I have always found 3 wheeler rickshaws that ply the roads of India extremely convenient. They are everywhere, affordable and go places where a taxi cab cannot. Its common knowledge that these two stroke engine vehicles are huge pollutants. Auto rickshaws seem like such a South Asian phenomenon that its tough to believe that rickshaws were introduced in South Asia in 1960′s from the 1950′s Italian Vespa. Rickshaws cost around $1500 – 2000 and are usually not owned by the people who drive them. Rickshaw drivers are usually migrant workers from poor families. There have been number of initiatives to address the issue of rickshaw pollution by local government for different countries. One such change was a ban of the two stroke rickshaws by the Government of Punjab in Lahore in Pakistan. This ban evoked widespread criticism since the drivers who depended on the rickshaws got the raw end of the deal.

Improvising the rickshaw to make it environment friendly has been on everyone’s mind. A bunch of new solutions have come out in the market in the past couple of years. The 4 stroke engine CNG versions of the auto rickshaws came about more than 10 years ago. There were issues with long lines for CNG refueling, as well as expensive spare parts, however the the yellow and green rickshaw have been adopted quite extensively in cities like New Delhi. There is a marked difference in the air quality after the 2 stroke petrol and diesel rickshaws were retired. However there have been some studies about how emissions from CNG rickshaws might have a negative impact on climate change.

TVS KING CNG Rickshaw (via hindu.com)

A hybrid between an auto rickshaw and a cycle rickshaw called e-rick was introduced in New Delhi right before the commonwealth games in 2010. The e-rick looks totally absurd and out of place on Indian roads, even though its being called aesthetically designed. The e-rick is battery powered and eco friendly and is a brain child of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi who are planning to partner with a private firm. The rickshaw drivers will be hired as employees and will be given a salary and medical benefits. For once a more systematic approach is being followed to solve a problem that benefits all the stakeholders. There is some interesting coverage on BBC about the e-rickshaw

e-rickshaw

Another rickshaw design which has been making rounds in Delhi for the past couple of years is the Solekshaw, a solar powered rickshaw. This initiative was launched by the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. The Solekshaw is an improvised cycle rickshaw. It is a motor assisted bike that has a motor that is driven by a 36 volt battery that is charged at a solar charging station. It can go as fast as 12.5 miles an hour which is much faster than a regular cycle rickshaw. It is also meant to replace the inhuman practice of having the rickshaw driver take passengers all over the city by pushing their bodies to the limit.

Soleckshaw (via psfk.com)

Another innovation is a retro fit kit for auto rickshaws that can power the rickshaw using water. According to an article in pluggd.in – ‘The kit performs hydrogen enhancement of conventional fossil fuel, produces hydrogen and oxygen which is the most necessary element for combustion and can be customized as per the needs of the driver.’ The project was created by engineering students from RV college in Bangalore. The project was funded by the college trust and Bosch India limited.

Because of increased interest in the innovation in the rickshaw world, a Hybrid Auto Rickshaw Battle was held by a sustainability group from Netherlands called Ennviu. The goal of the event was to improve socio-economic situation of auto rickshaw drivers, reduce CO2 emission and improve air quality in large cities. Since then they have partnered with an Indian Startup called the Three Wheels United to help and support the rickshaw driver community as well as promote clean energy. Three Wheels United is a group dedicated to solving social issues in the rickshaw driver ecosystem by creating long term sustainable social solutions like benefits and loans etc.

Despite all attempts at controlling the number of rickshaws, they kept registering a steady increase. Number of absurd laws are still attached to this system including the licence quota system, seizure of rickshaws, fines, and a restriction on owning more than a certain number of rickshaws. It would make more sense to legitimize this system by creating sustainable solutions like creating rickshaw paths, restricting big vehicle traffic in very congested parts of the city and making renting rickshaws legal. Some of this might be on its way already but for now there is always another auto rickshaw strike to read about in the news papers.

Additional Link

Sustainable, equitable transportation policy and the rickshaw

Soleckshaws as postal vehicles

Jyoti Hosagrahar is faculty at Columbia University, New York and Director of Sustainable Urbanism International at Columbia University, and Bangalore, India. Architect, planner, and historian, she advises on urban development, historic conservation, and sustainability issues in Asia. Her research interests include urban heritage, cultural and environmental sustainability of cities focusing on the intersections of nature, culture, and the built environment, and postcolonial perspectives in design and planning. She serves as an expert for UNESCO on historic cities.

Hosagrahar is the author of Indigenous Modernities: Negotiating Architecture and Urbanism (Architext Series, Routledge, 2005) awarded a 2006 book prize by the International Planning History Society. At Columbia she teaches courses on urban sustainability and postcolonial perspectives on non-Western architecture and urbanism. Recently, Hosagrahar has been extensively involved in the conservation and sustainable development of historic cities in India in partnership with UNESCO. She is directing the preparation of an integrated site management plan for the conservation and sustainable development of the heritage of the Hoysala towns in Karnataka.

Sustainable Urbanism International’s minimalist design and planning interventions aim to enhance local economic development, while enabling local populations to express their historically derived placed-based identities. SUI is involved in a range of studies, policies, and design interventions for historic townships through extensive community and stakeholder consultations. With Sustainable Urbanism International in partnership with The Energy Resource Institute, India, Hosagrahar has coauthored, ‘An Exploration of Sustainability in the Provision of Basic Urban Services in Indian Cities’. (TERI, 2009).

Stay tuned for Part -2 of Jyoti’s video where she discusses Indigenous Modernities. We will release that shortly.

Lina Srivastava is the Principal of Lina Srivastava Consulting, LLC, which focuses on employing strategy, innovation, engagement and the use of cultural assets to create and demonstrate social change. For our new feature ‘The Indovators’, Lina talks about opportunities for indian designers in the fields of service design, information design, systems design, climate change and more.  She elaborates on how designers can use their inherent skills to create cross sector relationships and communication channels.  She also emphasizes the importance of fostering a climate of creation and risk taking in a conservative risk averse culture.  Overall, the first feature of our new series tells us why designing for the developing nations is a challenging yet gratifying and why innovation matters.

Unlike the westerners Indians use water to clean themselves after going to the toilet. However while traveling in cramped trains, the toilets have running water, but dont have containers or mugs to store the water to clean with. This unique problem has been addressed by Paul Sandeep. He designed a sustainable, disposable mug that could be distributed/sold by local vendors.  The mugs could also carry ads for local businesses and will be made out of recyclable paper and organic glue. It should be able to carry 1.2 litres of water.

For more details check out Paul Sandeep’s explanation of the product on INDEX awards.

Greenlight Planet is a startup based in Mumbai that sells affordable solar LED lights targeted at rural India. The sustainable solar design is a substitute for the kerosene lamps widely used in rural india. The lamp provides 16 hrs of electricity on a single days charge and is known to be twice as bright as its unsustainable predecessor. The lamp costs less than Rs 1000 and has been designed by Patrick Walsh of the US and Mumbai’s Vaibhav Tidke. The product is named the Sun KingTM solar lantern.

As a service, Daily Dump helps you manage your household waste and convert it to useful high-quality compost. It supports you with flexible service plans to achieve your goal of becoming a green citizen. Daily Dump is involved in developing a range of composting solutions. The Daily Dump products are designed to ensure that you compost at home, conveniently and hygienically. More here