1 COVID-19: An Opportunity for Smart and Sustainable …
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the cities, which are described as follows: (i) High Density (Compact Development):
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is observed more in the cities having high
population density both at the international and national level. The compact development with inadequate infrastructure facilities increases the spread of the virus in
the city; (ii) Limited focus on Smart Cities: In India, the states having more number
of smart cities are the most affected states due to pandemic. The less focus on the
regional development and surrounding areas puts extra pressure on the city healthcare
facilities and increases the process of transmission of virus; (iii) Good Connectivity:
The states with good connectivity to other parts of the nation, have reported a large
number of confirmed COVID-19 cases along with high fatality rate. However, the
disadvantage of lesser connectivity of Himalayas, NE regions and islands is proved
to the biggest advantage during a pandemic for such regions; and (iv) City Functionality: the dynamic nature and vibrant function attracts more people in the cities and
increases the speed of transmission of infected due to more interaction during the
pandemic situation.
Additionally, the non-spatial issues are linked with the complex nexuses of societies, authorities, and departments, which are as follows: (i) Less Awareness: neither
the people nor the government was aware of the deadliest virus and its impact on the
physical and mental health of a human being. It has led to an increase in the number of
cases frequently all around the globe; (ii) Immoral Behaviour: people are either hiding
the personal travelling history details or not obeying government orders, which has
increased the transmission of virus exponentially; (iii) Low Testing Percentage: India
is able to test only 1.19% of its total population till 15 July 2020, with a test positivity
rate of around 6.72%. Thus, it is a major challenge with such a populous country to
test its total population with a limited number of health infrastructure facilities; (iv)
Inadequate Healthcare Infrastructure: With a population of more than 1,210 million,
India has lesser number of ICU beds with the ventilator. The states constitute the
major portion healthcare facilities have registered higher COVID-19 cases is also a
major concern; (v) Non-Availability of Latest Demographic Data: Census of India
conduct the survey and collect data once in ten years. The last census has been carried
out before 9 years, i.e. in 2011. Thus, the non-availability of demographic data is one
of the major concerns as all the infrastructure facilities including healthcare infrastructure are provided based on the settlement population threshold limit; and (vi)
Data Discrepancy: State government and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have failed
miserably to maintain the demographic record of their respective region/settlements.
The people do not share the correct personal information with authorities. As a result
of which, more than 1,500 COVID-19 cases are under the unassigned category as of
15 July 2020.
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the cities, which are described as follows: (i) High Density (Compact Development):
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is observed more in the cities having high
population density both at the international and national level. The compact development with inadequate infrastructure facilities increases the spread of the virus in
the city; (ii) Limited focus on Smart Cities: In India, the states having more number
of smart cities are the most affected states due to pandemic. The less focus on the
regional development and surrounding areas puts extra pressure on the city healthcare
facilities and increases the process of transmission of virus; (iii) Good Connectivity:
The states with good connectivity to other parts of the nation, have reported a large
number of confirmed COVID-19 cases along with high fatality rate. However, the
disadvantage of lesser connectivity of Himalayas, NE regions and islands is proved
to the biggest advantage during a pandemic for such regions; and (iv) City Functionality: the dynamic nature and vibrant function attracts more people in the cities and
increases the speed of transmission of infected due to more interaction during the
pandemic situation.
Additionally, the non-spatial issues are linked with the complex nexuses of societies, authorities, and departments, which are as follows: (i) Less Awareness: neither
the people nor the government was aware of the deadliest virus and its impact on the
physical and mental health of a human being. It has led to an increase in the number of
cases frequently all around the globe; (ii) Immoral Behaviour: people are either hiding
the personal travelling history details or not obeying government orders, which has
increased the transmission of virus exponentially; (iii) Low Testing Percentage: India
is able to test only 1.19% of its total population till 15 July 2020, with a test positivity
rate of around 6.72%. Thus, it is a major challenge with such a populous country to
test its total population with a limited number of health infrastructure facilities; (iv)
Inadequate Healthcare Infrastructure: With a population of more than 1,210 million,
India has lesser number of ICU beds with the ventilator. The states constitute the
major portion healthcare facilities have registered higher COVID-19 cases is also a
major concern; (v) Non-Availability of Latest Demographic Data: Census of India
conduct the survey and collect data once in ten years. The last census has been carried
out before 9 years, i.e. in 2011. Thus, the non-availability of demographic data is one
of the major concerns as all the infrastructure facilities including healthcare infrastructure are provided based on the settlement population threshold limit; and (vi)
Data Discrepancy: State government and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have failed
miserably to maintain the demographic record of their respective region/settlements.
The people do not share the correct personal information with authorities. As a result
of which, more than 1,500 COVID-19 cases are under the unassigned category as of
15 July 2020.