Madhushree Das – författare

This book covers themes related to the geosphere, biosphere, sociosphere and ecosphere dealing with changing geographical, environmental and socio-economic realities to plan a sustainable future for the northeast region (NER) of India. The NER consists of eight states—Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Sikkim—and they carry political, economic and social importance. The book integrates the past, present and future of geospheric attributes incorporating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to meet the demands for improving human wellbeing under diverse and challenging socio-economic, political and environmental conditions. The key SDGs, as in food and agriculture, health, education, water, energy and other overarching goals of the region, have yet to incorporate providing sustainable jobs and promoting equality and inclusive development, although there have been a few studies in that regard.

The challenges to achieve SDGs in the NER are formidable compared to the rest of India. The NER has put a great deal of effort into achieving the SDGs, mainly in poverty (SDG-1), good health (SDG-3), education (SDG-4), gender (SDG-5), decent work (SDG-8) and reduced inequalities (SDG-10), similar to the rest of the country. However, the standard development indicators such as road length, access to health care, power consumption and other measures are far below the national average. A multi-pronged strategy has played a pivotal role in the region, but development strategy to attain the SDGs 2030 must be more inclusive in empowering people with maximising self-governance, considering the resources, needs and aspirations of the people.

This book evaluates the performance of the SDGs and fills in the gaps. It includes case studies focusing on different SDGs using advanced cartographic, statistical and GIS techniques and methods. It also provides unique findings that serve as valuable resources for plannersand policy-makers so that a sustainable future in Northeast India can be achieved.

This book explores some of the common socio-economic and environmental challenges faced by the cities of South Asia, which remain highly under-researched. South Asia comprises eight nations—India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, consisting of a total population of 1.92 billion in 2022. The majority of the cities in these countries are characterized by haphazard urbanization and multi-dimensional poverty alongside its associated ingredients— floods, water scarcity, food crises, poor sanitation, slums and squatter settlements, and pollution, among others. This comprehensive book is contributed by interdisciplinary scholars and includes 25 case studies. The volume brings these socio-economic and environmental challenges to the fore for a better and more nuanced understanding. The book help policymakers to mitigate the challenges and build sustainable cities.