HYDERABAD: Hyderabad has been ranked fifth among 14 metro cities of the country in the Urban Quality of Life (UQoL) list, compiled by the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B). The study quantifies the relative holistic urban development of 14 cities in India using 29 indicators grouped into seven components. According to the list, Hyderabad lags behind other cities in key indicators, such as literacy rate and road density.
The city, however, excels in other parameters, like households with treated tap water. The holistic development of the cities was calculated by assessing several dimensions, including basic amenities, econ omi c d e v e l o pme n t , transportation access, environmental impact index, gender role, among others. It was found that the ‘Transportation Access Index’ has the highest contribution to UQoL, compared to other indices. Additionally, Gender Role Index (GRI) also contributes significantly to UQoL.
Hyderabad, under the Transportation Access Index, recorded the highest vehicle ownership per kilometre in 2011. The study attributes Hyderabad’s higher vehicle ownership to its poor mass transit network. “It can be observed that Delhi and Kolkata have higher transit network coverage. These cities have dedicated mass rapid transit systems that are heavily used by commuters.
Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, and Patna do not have extensive mass rapid transit networks,” said the study. Additionally, Hyderabad ranks lowest in road density (km per sq km) of 1.06. The study claims that the city needs 1,392 additional public transit networks to improve the UQoL.
Literacy rate
The city has the lowest persons literacy rate of 82%. However, Hyderabad has the highest percentage of houses with treated water connections of 90.3%