Project Authority Research Articles

Principles of people‐centric forest restoration projects in south‐eastern Bangladesh: implications for sustainability

Forest and landscape restoration is considered worldwide as a powerful approach to recovering ecological functionality and improving human well‐being in degraded and deforested landscapes. A comprehensive study including the social, ecological, management, and regulatory aspects of restoration projects can help to understand the sustainability of these interventions. The purpose of this study was to comprehend the principles of Bangladeshi community‐based forest restoration (CBFR) projects. Empirical data was collected from four CBFR projects, of which two were Bangladesh forest department (BFD)‐led and two were community‐led. We used a comprehensive list of principles covering management and governance issues and human and ecological aspects along with Ostrom's design principles. Data were collected through 223 semi‐structured interviews, four focus group discussions, and personal observation. A 5‐point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree) was used to assess participants' agreement on different statements of principles. In BFD‐led projects, participants had restricted harvesting rights, state control over management, land, planning, and the formation of rules, and they perceived lower scores for some important statements (e.g., project planning, selection of tree species, local knowledge, income generation activities, livelihood benefits, food security, and skill development). Therefore, participants presumed that these CBFR projects are moderately sustainable. On the other hand, participants in community‐led projects scored high (mean score above 4.0) for most of the principles across different aspects, and a bundle of Ostrom's design principles was also observed. Hence, the evidence of sustainability in community‐led CBFR projects is high. Project authorities in developing countries can take lessons from this study and undertake appropriate actions toward the sustainability of forest restoration programs.

A HOLISTIC SCENE DISPLACEMENT TO RESETTLEMENT: RESETTLER’S BEHAVIOR ADAPTABILITY AND INNER MOTIVATION: THE MIND ACCEPTS WHEN LIVES ARE SECURE

The human mind works on a pattern when he is living in a smooth pattern of his life. The role of behavior in case of resettlement cannot be neglected. This study investigated the resettler’s life well-being, inner motivation, and acceptability of their behavior. This study has been conducted on the affected people due to the Ghazi Barotha Hydro Power project in Pakistan. This data was collected from the 465 affected people who were relocated at different places through a questionnaire utilizing the survey approach. The random sampling techniques used, theoretical development drawn on the basis of the literature review, which was later tested by applying the positivism philosophy, The results of this study indicated that if physical and psychological needs and demands of the relocated are met, and along with inner motivation, their adaptability and acceptability of resettlement move in a positive direction. The objectives of studies were met, and this will be further helpful for policymakers, stakeholders, project authorities, and researchers.

What can we learn from administrative benefits data?

We present the opportunities and limitations of administrative benefits data held by local authorities for data linkage projects. Whilst the richness of this data has been exploited by practitioners for administration, its potential remains little explored by researchers. We discuss data quality, sample selection and legal gateways for data sharing.
 Drawing on our experience working with over 40 local authorities, we present the structure of three datasets: the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, the Single Housing Benefits Extract and the Universal Credit Data Share. We show what variables are usually included, under which legal gateways this data can be shared and how the cohorts represented within the data compare with the low-income population. We discuss how these datasets can be linked at the household level with a number of other data held by local authorities such as social rent and Council Tax arrears, Housing Benefit overpayments and Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs).
 Administrative benefits data provides a comprehensive snapshot of a household’s financial situation. Local authorities can proactively use and share this data with external data processors to fulfil their statutory duties if a legal gateway allows. By identifying households at risk of cash shortfalls before they reach a crisis point, councils can target support when administering local welfare schemes and preventing homelessness. By assessing eligibility for benefits, they can run data-driven uptake campaigns. This data captures a proportion of the population on national and local benefits within a local authority at several points in time. Attrition is of concern since households may leave datasets over time. Some will see their income rise and no longer qualify for benefits. Others will move out of the constituency.
 Local authorities routinely process longitudinal data on households receiving means-tested benefits by administering housing benefits, council tax support, and discretionary support funds. This data provides a unique real-time insight into the socioeconomic situation of low-income households. Yet, we show that its promising potential for policy research remains largely untapped.

Textual, Material, Visual: Exploring an Epigraphic Approach to the History of Imperial China

AbstractIn this article, I advance a recent epigraphic approach to historical study by foregrounding steles as a medium that functions both to communicate information and project authority publicly. Scholars taking this approach have explored distinctive genres of steles to transform our understanding of north China under Mongol rule. Through a case study, I show how a set of steles installed in the fifteenth-century rural world of north China transmitted authority and power not just through the content of their inscriptions but also through other written and unwritten information they stored. I give particular attention to the ways in which the inscriptions were materialized and visualized. In doing so, I argue that emphasizing the public communication function of steles challenges us to think beyond primary sources strictly in terms of their textual value to reflect more broadly on modes of transmission and the power dynamics contained within them.

A case study on slope instability of Punatshangchhu Hydroelectric Project Authority-I Dam in Bhutan

The stability of the slope is a greater concern to engineers and geoscientists as the socioeconomic consequences of the failures are huge. One such case is the slope instability of right bank of Punatshangchhu Hydroelectric Project Authority (PHPA-I) dam, Bhutan. The main geology of dam site is characterized by coarse-grained quartzo-feldspathic and biotite- muscovite gneiss. Since the start of the project in 2008, project encountered several geotechnical problems. During excavation at dam pit area, the shear zone got day-lighted which triggered a huge movement of right bank of dam in 2013. As such, project authority has carried out various stabilization measures in arresting movement of right abutment of dam. In this paper, subsurface profile construction from boring log data using Rockwork software (Rocscience) for PHPA-I dam site is presented. The subsurface profile once constructed can be used for identifying the critical slip surface and can also be used in modeling for slope stability analysis. Moreover, it can be a database for future use in that part of the study area.

How the UK government plans to transform infrastructure performance this decade

Delivering transformational outcomes for Britain through infrastructure investment needs a revolution, says Nicholas Yandle of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority. A new roadmap describes what civil engineers should be aiming for and the action required to get there.

Hill Slope Failure During The Development Of Infrastructure Projects In Himalaya: Case Study of Udhampur- Ramban National Highway, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Himalaya is youngest tectonic Active Mountain and northern boundary of India. Various infrastructure projects are under develop in Himalayan region for the better connectivity of peoples and national security of border line. Widening of 295 km National Highway-44 in Jammu and Kashmir is an important developmental project. The highway passes through Outer Himalayan and Higher Himalayan sequences of rocks and is frequently affected by landslides at various places. The paper deals with 43 km Udhampur-Chenani and Nashri- Ramban section of the highway within sedimentary and metamorphic rock sequence. The area is prone to landslides on account of fragile geological, topographic and hydrological conditions. The study area has high rainfall intensity and numerous old landslides zones. During the project feasibility stage, project authority has identified the landslide prone area and suggested precautionary measures but during the construction work various unpredicted landslide and ground sinking events happened which given trouble in project construction cost and project completion time. In this paper, the challenges faced due to landslide and ground failure as failure of old slide adjutant to road construction, agriculture and residential ground failure at higher altitude due to road construction, collapse of high tension towers in cut slopes; its impact on construction activities; are discussed with mitigation measures for unidentified landslide related challenges.

Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Seasonal Influenza and Influenza Vaccination among Patients and Their Companions in North Palestine Hospitals

Background. Seasonal influenza is a common highly infectious disease that can affect the upper and lower airway in children and adults mainly in wintertime which is caused by many different influenza viruses and, in some cases, may cause serious complications such as pneumonia. We conducted this study to assess the knowledge and attitudes among patients and their companions in North Palestine hospitals regarding seasonal influenza and influenza vaccination and factors influencing the uptake of this vaccine so that we can identify gaps in their knowledge and give feedback to health authorities for future quality improvement projects by increasing awareness of its effectiveness and safety. Methods. A cross-sectional 17-item survey included randomly selected samples of 327 North Palestinian patients and their companions at North Palestine hospitals. Result. A total of 327 completed questionnaires were received with a response rate of 92%. Of these, 129 participants (39.4%) believed that influenza is the same as common cold. The majority of participants (85.3%) had heard of the influenza vaccine before. Although nearly half of them (53.6%) believed that the influenza vaccine is safe, only 112 (34.7%) of the participants considered vaccination an effective means in preventing serious influenza-related complications and only 89 (27.2%) participants were previously vaccinated. The main reasons for not being vaccinated included that vaccination is not necessary because flu is not a serious disease (67%), concerns about vaccine efficacy and its side effects (25.6%), fear of needles and injection (25.2%), and 17.8% of the participants believed that this vaccine is expensive. Conclusion. The uptake and knowledge of the influenza vaccine among Palestinians are low. Vaccinated participants in our survey showed a higher level of knowledge compared to nonvaccinated participants. Half of the participants believed in the safety of the vaccine and one-third of them believed in its efficacy in preventing flu illness and its complications. Extensive and sustained efforts are needed by public health programs to promote the flu vaccine among the public by increasing awareness of its effectiveness and safety.

Off the Record

Off the Record

Room without Room

Room without Room

Application of fuzzy TOPSIS method for risk evaluation in development and implementation of solar park in India

Renewable energy sector projects like development and implementation of solar power plants are given preference and boost in India to meet the target for generation of green and clean energy. Like other complex infrastructure projects, the solar power projects also face risks and uncertainties throughout all the phases. Although new techniques and methods are introduced, risk assessment for projects remains an unstructured problem that depends on human expertise. This paper aims at identifying the risks involved and associated with all the phases of the solar power project in India and develop a methodology of risk analysis through application of Fuzzy TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarities to Ideal Solution) methodology. Risk severity has been computed through computation of Fuzzy Positive Ideal Solution (FPIS), Fuzzy Negative Ideal Solution (FNIS) and Closeness Coefficient (CC). It has been observed that the risk severity of phase 1 ranges between moderate to high. Phase 2 ranges between high to very high, phase 3 and 4 are very high and finally phase 5 varies between moderate to high. Thereby the project authorities cannot afford to ignore any of the phases. Furthermore, suitable corrective and preventive risk mitigation measures have been recommended.

Investment Sensitivity of Corn Silage Production Integrated into Feed Supply Service of Dairy Cooperative

The study aimed to identify the sensitivity of investment in commercial corn silage production based on 20 hectares of cropland. The start-up project was prepared through a profit-sharing partnership between the South Bandung Dairy Cooperative and the owner of the land rights. The harvested whole-plant crop (WPC) was processed to produce packaged silage, further distributed to meet the needs of the member of the cooperative. Data on agriculture input and output as well as their prices were gathered through a field survey. The result of data analysis was examined within a focus group discussion attended by the project authority. The project used hybrid corn that could be planted and harvested twice in a year and yields corn silage on average 78 ton/hectare/year. It required an investment fund of IDR1.5 billion for running the project for over ten years. By using social opportunity cost of the capital of 8% a year, financially it gave a positive Net Present Value. The B/C ratio was 1.34, and the IRR was 28.5%. Three variables have to be controlled by the project management because of the sensitive effect on the project feasibility, it consists of the cost of silage distribution, selling price and WPC/hectare yielded.

Resetting PPP in Infrastructure Model in India Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

This article has set out to understand why a large number of public–private partnership (PPP) projects delayed stalled and terminated in the largest PPP program in India. Based on quantitative and case-study-based qualitative research, this study finds that the incomplete nature of PPP contracts, uncertainty and information asymmetry leads to adverse selection, moral hazard, opportunism and holdup of the PPP projects. The inefficacious and inequitable allocation of risks among stakeholders and lack of contract management skills in project authorities exaggerated the problems, and the final outcome is a large number of failed projects and no participation from private developers in future projects defeating the very purpose of adopting the PPP model to build public infrastructure. This study proposes a 20-point conceptual institutional framework suggesting policy and project-level measures for effective execution of the future PPP program in India and developing countries with similar socioeconomic environment post-COVID-19 pandemic amid recessionary conditions. JEL Codes: E6, H5, N7, O2, R4

Lesotho's white gold: the political ecology of temporality and the economy of anticipation in resource extraction and large dam infrastructural projects

The construction phases of large dam and infrastructural projects often extend over long periods of time, creating social, environmental, cultural, political, and economic consequences in the proximate communities and landscapes. The temporality of the phases of the project – from planning to construction to post-construction – reveal more layered and wide-ranging consequences from the social and environmental changes that result, sharpened by greater attention to how these changes unfold across multiple timescales and sites of the project. Using the case study of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), I draw on a political ecology approach that uses longitudinal data, including interviews, document analysis, and ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Lesotho since 1997, to illustrate how active project narratives draw from and promulgate an affective economy of anticipation in ways that aim to both sustain the hope of people affected by the project and contain their criticism of the project amidst a continued investment by the state in the expansion of the LHWP. As people directly affected experience disjunctures between the promises and the realities of the project over time, subsequent phases of the project are simultaneously renewed and recast through a logic of improvement that emphasizes changes in the implementation of the project while continuing to invest in the future imaginary of development that requires going forward with project plans. A logic of continuity and improvement structures this continued commitment to the capital intensive LHWP through the strategic mobilization of phases that scaffold both the material and physical dimensions of the project, but also the affective and anticipatory hopes of prosperity that the project represents. In this case, it also reveals how project authorities weave these dimensions – the material and the aspirational – into specific planned changes and improvements to address previous and ongoing concerns as projects progress over time. This longitudinal approach demonstrates the importance of temporal and affective dimensions to our understanding of the complex, multi-faceted consequences of resource extractive mega-dam projects such as the LHWP, particularly as they further rationalize the resource extractive approach to economic development in the region.Keywords: development, dams, infrastructure, political ecology, temporality, affect, resource extraction, economy of anticipation, displacement, construction, Lesotho, Southern Africa

ANALYSIS OF FARM INCOME OF BENEFICIARIES AND NON-BENEFICIARIES OF HADEJIA VALLEY IRRIGATION PROJECT IN JIGAWA STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined the impact of Hadejia Valley irrigation project (HVIP) on farm income of beneficiaries in Jigawa State, Nigeria. From the list of 7036 respondents, 207 project beneficiaries and 146 non-beneficiaries were selected using a multi-stage random sampling making a total of 353 as the sample size of the study. Data were obtained using structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and F-test statistics. The results showed that beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries had a mean age of 47 and 45 years, a mean household size of 15 and 21 persons, educational levels of 8 and 7 years and mean off-farm income of N137,797.00 and N237,104 .00, respectively. The study also established 30 and 24 years of irrigation farming experience, farm sizes of 3.2 and 2.1 hectares, N33,641.00 and N55, 709.00 spent in hiring labour, farm distances of 3 and 0.9 kilometres, 5 and 3 extension visits per season, a mean of N52,771.00 and N50,205.00, N50,205.68 and N32,422.33 as credit and subsidy, respectively. Membership of cooperative associations indicated a mean of 0.8 and 0.5 for beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, respectively. In the study area, the average total cost of production per hectare of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries were N527,179.00 and N363, 191.00, and net farm income of N814,852.00 and N403,753.00 realized, respectively. The result of the F-test statistics on cost of production indicated F1,410 of 68.3> F at critical value of 3.86 at p = 5. 66E07 and farm income F1,410 of 726.3 >F at critical value of 3.86 at p = 8.56E-93 (P<0.05) level of significance. This suggested a significant impact of Hadejia valley irrigation project on farm income of the respondents. The study concludes that the project has had positive impact on the farm income of the project beneficiaries. It therefore, recommends that government should encourage income sources diversification; measures should be taken by the project authority to address inadequate access to extension. The project beneficiaries should form farmers’ co-operatives and measures should be taken by the project authorities to promote cost-saving technologies that encourage release of labour from irrigation to reduce the cost of production.

Runoff Estimation of Watershed in Hemavathy Basin using GIS based SCS-CN Method

Estimation and quantification of catchment surface runoff an important hydrologic variable used in most of the water resources applications watershed development and management problems. In this study, rainfall-runoff relationship of Hemavathy river basin is determined using Soil Conservation Services-Curve Number (SCS-CN) method for runoff estimation for ungauged watersheds. The important parameters considered include land use/land cover, soil, vegetation, drainage, precipitation, contour, slope, daily rainfall data. From the 11year daily rainfall data daily runoff was estimated using SCS CN equation considering antecedent moisture conditions. Daily runoff depth in the watershed was then computed using SCS-CN equation was later converted to runoff volume. It was observed in runoff potential of the watershed about 41% of area having high CN value interprets in more runoff. The runoff thus calculated was compared with gauged flow at dam site observed that regression coefficient is almost same for both estimated and observed data and an increase of about 15% in inflow data as per project authorities in the catchment which may be due to regenerated water from irrigation and presences of perennial streams in the catchment even during non-monsoon months there is inflow observed.

Boost multi‐level NPC‐fed VS large rated asynchronous pumped storage hydro‐generating unit

The authors intent using a boost multi-level converter for the doubly fed induction machine (DFIM) used in variable-speed pumped storage plants (VS-PSP). Voltage-source converters connected on the rotor side of the machine control the active and reactive powers of the unit. The proposed boost neutral point clamped (NPC) converter topology provides a voltage output two times larger than a conventional three-level NPC (3L-NPC) with similar DC-link voltage and equal number of switches. Hence, it increases the speed variation of the unit, which improves the efficiency during generation and pumping modes. Moreover, it reduces the starting period of the unit at the pumping mode, which is significant during mode changeover time. Furthermore, it reduces switching and conduction losses in the converter. It also reduces the total harmonic distortion in the output current, as it provides five output voltage levels. These improvements show that the boost NPC converter topology is better among VS-PSP project authorities. In addition, the reliability of the proposed topology is investigated, where converter redundancy is a challenging issue in asynchronous VS-PSP units. The proposed boost NPC was compared with the conventional 3L-NPC system by examining a 250 MW DFIM hydro-generating unit.

Is Development the Continuation of ‘Anti-politics’ by Other Means? An Investigation Based on the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) in Turkey

In simplest terms, depoliticization refers to a systemic condition that inscribes the whole of society or to a distinct governing strategy for disguising the political nature of policy process. Understood as a condition, a strategy, or both, the concept has been employed to examine a wide array of policy issues until recently. Especially in development studies, the concept has been increasingly utilized to examine the rationale, mechanisms, and ramifications of development projects that were carried out in different parts of the world. Except a few examples, however, the depoliticizing implications of development schemes in Turkey have not received adequate scholarly attention. This article investigates Turkey’s Southeastern Anatolia Project (Güneydoğu Anadolu Projesi, GAP) in the conceptual guidance of depoliticization approach. The article explores how a neoliberal agenda has trivialized political issues such as those concerning distribution, resource use, inequality, inclusion, or conflict in southeastern Turkey. It critically assesses how the dominance of experts, the subscription to the ‘homo oeconomicus’ model, and the developmentalization of security policy have operated as means of depoliticization within the project. In this way, it provides a new perspective regarding how policymakers and project authorities attempt to ‘economize’ or ‘technicize’ the political in project frameworks and sites.

Comparative Study of Risk Indices for Infrastructure Transportation Project Using Different Methods

This paper is an attempt to develop and compare the risk indices developed by various methods of project risk analysis like modified expected value method, fuzzy expected value method and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process for an elevated metro rail corridor construction project in Bangalore, India. Risk management is increasingly a critical success factor for major infrastructure projects. It helps to identify, analyse, mitigate and control the risks associated with project cost, schedule and scope. Infrastructure projects are usually faced by different types of risks associated with different types of activities which finally lead to cost and time overrun. The main purpose of this work was to identify the risks and uncertainties associated with major activities of an infrastructure project like elevated metro rail corridor project and then analyse for risk severity and risk index through three different methods. It has been observed that fuzzy expected value method is more sensitive than the other two methods, and the computed values of risk indices predict risk severities which can be ranked according to criticality for almost all the identified activities. Thus, project authorities can easily take necessary mitigation measures to reduce the risk severities. Also, fuzzy expected value method gives good results for both small and large number of activities, whilst modified expected value method works well for up to 25 activities and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process works well for up to 20 activities.

Development of risk index for mass rapid transit system project in Western India through application of fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP)

Mass rapid transit system projects like elevated corridor metro rail construction involves activities like segment casting, segment transportation and segment erection that are extremely risky in nature and need to be implemented very carefully. This article is an attempt to develop risk index for the elevated corridor metro rail construction project in Western India. The risk index is created by application of fuzzy analytical hierarchy process to the quality parameters associated with the segment casting, piling work, pier construction, segment transportation, segment erection with launching girder, jointing of segments and pre-stressing operations. This risk index would help the project authorities associated with ongoing and upcoming metro rail projects to identify and categorize the most risky activities and plan suitable risk mitigation measures accordingly. This would help the metro rail project to be completed successfully within stipulated time and cost frame.