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National levels of personal health-care access and quality can be approximated by measuring mortality rates from causes that should not be fatal in the presence of effective medical care (ie, amenable mortality). Previous analyses of mortality amenable to health care only focused on high-income countries and faced several methodological challenges. In the present analysis, we use the highly standardised cause of death and risk factor estimates generated through the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) to improve and expand the quantification of personal health-care access and quality for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2015. We mapped the most widely used list of causes amenable to personal health care developed by Nolte and McKee to 32 GBD causes. We accounted for variations in cause of death certification and misclassifications through the extensive data standardisation processes and redistribution algorithms developed for GBD. To isolate the effects of personal health-care access and quality, we risk-standardised cause-specific mortality rates for each geography-year by removing the joint effects of local environmental and behavioural risks, and adding back the global levels of risk exposure as estimated for GBD 2015. We employed principal component analysis to create a single, interpretable summary measure–the Healthcare Quality and Access (HAQ) Index–on a scale of 0 to 100. The HAQ Index showed strong convergence validity as compared with other health-system indicators, including health expenditure per capita (r=0·88), an index of 11 universal health coverage interventions (r=0·83), and human resources for health per 1000 (r=0·77). We used free disposal hull analysis with bootstrapping to produce a frontier based on the relationship between the HAQ Index and the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a measure of overall development consisting of income per capita, average years of education, and total fertility rates. This frontier allowed us to better quantify the maximum levels of personal health-care access and quality achieved across the development spectrum, and pinpoint geographies where gaps between observed and potential levels have narrowed or widened over time. Between 1990 and 2015, nearly all countries and territories saw their HAQ Index values improve; nonetheless, the difference between the highest and lowest observed HAQ Index was larger in 2015 than in 1990, ranging from 28·6 to 94·6. Of 195 geographies, 167 had statistically significant increases in HAQ Index levels since 1990, with South Korea, Turkey, Peru, China, and the Maldives recording among the largest gains by 2015. Performance on the HAQ Index and individual causes showed distinct patterns by region and level of development, yet substantial heterogeneities emerged for several causes, including cancers in highest-SDI countries; chronic kidney disease, diabetes, diarrhoeal diseases, and lower respiratory infections among middle-SDI countries; and measles and tetanus among lowest-SDI countries. While the global HAQ Index average rose from 40·7 (95% uncertainty interval, 39·0–42·8) in 1990 to 53·7 (52·2–55·4) in 2015, far less progress occurred in narrowing the gap between observed HAQ Index values and maximum levels achieved; at the global level, the difference between the observed and frontier HAQ Index only decreased from 21·2 in 1990 to 20·1 in 2015. If every country and territory had achieved the highest observed HAQ Index by their corresponding level of SDI, the global average would have been 73·8 in 2015. Several countries, particularly in eastern and western sub-Saharan Africa, reached HAQ Index values similar to or beyond their development levels, whereas others, namely in southern sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and south Asia, lagged behind what geographies of similar development attained between 1990 and 2015. This novel extension of the GBD Study shows the untapped potential for personal health-care access and quality improvement across the development spectrum. Amid substantive advances in personal health care at the national level, heterogeneous patterns for individual causes in given countries or territories suggest that few places have consistently achieved optimal health-care access and quality across health-system functions and therapeutic areas. This is especially evident in middle-SDI countries, many of which have recently undergone or are currently experiencing epidemiological transitions. The HAQ Index, if paired with other measures of health-system characteristics such as intervention coverage, could provide a robust avenue for tracking progress on universal health coverage and identifying local priorities for strengthening personal health-care quality and access throughout the world. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The objective of the study is to estimate groundwater vulnerability against contamination in Bhiwadi region of Rajasthan by applying geographical information system (GIS)-based DRASTIC model which considers seven hydrogeological parameters of an aquifer: depth to water (D), net recharge (R), aquifer media (A), soil media (S), topography (T), impact of vadose zone (I), and hydraulic conductivity (C). The groundwater vulnerability (intrinsic vulnerability) and risk assessment (specific vulnerability) is done using original DRASTIC as well as modified DRASTIC to find the best-suited model for the study area. Groundwater risk assessment is done by integrating land use map with appropriate weight and ratings with vulnerability map. The study methodology includes modification of DRASTIC parameter ratings based on the mean chromium (Cr) concentration of each parameter range through simple statistical technique and DRASTIC parameter weight modification by two different methods: (1) maximizing coefficient of correlation between vulnerability index and chromium (Cr) concentration using generalized reduced gradient (GRG) solver package in excel (2) single parameter sensitivity analysis (SPSA) for evaluating effective weight based on influence of individual parameter on vulnerability index. The DRASTIC parameter ratings modified on the basis of chromium concentration gives very low correlation coefficient (r = 0.24) due to less correlation of ratings of depth to the water table, slope and vadose zone to chromium concentration, hence no revision of parameter ratings is required for the study area. Compared to the correlation coefficient (r = 0.3) of original DRASTIC, weight modified DRASTIC, based on SPSA method gives r = 0.35 and GRG optimizing solver gives r = 0.37, indicating improvement in correlation coefficient due to weight modification. The result also shows that GRG optimizing solver gives better correlation coefficient than SPSA method. The best correlation coefficient (r = 0.41) between vulnerability index and chromium concentration is obtained by weight modification (using GRG optimizing solver) and including land-use layer in the original DRASTIC model. The result indicates that integration of DRASTIC with land use improved the correlation coefficient between chromium concentration and vulnerability index for original as well as ratings and weight modified DRASTIC models. The sensitivity analysis test performed indicates that recharge is the most sensitive parameter whereas soil is the least sensitive parameter in the study area. The study confirms that modification and optimization of DRASTIC model by means of weight modification as well as the integration of land use layer in original DRASTIC increases the correlation coefficient and gives a more accurate assessment of groundwater vulnerability to chromium contamination in the study area.

This study presents an assessment of groundwater quality over the two constituent districts (Faridabad and Gurgaon) of the National Capital Region (NCR), India, using geospatial and statistical approaches. These districts have been subjected to rapid urbanization and industrialization in recent years. The groundwater quality parameters viz., pH, electrical conductivity (EC), carbonate (CO32−), bicarbonate (HCO3−), chloride (Cl−), sulphate (SO42−), nitrate (NO3−), fluoride (F−), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), silica (SiO2), and total hardness (TH) are obtained for the year of 2017 from 28 sites over the study area. The suitability for human drinking purposes is assessed by comparing the concentration of parameters at each site with respect to their permissible limits recommended by the Bureau of Indian Standards (IS 10500: 2012). The geospatial mapping of the water quality parameters is carried out to visualize their variations, whereas their risk assessment is accomplished by the statistical approaches viz., water quality index (WQI), correlation, and principal component analysis (PCA). The number of sites exceeding the permissible limits of pH, EC, Cl−, SO42−, NO3−, F−, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, and TH is obtained to be 7, 15, 5, 6, 8, 3, 5, 7, 18, 3, and 8, respectively. The WQI analysis revealed 10 out of the 28 sites to be unsuitable for drinking purposes. The parameters mostly exhibited positive correlations except for pH that showed a negative correlation with other parameters. The results of PCA revealed the first principal component (PC1) to explain more than 95% of the total variance, thereby significantly reducing the dimensionality. The deteriorated water quality may be mainly attributed to anthropogenic activities, i.e., reckless industrial growth, population explosion, and rapid urbanization. This study emphasizes the need for regular water quality monitoring, and the information reported will certainly help for water resources planning and management, especially over the industrial regions of NCR, India.

A policy of urban decentralisation, limiting or discouraging the growth of population, has been commonly adopted for spatial planning in developing countries over the past decades. Delhi is in a transition stage and sprawling over the years to nearby periphery towns, but NCT Delhi’s urban influence decreases with the increasing distance from the core. Delhi’s urbanization process highly influences the towns within a radius of 50 km from the core. Some Towns located beyond 100 km of radius are also experiencing high growth of urban population because they are the nodal points surrounding the rural hinterland. The later decades of urban development in NCR Delhi led to a high rate of population growth because of the improved employment growth and other economic opportunities that came as a result of inflow of capital and investment to the region. On the other hand, decentralization of employment, urban growth, coupled with the services and housing supply promotes the growth of main and small urban centres in the periphery which is further boosted by a good transport network, connecting and integrating the National Capital Region. Delhi is experiencing declining growth of population and on the other hand, periphery towns are getting boosted by the urban growth.

I report the results of a field experiment in Gurgaon, India that offered cash and noncash incentives to learn either to children or to their parents. While I find no evidence that the identity of the recipient or form of the reward mattered in the aggregate, noncash incentives targeted to children were more effective for initially low-performing children while cash incentives were more effective for high-performing children. To explore the mechanisms behind this result, I present a model of household education production and find additional empirical results consistent with the model.

This article describes the role of social capital and power as a significant underlying factor influencing water security in peri-urban Gurgaon. The article shows how differential access to social capital shapes differential access to water. In peri-urban contexts, communities that lack access to water mobilise their social capital to enhance their water security. We use the concepts of power and social capital to explain how the actors interact in peri-urban Gurgaon, paying attention to which social groups are powerful and how the powerless use social capital to adapt to changing resource access and usage. We conclude by drawing theoretical- and policy-relevant insights from the field.

Background and Aims: Oral health is an essential component of health throughout life. Hardly any information is available on the oral health status of children in Gurgaon. Thus, the present study was conducted among 5-year-old and 12-years-old children in schools in rural Gurgaon. Materials and Methods: A total of 1003 children were examined of which 619 were in 5 years age group and 384 in 12 years group. The prevalence of dental caries was studied using dentition status and treatment needs index. For dental calculus criteria of Community Periodontal and for dental fluorosis Dean′s index was used. Results: In 5 years age group prevalence of dental caries was 68.5%, dental fluorosis was 22.5% and treatment needs were 63.7%. In 12 year age group prevalence of dental caries was 37.5%, dental fluorosis was 76.04%, highest community periodontal index score was 2, seen in 80.2% and overall treatment needs were 44.3%. Conclusion: Preventive approaches seem to be a viable alternative to tackle the overwhelming problem of dental caries and other oral diseases. Provision of oral health education in schools and school based preventive programs are important for improvement of this situation.

The present study was aimed at characterizing the soil-water resource degradation in the rural areas of Gurgaon and Mewat districts, the two economically contrasting areas in policy zones-II and III of the National Capital Region (NCR), and assessing the impact of the study area's local conditions on the type and extent of resource degradation. This involved generation of detailed spatial information on the land use, cropping pattern, farming practices, soils and surface/ground waters of Gurgaon and Mewat districts through actual resource surveys, standard laboratory methods and GIS/remote sensing techniques. The study showed that in contrast to just 2.54% (in rabi season) to 4.87% (in kharif season) of agricultural lands in Gurgaon district, about 11.77% (in rabi season) to 24.23% (in kharif season) of agricultural lands in Mewat district were irrigated with saline to marginally saline canal water. Further, about 10.69% of agricultural lands in the Gurgaon district and 42.15% of agricultural lands in the Mewat district were drain water irrigated. A large part of this surface water irrigated area, particularly in Nuh (48.7%), Nagina (33.5%), and Punhana (24.1%) blocks of Mewat district, was either waterlogged (7.4% area with <=2 m ground water depth) or at risk of being waterlogged (17.1% area with 2-3 m ground water depth). Local resource inventory showed prevalence of several illegal private channels in Mewat district. These private channels divert degraded canal waters into the nearby intersecting drains and thereby increase extent of surface irrigated agricultural lands in the Mewat district. Geo-spatial analysis showed that due to seepage of these degraded waters from unlined drains and canals, ground waters of about 39.6% of Mewat district were salt affected (ECmean = 7.05 dS/m and SARmean = 7.71). Besides, sub-surface drinking waters of almost the entire Mewat district were contaminated with undesirable concentrations of chromium (Cr 2.0-3.23 ppm), manganese (Mn: 0.80-1.55 ppm), nickel (Ni: 0.02-0.10 ppm) and lead (Pb: 0.40-0.83 ppm). Ground waters (42.5%) of Farukh Nagar irrigated with Najafgarh drain water and adjoining (industrialized) Gurgaon and Pataudi blocks were also salt affected and laden with undesirable Cr concentrations (>0.05 ppm). In fact, sub-surface drinking waters of some areas around battery and automobile manufacturing units in Gurgaon and Pataudi blocks were associated with exceptionally high (>0.1 ppm) Ni concentrations. In general, the ground waters of waterlogged or potentially waterlogged areas in the rural areas of Mewat were more contaminated than the ground waters in the rural areas of Gurgaon district with deeper (>5 m) water depths. Though Cr concentrations in the surface and sub-surface irrigation waters of both Gurgaon and Mewat districts were far above the maximum permissible limit of 1 ppm, their bio-available soil-Cr concentrations were well within permissible limit. Even bio-available Ni concentrations in agricultural lands of Gurgaon district associated with Ni contaminated sub-surface irrigations were well within desirable limit of 0.20 ppm. This was primarily attributed to the calcareous nature of the soils of the study area. About 35% of Gurgaon district and 59% of Mewat district irrigated with poor quality waters were salt-affected. These waterlogged/potentially waterlogged calcareous-salt affected soils of Mewat district were having acute zinc (Zn) deficiency (<0.6 ppm). Some areas with extremely high iron (Fe: 20-25 ppm) and Mn (10-25 ppm) concentrations were also noticed in the Gurgaon, Nuh and Punhana blocks. Generation of reduced conditions owing to paddy cultivation in areas with 3-3.5 m water depths appeared to be the main cause of such point contaminations. Extensive cadmium (Cd) contamination was also noticed in the waterlogged sodic agricultural lands of Nagina village in Mewat district associated with a large scale scrap automobile and battery business. The study could document the processes and provide spatially accurate information to the managers (e.g., National Capital Region Planning Board) and the concerned citizen groups. It could, in fact, clearly point out that dumping of industrial and domestic wastewaters especially from NCT-Delhi into river Yamuna and, to some extent, from NCT-Delhi re-located hazardous industrial units into Najafgarh drain tributaries at Delhi-Gurgaon boundary, and poor “off-farm” water management practices were the main reasons for extensive (point/non-point source) land-water degradation in Gurgaon and Mewat districts of NCR.

Le présent article propose d’analyser le motif de la ville nouvelle pour questionner les inflexions de la planification urbaine publique dans le contexte indien. L’acte de fondation d’une ville nouvelle est emblématique de l’intervention de la puissance publique dans le domaine urbain. Parce qu’elle est présentée comme une table rase par les bâtisseurs, la ville nouvelle fonctionne par ailleurs comme un miroir grossissant des politiques de planification urbaine. L’Inde postcoloniale est un cadre privilégié de développement de villes nouvelles. L’analyse des cas d’étude de Chandigarh, Gurgaon, Navi Mumbai et Salt Lake City permet de mettre en lumière la transformation des programmes d’urbanisation, des échelles d’intervention ainsi que du niveau d’investissement des acteurs publics dans les décennies qui suivent l’Indépendance. L’essai critique de généalogie urbaine des villes nouvelles indiennes offre en définitive un éclairage nouveau sur les projets de fondation contemporains, notamment la Smart City Mission lancée en 2015. The paper questions the development of new towns in postcolonial India in order to analyse the transformations of urban planning. Because new towns are supposed to constitute a tabula rasa , they can be understood as a showcase of urban planning politics. Several new towns were developed in India after Independence. The analysis of successive kinds of greenfield developments highlights the transformations of urban policies, scales of urban planning and urban stakeholders in postcolonial India. Based on critical typologies and in-depth studies of various new towns, the paper aims to build an analytical framework for a better understanding of the contemporary foundations.