrial areas of Bhosari and Pimpri-Chinchwad increased NO2 concentrations in Pune city. Finally, we compared the observations with previous reports over India and found that both HCHO and NO2 concentrations are lower in Pune compared to the other large cities in India.

Driving factors of food safety standards in India: learning from street-food vendors’ behaviour and attitude

Risks exist anywhere along the food supply chain; however, the vast majority of negative safety outcomes occur during the handling, preparation, storage, retail and vending of food, and disposing of waste. This study examined the food safety standards followed by street-food vendors in two large cities of India, Hyderabad and Delhi in 2017 after the introduction of the Food Safety and Standards Rules. A survey was conducted in different socioeconomic groups among 200 street-food vendors to understand the compliance and practice of food safety standards in India. Only about one-third of the street-food vendors had registered to run food-vending shops, and most street-food vendors are not following basic food safety principles like wearing apron, access to tap water, were not able to use soap for cleaning utensils, and many did not have refrigerators to store food. The results show that vendors in high-income localities with higher education levels and duly registered were following more safety standards. From a policy perspective, the results show that India’s food safety standards are on a par with those of most developed countries, but that their actual implementation by street-food vendors is not duly assured. To avoid this situation, an exchange of experiences between street-food vendors and consumers should be promoted. “Clean street-food clubs” should be encouraged as one mechanism to recognize street vendors’ needs and to learn from consumers’ demands, so that the awareness of street-food vendors towards food safety standards is strengthened.

Waste generation and management status in the fast-expanding Indian cities: A review

ABSTRACT India is witnessing the formation of many densely populated megacities where management of burgeoning wastes, both municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial hazardous waste (IHW), has become a very critical issue. The city municipalities are showing their inability to manage the waste efficiently. In this paper, the core indicator of environmental pressure, i.e., per capita municipal solid waste (MSW) generation for the top 10 most populous Indian cities and their trend over the years, has been ascertained to understand the severity of the problem. The study finds that the MSW generation per capita is increasing in all the top 10 populated cities of the country. In terms of growth of MSW generation, the city Surat and Delhi grew alarmingly at the rate of 2172% and 1036%, respectively, during the period 1971 to 2015. The level of per capita waste generation of three large Indian cities, i.e.,, Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai, was almost at par the level of OECD member countries. All the 10 cities are broadly indicating the existence of “coupling,” i.e., the standard of living increments was associated with an increase in MSW generation per capita. The city of Mumbai is also facing the challenge of managing the growing IHW generation as well. However, the city municipalities are helplessly witnessing untreated waste lying for months and years at dumpsites. The reported case of contaminated waste dumping sites raising concern toward imminent health hazards for the city dwellers. To counter the waste-related health hazards, the municipalities the top 10 cities first required to launch “generators as segregators” program for efficient handling of generated waste followed by pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) system to discourage waste generation without any delay. Implications: The burgeoning per capita municipality solid waste (MSW) generation for the top 10 most populated Indian cities and their upward trend through 1971 to 2015 calls for the need for scientific disposal of waste and policies to encourage waste minimization with the adoption of cleaner technologies. A complete mismatch between population increase and waste processing capacity increase, in the case of the top 10 populous cities of India, is raising a concern toward imminent health hazards for the city dwellers. This paper depicted the dismal MSW and IHW management performance in populous Indian cities and proposed a strategy for realistic measurement and management of waste.

Construction and demolition waste recycling: Investigating the role of theory of planned behavior, institutional pressures and environmental consciousness

The purpose of this study is to analyze the attitude of builders towards construction and demolition waste recycling in India. A conceptual framework was proposed using theory of planned behavior (perceived benefits, perceived costs, attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control), institutional pressures (regulatory, normative and mimetic) and environmental consciousness on behavioral intention of builders towards construction and demolition waste recycling. Empirical data with 260 responses from different builders of construction sector in two large Indian cities were analyzed through partial least squares based structural equation modelling. The findings indicate that behavioral intention towards construction and demolition waste recycling is mainly driven by personal motivations (perceived benefits, perceived costs, attitude and perceived behavioral control), regulatory pressures and environmental consciousness. The study is relevant for policy makers, regulatory institutions, industry, and academia who study or manage construction and demolition waste and recycling.

Effectiveness of Information Booklet on Knowledge, Practices and Willingness Regarding Recycling of Solid Household Waste Management among Residents

Background: Pune is the 8th largest city in India and the 2nd largest in the state of Maharashtra. Population is about 4 million and the households are nearly 1 million.Objective: To assess the effectiveness of information booklet on knowledge, practice and willingness of residents regarding recycling of household waste management.Methodology: The research design was quasi experimental: pre-test post-test research design with the sample size 100 and used systematic random sampling technique. The structured questionnaire was administered. In order to establish the reliability of the tool inter rater method was used. The scores were calculated and reliability was established by Kappa method which was 0.80. The phases of data collection were informed consent was taken followed by the pretest and distribution of information booklet on recycling of solid household waste management to the residents and posttest was administered after 15 to 20 days of pretest and processed the data for analysis.Results: t-test was used to check the effectiveness of the informational booklet on knowledge regarding recycling of solid household waste management among residents. t-value for this test was 27.4 with 99 degrees of freedom, corresponding p-value was of the order of 0.000, which is small (less than 0.05), the null hypothesis is rejected.Conclusion: It was concluded that, the intervention which was provided to the residents was very effective in improving their knowledge, attitude and willingness towards the good practices of waste management at home.

Consumer attitude and intention to adopt mobile wallet in India – An empirical study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the factors that influence a consumer’s attitude and intention to use mobile wallets using a sample representative of Indian users.Design/methodology/approachA multidisciplinary model is proposed, building on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and other relevant research on factors, which influence technology adoption. A synthesis of review of literature on factors influencing technology adoption besides two focus group discussions (FGD) was used as a design a pilot instrument. A nationwide primary survey was conducted using the questionnaire. Convenience sampling was used to select the respondents. In total, 744 respondents participated in the survey, and 17 hypotheses were formulated and PLS-SEM was used to estimate and test the hypothesized model.FindingsThe results show that factors like perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), trust, security, facilitating conditions and lifestyle compatibility have a significant impact on the consumer attitude and intention to use mobile wallets. Of the proposed 17 hypotheses, 15 were accepted. Ease of use significantly influenced usefulness and trust, whereas PU significantly influenced trust, attitude and intention. Security and trust were found to be play an important role in determining trust.Research limitations/implicationsThis study examines the perception of students and working professional from large Indian cities. A larger representative sample encompassing balanced representation from urban and rural India could enhance the scope and widen the application of the results across larger target groups. This study analyzes data at a specific point in time. Considering the rapidly changing rate of adoption of mobile wallets, a longitudinal study could, therefore, be conducted. Furthermore, the possibility of including other antecedents like relative advantage, perceived benefits, personal innovativeness among other factors, which have not been addressed here can be explored. Also, additional research can help examine the role of demographics in adoption of mobile wallets including its moderating effect.Practical implicationsAs security and trust emerged as important constructs for acceptance of mobile wallets, there is a need for developing an integrated robust, reliable and secure infrastructure. A joint think tank involving key stakeholders (financial institutions, mobile wallet providers, government, security experts, etc.) should propose guidelines to ensure safe and secure transactions. The findings have managerial implications, which can guide companies offering mobile wallets to enhance usage and adoption of such services.Originality/valueMobile wallets have provided newer digital payment avenues to consumers while offering companies and marketers greater opportunities to market their products and services, online. However, not much is reported about the adoption of mobile wallets in India. The study is perhaps the first in India to examine the adoption of mobile wallets using a larger sample in comparison to earlier studies. The study proposes and validates additional constructs, which were not present in the original model.

Anti-microbial Resistance surveillance in typhoidal Salmonella in Ahmedabad Objective

Anti-microbial Resistance surveillance in typhoidal Salmonella in Ahmedabad Objective