Anyone visiting India will become acutely aware of the air pollution problems in most cities in India. We can also read about the water shortage in cities and in villages especially during the dry season. There are also articles written in the American Press now that India has crossed the one billion population arguing how India is unable to cope with the billion people, air pollution and shortages for basic necessities. Many in the world and even in India have expressed the opinion that the only solution is population control and that India has no hope of solving any of her problems for the one billion people.

I beg to disagree. India has the technology and knowledge base to provide for a comfortable living conditions for all her one billion people and the many more millions that will be added in the next decades. I want to bring forth a plan that will lead toward achieving this goal of economic well being for all of India’s billion plus people in the next ten to twenty years if this plan is implemented. It is estimated that with the population control efforts that are in place, India’s population will in fact stabilize in a few decades which is certainly a good news. I do not want to argue that an ever increasing population can be supported in India or in the World.

One bright spot about India is that she is nearly self sufficient in agriculture production which has essentially eliminated any scarcity for food. It is now time for India to put all her technical talent into solving the other problems of poor housing, water and power shortage and air pollution. India’s intellectual capability has been demonstrated by her performance in domestic and Global software engineering projects. But India has only touched on the surface of how to realize the full potential of India’s professionals, managers and intelligentsia.

I will outline The Technology City for Humanity and show how this project will provide homes, increase power production and reduce air pollution. The Technology City for Humanity calls for the construction of coastal rail systems and highways and to construct multistory buildings over it. These buildings will also have bicycle lanes, walkways and utility housings in the ground (first) floor. One can imagine that rails, highways and utility systems will have to go though open areas as well as tunnels and bridges. Over open areas and small span bridges multistory buildings can be constructed covering these transportation and utility systems. Evidently, no such building will be constructed where the transportation and utility systems have to go through tunnels. The building columns will be made from steel or reinforced concrete and will be able to accommodate roof mounted wind mills. If these buildings are located along the sea cost, these roof mounted wind mills will generate most of the electric power required for all of India. The first floor (ground floor) will accommodate trains, roads for buses and trucks, bicycle paths, walkways and utility housings, as mentioned earlier. The utility housings will allow placement of water pipes, electric, telephone, television and fiber optic cables with easy access for maintenance. Other floors will be for flats, shops and light business use.

Typically, the buildings of The Technology City for Humanity will be at least 200 feet wide and 400 or more feet long. These buildings will naturally be wider and taller around cities. In rural areas no buildings will be constructed where there may not be any need or demand for homes or for commercial space. The Technology City for Humanity can also be built around an interior city such as Delhi, Bangalore or Hyderabad. It will provide for housing and efficient transportation with little or no pollution and for power generation if wind statistics show viability for power generation.

The greatest strength of this program is that the land-less and homeless participants will not have to come with any cash or down payment to actually own a home in The Technology City for Humanity. They will have to agree to input about 2000 hours of work. When a family completes the 2000 hours of work, a house (flat) with about 400 sq.ft of living space will be handed over to them. The workers will be the primary beneficiaries of this project. It is recommended that at least two basic meals should be provided to workers who come for a full day of work. When a worker or family completes 2000 hours of satisfactory work, a flat should be allotted to them. They can live in it, rent it or sell it. They can rejoin the program, if they wish.

The immediate question will be how this project will reduce air pollution. The most important fact that I like to point out is that India can feed, house and provide for all basic necessities of all one billion people, but she cannot put out one billion or even half billion automobiles on the road for her one billion people. The present technology is unable to provide for the required fuel to run half billion automobiles. The world does not and cannot produce enough gasoline for these additional automobiles and the pollution generated will also be too great. So, the basic idea should be to provide for mass transportation systems which will reduce the need for automobiles, the three wheelers and the two wheelers now becoming very popular in India. Instead, Indians should move towards travel by train, bus and bicycles. Reduction of air pollution by existing vehicles is useful, but this alone is not going to completely solve the air pollution problems. A radical change in present and future transportation philosophy is necessary.

The Technology City for Humanity provides for mass transit (trains and buses), bicycles lanes and walkways. Most people will not have to own an automobile for convenient transportation, just like many people who live in New York City and have opted to live without an automobile.

In The Technology City for Humanity, effluent from septic tanks can be made available for irrigation. Water reuse and water conservation are the real answers to reducing water scarcity. Though not addressed directly by this project, India has to plan to collect almost every drop of rain water and has to plan to use it. This will require a lot of electric power to collect or pump water to storage and then to drain or to pump water to homes and businesses. Transportation systems will also require considerable amount of electric power. The roof mounted wind mills will result in one of the most economical way for electric power production.
,BR> The success of the program will depend on technology and management. The core management group will be full time professionals of various disciplines. They will be salaried employees with incentive bonuses which can consist of flats left over after allotment for all production workers who have completed their quota of work. Management will be responsible for material development, design, tools and all construction activities. A quasi-government organization similar to the electric or telephone utility common in the United States is recommended.

In addition to home ownership, increase in power and water availability and reduction of air pollution, there will be hundreds or even thousands of companies started up and new technologies and manufacturing developed. Housing would have been provided to thousands first and then millions. Production workers would have earned additional skills enabling them higher income potential. Some of the workers themselves could become owners or part owners in various businesses.

Thus far I have summarized The Technology City for Humanity. I like to point out factors that can enhance the performance and improve results from The Technology City for Humanity. Research and development into materials for construction will provide for lower cost materials with greater durability. Roof tops are also ideal for “Hydroponics’” gardens. Hydroponics is the new method for growing vegetables using the least amount of water and nutrients. Research is best coordinated by working with India’s vast network of Universities, colleges and schools. A lot of volunteers can also be found from these educational institutions. Working on The Technology City for Humanity will be a great experience for both the faculty and the students.

The Technology City for Humanity will be an answer for many problems facing India. In addition to better transportation systems, there will be considerable increase in available housing, power and water and reduction in air pollution and dependence on imported oil. It will also result in better materials, tools and greater number of skilled people. The Technology City for Humanity will result in substantial economic development for India for the coming decades.

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