Construction | CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

20/09/2013

The politics of Chinese dam-building: Opening the floodgates

The Economist: “CHINA has many good reasons not to build the $5.2 billion Xiaonanhai dam on the Yangzi river in Chongqing. The site, on a gentle slope that moves water along only slowly, is not ideal for generating hydropower. The fertile soil makes it one of China’s most productive regions, so it is densely populated with farmers reaping good harvests. And the dam (see map), which would produce only 10% of the electricity of the Three Gorges project downstream, could destroy a rare fish preserve, threatening several endangered species including the Yangzi sturgeon.

Yet it does not matter how strong the case may be against Xiaonanhai, because the battle against a hydropower scheme in China is usually lost before it is fought. The political economy of dam-building is rigged. Though the Chinese authorities have made much progress in evaluating the social and environmental impact of dams, the emphasis is still on building them, even when mitigating the damage would be hard. Critics have called it the “hydro-industrial complex”: China has armies of water engineers (including Hu Jintao, the former president) and at least 300 gigawatts of untapped hydroelectric potential. China’s total generating capacity in 2012 was 1,145GW, of which 758GW came from coal-burning plants.

An important motive for China to pursue hydropower is, ironically, the environment. China desperately needs to expand its energy supply while reducing its dependence on carbon-based fuels, especially coal. The government wants 15% of power consumption to come from clean or renewable sources by 2020, up from 9% now. Hydropower is essential for achieving that goal, as is nuclear power. “Hydro, including large hydro in China, is seen as green,” says Darrin Magee, an expert on Chinese dams at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York state.

There is also a political reason why large hydro schemes continue to go ahead. Dambuilders and local governments have almost unlimited power to plan and approve projects, whereas environmental officials have almost no power to stop them.”

via The politics of dam-building: Opening the floodgates | The Economist.

India coalition approves new state of Telangana

There were 14 states and six union territories when reorganised in 1956 after independence, totalling 20. Now there are 35, with Telangana – if approved by parliament – becoming the 36th. And there are another six or so others lobbying for statehood. The primary reason is ethnic / language differences between different population mixes in the original / existing states. Given that there are 22 officially recognised languages, plus another c6 adopted by some of the new states, it would seem that the pressure for more sub-divisions is in sight.

Apparently, it is said that some Chinese strategist predicts there will be 40 Indian states! (http://wakeap.com/news/political/china-plans-to-split-india-into-40-smaller-states.html)

BBC: “India‘s ruling Congress-led coalition has unanimously agreed to the formation of a new state in the Telangana region of southern Andhra Pradesh state, officials say.

Telangana Joint Action Committee (T-JAC) activists demonstrate as riot police stand behind a barrier during a pro-Telangana protest in Hyderabad on June 14, 2013

With a population of 40 million, the proposed state comprises 10 of Andhra Pradesh’s 23 districts including Hyderabad, India‘s sixth biggest city.

The state has seen protests for and against the proposal in recent years.

Backers of the new state say the area has been neglected by the government.

“It wasn’t an easy decision but now everyone has been heard and a decision has been taken,” senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh told Indian media.

Opponents of the move are unhappy that Hyderabad, home to many major information technology and pharmaceutical companies, could become Telangana’s new capital.

Congress party spokesman Ajay Maken said that Hyderabad would remain the common capital for the two states for a period of at least 10 years until Andhra Pradesh develops its own capital.

“A resolution was passed in the meeting where it was resolved to request the central government to take steps to form a separate state of Telangana,” Mr Maken told a news conference in Delhi.

He said that the resolution was cleared “after taking into account the chequered history of the demand for a separate state of Telangana since 1956”.

The final decision on a new state lies with the Indian parliament. The state assembly must also pass a resolution approving the creation of what will be India’s 29th state.”

via BBC News – India coalition approves new state of Telangana.

Posted in Construction, Consumer, debt, India alert | 1 Comment »

Tags: Andhra Pradesh, Congress, Delhi, Hyderabad, Hyderabad India, India, politics, Telangana

23/07/2013

China starts 5-year ban on new gov’t buildings

First ostentatious spending, then came curtailment of banquets and now building construction. China is ratcheting up its austerity drive. But one wonders if this is countering the efforts to re-vitalise the economy.

Xinhua: “Central authorities on Tuesday introduced a five-year ban on the construction of new government buildings as part of an ongoing frugality campaign.

Building construction (Photo credit: Toban B.)

The General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued a directive that calls for an across-the-board halt to the construction of any new government buildings in the coming five years.

The ban also covers expensive structures built as training centers or hotels.

The directive said some departments and localities have built government office compounds in violation of regulations.

The directive called on all CPC and government bodies to be frugal and ensure that government funds and resources be spent on developing the economy and boosting the public’s well-being.

According to the directive, the construction, purchase, restoration or expansion of office compounds that is done in the guise of building repair or urban planning is strictly forbidden.

The directive also bans CPC and government organizations from receiving any form of construction sponsorship or donations, as well as collaborating with enterprises, in developing construction projects.

While allowing restoration projects for office buildings with dated facilities, the directive stresses that such projects must be exclusively aimed at erasing safety risks and restoring office functions.

According to the instruction, such projects must be approved first by related administrative departments and luxury interior decoration is prohibited, with criteria and spending to be set in accordance with local conditions.

The directive stipulates that expenditures on office building restoration should be included in CPC and government budgets.

According to the instruction, buildings with reception functions, such as those related to accommodation, meetings and catering, should not be restored.

The directive orders all CPC and government departments to rectify the misuse of office buildings, including those that are used for functions that have not been approved.

The directive says CPC and government officials with multiple posts should be each given only one office, while offices for those who have retired or taken leave should be returned in time.

Local authorities should establish or perfect the management of government buildings by strictly verifying the buildings’ size, according to the directive.

Departments that have moved to renovated or newly-built locations should transfer the original office blocks to government office administrators in a timely fashion, according to the directive.

Departments and units at all levels should address the office shortage caused by adding new institutions by themselves. If the additions do not meet their needs, government office administrators should adjust existing resources to solve the shortage, according to the directive.

Strict approval procedures are also required for renting new office blocks, according to the directive.

“Banning the building of new government buildings is important for building a clean government and also a requirement for boosting CPC-people ties and maintaining the image of the CPC and the government,” according to the circular.”

via China starts 5-year ban on new gov’t buildings – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

Posted in austerity, China alert, Construction, Economics | 1 Comment »

Tags: Central Committee, China, communist party of china, Construction, CPC, General Office of the Communist Party of China, Government Buildings, politics

21/07/2013

China starts construction on ‘world’s tallest building’

SCMP: “China has embarked on the construction of an 838-metre-tall building in Changsha that is billed as the “world’s tallest”.

Developer Broad Group on Saturday held a ground-breaking ceremony in the capital city of central province Hunan to start building the 208-storey tower, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald newspaper reported on Sunday. Upon completion, the building would be about 10 metres taller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, currently the world’s tallest.

The Changsha project, carried out by China Construction Fifth Building, is expected to be completed in April 2014, said Zhang Yue, founder and chairman of the Broad Group. It was slated to open in May or June next year.

The skycraper will contain a total area of 1.05 million square metres and will cost a whopping 5.2 billion yuan (HK$6.5 billion) to build, government-run news portal voc.com.cn reported.

Named “Sky City”, the mega building is designed to house various public facilities so the “building can serve as a city”, the developer said. It would house schools, an elderly care centre, hospital, offices in lower levels, while apartments and hotels would make up the upper levels.

Changsha-based technology enterprise Broad Group was founded in 1988. Its products include energy-saving electronic equipment and quake-proof construction materials.

China is home to five of the world’s top-10 tallest buildings, according to a list in Forbes magazine last year.”

via China starts construction on ‘world’s tallest building’ | South China Morning Post.

Posted in Construction, Economics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: architecture, Broad Group, Burj Khalifa, Changsha, China, Dubai, List of tallest buildings in the world, Zhang Yue

21/06/2013

4.7-trillion-yuan plan to double mainland road network by 2030

SCMP: “Central government earmarks 4.7 trillion yuan for upgrading and extending roads, giving the country 400,000km of highway by 2030

Newspapers suggest 4.7-trillion-yuan plan to double mainland road network by 2030

The mainland will spend 4.7 trillion yuan (HK$5.9 trillion) in the next 17 years to more than double its network of major roads, top transport officials said yesterday.

Dai Dongchang , chief planner with the Ministry of Transport‘s general planning department, told a press conference that a recently approved blueprint for road expansion included 50,000 kilometres of toll highways and 160,000 kilometres of toll-free “national trunk ways”, which are narrower and have slower top speeds.

The mainland has 173,000 kilometres of the two kinds of road at present and the plan approved by the State Council last month says that should rise to 400,000 kilometres by 2030.

By then, toll-free trunk ways should connect all counties, Dai said, while highways should connect all cities with populations of more than 200,000, as well as important transport junctions and border ports.

Huang Min , head of the National Development and Reform Commission‘s basic industry department, said 18 cities of more than 200,000 lacked highway links at present, while more than 900 counties were not connected to national trunk ways.

The new highways would include two north-south routes in the nation’s west, Huang said, with many of the 900 counties expecting new trunk ways also located in the west.

The mainland now had about 110 million private vehicles, 60 times the number in 1981, when the plan for the existing road system was drafted, he said.

Dai said the volume of goods carried on mainland roads was 3.7 times the volume carried on United States’ roads and was expected to at least double by 2030, along with the number of passenger vehicles.

He said China had previously paid more attention to the construction of highways and small roads in the countryside, leading to sluggish development and poor maintenance of trunk ways.

The blueprint forecasts a total of 5.8 million kilometres of roads on the mainland by 2030 – 84 per cent countryside roads, 9 per cent provincial roads and 7 per cent highways and trunk ways.”

via 4.7-trillion-yuan plan to double mainland road network by 2030 | South China Morning Post.

Posted in China alert, Construction, Economics, Highways, Infrastructure, Transport | Leave a Comment »

Tags: cars, China, National Development and Reform Commission, Road, road expansion, toll highways, transportation, Xi JinPing

21/06/2013

Mumbai building collapse kills nine

BBC News: “At least nine people have been killed in the collapse of a building on the outskirts of the Indian city of Mumbai.

map

More people are trapped inside the three-storey building in Thane district, 35km (20 miles) from Mumbai. Rescue operations are continuing.

The cause of the collapse in not known, but correspondents say such incidents are common in India and often blamed on poor construction practices.

In April, 74 people were killed in another building collapsed in Thane.

And earlier this month, four people were killed when a five-storey building collapsed in Mumbai.

The latest incident happened early on Friday when the residential building caved in, officials said.

————————————————————————————————————————-

India’s deadly collapses

4 April 2013: 74 die in Thane, near Mumbai

19 Dec 2012: 13 die in Wagholi, Maharashtra

24 Sept 2012: 6 die in Pune, Maharashtra

15 April 2012: 23 workers killed in blanket factory collapse in Jalandhar

16 Nov 2010: 69 killed and more than 80 injured in Delhi

18 Aug 2010: School building collapse kills 18 children in Uttarakhand

26 Jan 2010: 23 killed in Bellary, Karnataka

23 Sept 2009: Chimney of a power plant in Chhattisgarh caves in, 40 killed

13 Aug 2008: 20 die in Mumbai

18 July 2007: 29 killed in Mumbai”

via BBC News – Mumbai building collapse kills nine.

Posted in Construction, Economics, India alert | Leave a Comment »

Tags: architecture, India, Maharashtra, mumbai

19/06/2013

30-storey building built in 15 days (time lapse) – by China’s Broad Group

See: http://palladium.bre.co.uk/trk/click?ref=zu2nl520g_0-1c0x34a0x09646&

Massive: An artist's impression of the planned 220-storey Sky City building planned for Changsha, south-east China. The mammoth building is planned to be built in only three months

Posted in China alert, Construction, Economics, innovation, Technology | 1 Comment »

Tags: chinese company

31/05/2013

Urbanisation: Some are more equal than others

The Economist: “FOR many migrants who do not live in factory dormitories, life in the big city looks like the neighbourhood of Shangsha East Village: a maze of alleys framed by illegally constructed apartment buildings in the boomtown of Shenzhen, near Hong Kong. There are at least 200 buildings, many of them ten storeys tall (see picture). They are separated by only a metre or so, hence the name “handshake buildings”—residents of neighbouring blocks can reach out from their windows and high-five.

The buildings are China’s favelas: built illegally on collectively owned rural land. Rents are cheap. An eight-square-metre (86-square-foot) flat costs less than $100 a month. They symbolise both the success of the government’s urbanisation policy and also its chronic failures. China has managed a more orderly system of urbanisation than many developing nations. But it has done so on the cheap. Hundreds of millions of migrants flock to build China’s cities and manufacture the country’s exports. But the cities have done little to reward or welcome them, investing instead in public services and infrastructure for their native residents only. Rural migrants living in the handshake buildings are still second-class citizens, most of whom have no access to urban health care or to the city’s high schools. Their homes could be demolished at any time.

China’s new leaders now say this must change. But it is unclear whether they have the resolve to force through reforms, most of which are costly or opposed by powerful interests, or both. Li Keqiang, the new prime minister, is to host a national conference this year on urbanisation. The agenda may reveal how reformist he really is.

He will have no shortage of suggestions. An unusually public debate has unfolded in think-tanks, on microblogs and in state media about how China should improve the way it handles urbanisation. Some propose that migrants in cities should, as quickly as possible, be given the same rights to services as urban dwellers. Others insist that would-be migrants should first be given the right to sell their rural plot of land to give them a deposit for their new urban life. Still others say the government must allow more private and foreign competition in state-controlled sectors of the economy such as health care, which would expand urban services for all, including migrants. Most agree the central government must bear much more of the cost of public services and give more power to local governments to levy taxes.

Any combination of these options would be likely to raise the income of migrants, help them to integrate into city life and narrow the gap between the wealthy and the poor, which in China is among the widest in the world. Such reforms would also spur on a slowing economy by boosting domestic consumption.

Officials know, too, that the longer reforms are delayed the greater the chances of social unrest. “It is already a little too late,” Chen Xiwen, a senior rural policy official, said last year of providing urban services to migrants. “If we don’t deal with it now, the conflict will grow so great that we won’t be able to proceed.”

Yet Mr Li, the prime minister, would do well to dampen expectations. The problems of migrants and of income inequality are deeply entrenched in two pillars of discriminatory social policy that have stood since the 1950s and must be dealt with before real change can come: the household registration system, or hukou, and the collective ownership of rural land.”

via Urbanisation: Some are more equal than others | The Economist.

Urbanisation: Some are more equal than others (economist.com)
* Right thing to do comes with a price tag (chindia-alert.org)
The Wrong Way Of Urbanization (imabhinavthakur.wordpress.com)
EXCLUSIVE-China urbanisation plan hits roadblock over spending fears-sources (uk.reuters.com)
The Hukou system: The real face of China’s Urbanisation? (uosm2018.wordpress.com)

Posted in China alert, Construction, Economics, Household registration, Human rights, Inequalities, Labour unrest, Low income, Migrant workers, temporary workers | 2 Comments »

Tags: Apartment, China, Li Keqiang, Rural area, Urbanization

09/05/2013

* China’s Airport Building Boom

BusinessWeek: “The first rule of airline travel in China is: Don’t cut connections close. Assume your first flight will be late, and leave plenty of time than to scramble to your next gate. Fortunately, if you’re flying between major Chinese cities, you can bide your time in a gleaming new airport with plenty of shops selling tea, lattes, snacks, souvenirs, and even prestige apparel. (Only in Chinese airports have I seen stores selling “BMW Lifestyle” clothing).

In China, travel is booming, giving rise to new airports and hotels to accommodate the inbound masses. The International Air Transport Association forecasts that by 2016, China will have 415 million fliers annually, second only to the U.S. in volume of domestic passengers. Volume at the Beijing Capital Airport has tripled in the last 10 years; the city’s second major airport will open by 2018. In all, the current Five Year Plan calls for 55 new civil airports by 2015, bringing China’s total to 230.

The build-out is good news for the obvious suspects, including travelers, hotels, and retailers that profit from travel. In a recent report, the Virginia-based Global Business Travel Association estimated that spending related to business travel in China will increase 14.7 percent in 2013, to $224 billion. (GBTA estimates comparable spending in the U.S. in 2013 will be $268.5 billion.)

For many of the Chinese cities caught up in the airport-construction boom, it’s been a mixed blessing. In 2011, China’s Civil Aviation Administration recorded that 75 percent of its civil airports were operating at a loss, according to the China Daily. High levels of debt assumed by local governments to finance airports and other large infrastructure projects are a growing worry for China. Last month Fitch downgraded China’s credit rating, expressing concerns especially about local debt. In its assessment, the credit rating agency noted: “Fitch believes total credit in the economy including various forms of ‘shadow banking‘ activity may have reached 198 percent of GDP at end-2012, up from 125 percent at end-2008.”

One component of the mismatch is that Chinese airline carriers have focused on connecting major hubs, with far fewer flights to secondary destinations. As a result, while small regional airports are often eerily quiet, industry analysts believe Beijing’s Capital Airport is on track to overtake Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport as the world’s busiest.”

via China’s Airport Building Boom – Businessweek.

* New Beijing airport targets 2018 opening (chindia-alert.org)
Hartsfield-Jackson world’s most crowded airport (bizjournals.com)
Singapore’s Changi Named World’s Best Airport…Again (thediplomat.com)
Why China doesn’t need more airports (guardian.co.uk)

Posted in Affluence, China alert, Construction, Economics, fashion, luxury brand, Transport | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Atlanta, aviation, Beijing Capital International Airport, business travel association, China, civil aviation administration, global business travel, Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, International Air Transport Association, transportation

06/05/2013

* Indian Supreme Court gives nod to Kudankulam nuclear plant, says it is safe

Thank goodness. India needs all the power it can generate.

Times of India: “In a relief for the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government, the Supreme Court on Monday approved the commissioning of the controversial Kudankulam nuclear plant.

English: Construction site of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant Deutsch: Baustelle des Kernkraftwerks Kudankulam (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kudankulam plant is safe and secure and it is necessary for larger public interest and economic growth of the country, the SC said.

“Nuclear power plants are needed in the country for the present and future generations,” observed the apex bench.

The apex court said that the Kudankulam N-plant has been set up by the government for the welfare of the people.

A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra, which had reserved the verdict following marathon arguments in the last three months, delivered the judgement.

A batch of petitions was filed by anti-nuclear activists challenging the project on the ground that safety measures recommended for the plant by an expert body have not been put in place.

They also raised various questions pertaining to the disposal of nuclear waste, the plant’s impact on the environment and the safety of people living nearby, besides other issues linked to the controversial plant.

The Centre, Tamil Nadu government and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, which operates the plant, had refuted all the allegations on safety and security aspects.

They had submitted that the plant is completely safe and can withstand any kind of natural disaster and external terrorist attack.”

via SC gives nod to Kudankulam nuclear plant, says it is safe – The Times of India.

Posted in Construction, Economics, Electricity, energy, Good news, greenhouse gas, India alert, Infrastructure | Leave a Comment »

Tags: environment, India, Koodankulam, Kudankulam, Nuclear Power Corporation of India, nuclear power plant, politics, science, Supreme Court, Tamil Nadu government

CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

Chindia Alert: You’ll be Living in their World Very Soon

Categories

Blogs I Follow

Archive for ‘Construction’