Carlin Carr, Mumbai Community Manager
The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi brought the world’s attention to India. The major event was one of the first and largest of its kind to be held in the country. “A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games to date. It was also the largest international multi-sport event to be staged in Delhi and India, eclipsing the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982,” according to statistics on the event. While the mega sporting event was rife with controversy, it also presented the opportunity for the city to test out new transport methods and for international organizations to introduce greener and cleaner ideas.
Since all eyes were on the sporting event, the Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee designed the “Green Team.” The goal of this team was to spread awareness among visitors and viewers on issues of land, energy, carbon, waste, and water. In order to create “informed global citizens,” the Delhi committee focused on youth as ambassadors of the cause. “Delhi’s youth will become the torch bearers and drivers of improvement in civic sense and will enhance cleanliness awareness among citizens of Delhi by a ripple effect,” says the site. In this sense, the mega-events become a platform not just for sportsmanship and championships but also for promoting awareness on key issues among the public.
Among these issues was one of the most plaguing environmental and urban concerns: increasing carbon emissions and traffic congestion. The games accelerated ideas that previously seemed a foreign concept to the polluted Indian mega-city. One such idea was converting the three-wheeled auto rickshaws — known for hazardous emissions — to solar rickshaws. On October 2, 2008, two years ahead of Delhi taking the world stage, Solekshaw, an eco-friendly solar-powered rickshaw, was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit. Given that 60 percent of the increase in greenhouse gas emission is caused by the transport sector, the clean-powered pedi-cab offered not only a solution for Delhi but an example of clean transport that could serve cities the world over.
“Soleckshaw, with its zero carbon footprint and the trend of widespread use, is expected to reverse global warming and protect the planet from the perils of the climate change. Its worldwide use would also enhance energy security by reducing the world’s dependence on limited fossil fuel. Equipped with novel features, this pedicab is easy to drive, both on plain as well as uphill road, without any strain of imbalance, which all of the current cycle rickshaws suffer from,” says the Department of Science and Technology in the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Despite its intentions, the potential of the solar rickshaw has yet to be realized in India. Still, what the Commonwealth Games and mega-events in general allow are expedited exploration. The solar rickshaw is just one example. Moving forward, for India’s cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore to be contenders for hosting this type of event in the future, these prototypes will need to become reality. The events require infrastructure enough to host the events and house and transport their participants — areas that demand attention long before the games can arrive.
Photo credit: null0