Green cost of illegal colonies
Mohali:fast-paced urbanisation has taken a toll on the environment. These concerns are highly accentuated in case of urbanisation when it is unplanned, haphazard and unauthorized — developed in violation of laws and rules.
In Punjab, illegal colonies have mushroomed over the years, with estimates of such settlements ranging from 10,000 to 20,000. More than 40,000 acre in the state are estimated to be under illegal colonies.
ESCAPING ENVIRONMENT LAWS
“Illegal colonies are a stress on biological environment. Such developments are also in violation of water (Prevention and Control of Pollution Act 1974), air (Prevention and Control of Pollution Act 1981) and do not obtain environment clearance under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2009,” says Dr RS Saini, managing director, Green Economy Initiatives.
While in a legal colony, there are mandatory legal stipulations regarding the installation and management of sewage treatment plant, it is not the case with unauthorised colonies.
“The development destroys local endemic species and disturbs fauna patterns. Discharge of untreated sewage adds to biological load in seasonal rivulets including chances of polluting ground water. Use of DJ sets without acoustic enclosures and improper exhausts of emissions lead to noise and air pollution,” says Saini.
Every coloniser is expected to complete the construction of a project and installation of the pollution control equipment within the validity period of the NOC (no-objection certificate) issued by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) before the start of work.
For the extension in the validity of NOC for a further period of one year/part of year, the project promoter is required to pay 50% of the normal fee applicable for a year. After the establishment of project, the promoter has to take consent to operate.
The sewage treatment plant is proposed for the housing colony. The sewage water disposal quantity from number of plots, houses, commercials, other institutions is assessed and based on the quantity the capacity of sewage treatment plant (STP) is calculated and the plan of STP is checked by the pollution control board.
The sewage water after treatment from the STP is to be used in the way as proposed by the PPCB. The sewage in no way can be discharged underground and pollute underground water.
However, in case of illegal colonies, neither such NOC is taken nor there is a mandate of environmental clearance in the regularisation policy.
STRESS ON NATURAL RESOURCES
Burden of unauthorised urban areas on environmental resources like water is also a serious issue.
“Unplanned urbanisation, particularly illegal colonies, encourages practices that lead to illegal and over-exploitation of ground water. While the law and judicial orders stipulate that there should be no tube wells in individual houses in a residential colony, in unregulated colonies, even individual houses employ tube wells. In illegal colonies, there is no proper water management planned and consequently people face severe water supply issues. Residents are left with no choice but to use tube wells,” says Sanjay Sharma, environmentalist and professor, National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTR).
The problem of drinking water and exploitation of ground water in illegal colonies also threatens health of people in such areas.
“Most of these tubewells are shallow, with a depth of not more than 10m. At this level, water available is generally not fit for human consumption or is mixed with impurities, which may lead to health problems,” adds Sharma.
There is also a danger of drinking water getting mixed with sewage in such colonies. “There are repeated cases in our colony when the drinking water gets mixed with sewage discharge. Colony residents have to call for water tankers to meet their daily water needs,” says Hoshiar Singh of Zirakpur.
On reasons for incidents of mixing of drinking water and sewage in unplanned and unregularised areas, Saini says, “Colonisers do not lay drinking water and sewage pipelines according to stipulated government norms. There is no or little planning involved in laying of underground utility pipes. Sometimes sewage pipes are laid even at 4ft, and in proximity to drinking water pipelines. When there is a leak, water and sewage gets mixed, which poses a major risk to health of local residents.”
MISSING GREENS
As per the UDPFI (urban development plans formulation and implementation) guidelines of the Union ministry of urban development (MOUD), proportion of recreational areas to the total developed area should be between 12 and 16% depending on size of the city.
In Punjab, green areas are much less than the mandated parameters - as per Moud’s greening guidelines 2014, the existing scenario of recreation/ open space in Ludhiana is 1.97 per capita and Amritsar 0.95 per capita.
A major reason for such dismal green scenario in urban Punjab is attributed to growth of illegal colonies in the state.
“There is lack of environment management as mandatory requirements of minimum green belt, rainwater harvesting, use of solar lights, waste water treatment and recycling as dual plumbing are ignored in illegal colonies. When basic utilities are missing in these colonies, then it is too much asking from colonisers to provide space for green facilities,” says Jit Kumar Gupta, former director, College of Architecture, IET, Bhaddal.
The pressure on existing infrastructure as demands for electricity, traffic parking, etc are not taken into account in illegal colonies and this indirectly impacts the environment.
MANAGING DISASTERS
As the recent monsoon season showed, flooding is a common occurrence in unplanned urban areas and illegal colonies.
“These areas are developed ignoring local topographical conditions. There is no soil testing before construction. Similarly, in most of cases, the rainwater drainage system is missing or is ill-equipped to handle heavy rain. With narrow internal and approach roads, much below the stipulated government norms and no parking spaces, in case of natural calamity, the entry and exit of ambulances, disaster management teams can become a serious problem in such colonies,” says Surya Kant, a Mohali-based urban planner and architect.