PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES LUCKNOW CITY (JAN 2018)
SUMAIRA SIDDIQUI URBAN PLANNER CMMU
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
CITY
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
Article 51 A(g) of the Constitution has mandated the following provision as a Fundamental Duty:
“It shall be the duty of every citizen of India, to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures”
The government and the Supreme Court have made various interventions to stop instances of land grabbing and construction over water bodies. URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
CHALLENGE : PRESENT CONDITION OF WATER BODIES
But owing to the unplanned development and urbanization, the water bodies of this city are struggling for their existence. In spite of the global alarm for restoration of the water bodies, the ponds in the city are facing negligence.
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
CHALLENGE : PRESENT CONDITION OF WATER BODIES At present, water bodies in India are in varying degrees of environmental degradation. Most affected of these are the lakes and wetlands. Today these water bodies across the country are systematically converted into ‘Real Estate’ by vested interests or simply used as a dumping ground for sewage and garbage and are receptacles for toxic waste. Rapid urbanization with scant regard for ecological concerns has destroyed most of these water bodies. Bangalore at the beginning of 1960s, it had 262 lakes but now only 10 lakes holds water.
In Delhi 2010-11, it was found that 21 out of 44 lakes were gone dry due to rapid urbanization and falling water tables. Like these, there are endless examples in India which shows the sorry state of our water bodies. Although we have plethora of Policies and acts for the protection and restoration of water bodies, they remain insufficient and ineffective. URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
CHALLENGE : LOSS OF WATER BODIES
Lucknow official records reveal a grim picture
According to a survey conducted by Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC), there were around 964 ponds in the city in 1952. The number declined to 494 in 2006, a majority of which are unidentifiable
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
CHALLENGE : LOSS OF WATER BODIES
LUCKNOW MASTERPLAN 2031
Source: LDA URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
GOMTI RIVER AND KURAIL NALA
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
KATHAUTA JHEEL
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
MOTI JHEEL
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
HYDROGEOMORPHOLOGICAL MAP OF LUCKNOW
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
PRESENT SCENARIO OF WATERBODIES
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
PRESENT SCENARIO OF WATERBODIES
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
PRESENT SCENARIO OF WATERBODIES
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
PRESENT SCENARIO OF WATERBODIES
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
PRESENT SCENARIO OF WATERBODIES
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
PRESENT SCENARIO OF WATERBODIES
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
PRESENT SCENARIO OF WATERBODIES
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
PRESENT SCENARIO OF WATERBODIES
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
CHALLENGE : LOSS OF PONDS
Today, there are colonies on 99
ponds, 11 are still used for farming, 4 are under the control of railways, 236 ponds are controlled by encroachers. A r o u n d 2 4 a r e l o s t t o r o a d construction and widening. However, a number of ponds were also lost to LDA and housing board schemes.
These figures have triggered alarm among urban planners because it has affected the water-recharging capacity of the city adversely.
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
CHALLENGE : THE AILING GOMATI RIVER The situation of the Gomti river is at its worst today. The Gomti is a groundwater-fed river and is replenished by its various tributaries. According to Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), the flow of the Gomti has reduced by 35 to 40 per cent over the years. The river is at its filthiest along the 13-km stretch in Lucknow and has been declared as the most polluted river stretch in the country by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). I n c r e a s e d b i o t i c p r e s s u r e , r e d u c e d e c o l o g i c a l f l o w , deterioration of major tributaries, siltation and encroachment of the river’s catchment area have left the river dry and filled with sewage and sludge.
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
COURT CASE CASE 1 : Ashok Shankaram, an environment activist from the city, filed a petition against the encroachment of 37 water bodies in Allahabad High Court in 2014. The court sought answers from Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) and Lucknow Nagar Nigam, but received only an elementary reply. The reply did not contain any information about concrete steps taken against the land grabbing. CASE 2 : Plea filed by Moti Lal Yadav, an advocate, demanded the removal of encroachments from lakes and ponds. Yadav says the situation is getting worse by the day with about 300 water bodies around Lucknow currently undergoing plotting for construction. In 2014, the High Court said that it is the statutory duty of the LDA and the municipal corporation to maintain all lakes and ponds by removing encroachments and taking action against the encroachers.
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
LANDUSE PATTERN 2001
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
MAJOR THREATS TO WATER BODIES
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
THREATS TO WATER BODIES
Threats To Water bodies ENCHROACHMENT
POLLUTION
EUTROPHICATION
UNREGULATED TOURISM ACTIVITIES
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
CULTURAL MISUSE
LUCKNOW CITY
ENCHROACHMENT
2010
2017
Encroachment is another major threat to water bodies particularly in urban areas. Even a small piece of land has a high economic value in urban areas. These are relentlessly encroached thus shrinking the area of the water bodies.
Note the encroachment from both the sides of Haibatmau Lake . URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER ENCHROACHMENT ??
Illegal constructions encroach the water bodies/ wetlands
The dried-up water bodies/wetlands in summers is used as a garbage dump
it is Reclaimed and then put it up for sale
The state and the land mafia actively collude to bring about a change in the way the land is used URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
POLLUTION Our population has been ever increasing without corresponding expansion of civic facilities such as adequate infrastructure for the waste disposal and management. This scenario is especially true for the urban areas. As a result, almost all urban water bodies in India are polluted and are relentlessly used to dispose untreated local sewage and solid waste materials.
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
SEWAGE PUMPING STATIONS LOCATED ALONG GOMTI STRECTH
Source: Irrigation and Water Resource Department URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
EUTROPHICATION Lakes and ponds are especially the victims of Eutrophication. Eutrophication results in the prolific growth of aquatic weeds in lakes and ponds that ultimately disturb and kill the ecology of the water body. Eutrophication is the process in which lakes receive nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) and sediment from the surrounding watershed and become more fertile and shallow. The additional nutrients cause algal blooms, additional plant growth and overall poor water quality, making the lake less suitable for recreation.
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
ILLEGAL MINING ACTIVITIES
UNREGULATED TOURISM ACTIVITIES
CULTURAL MISUSE
Illegal mining especially for building material such as sand and stones both on the catchment and on the bed of the water bodies are yet another reason behind the destruction of many water bodies.
Unregulated and unplanned tourist activities near the water bodies have resulted in the relentless dumping of garbage into the nearby w a t e r b o d i e s . I t a l s o n e g a t i v e l y i m p a c t t h e biodiversity of the area as a whole.
Misuse of water bodies for cultural or religious festivals is yet another threat to the water bodies. The activities such as immersion of idols in the water bodies are known contaminate the water bodies.
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
INSTITUTIONS INVOLVED
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
INSTITUTIONS INVOLVED Survival and protection of water bodies depends on the role of a number of institutions and agencies • Ministry of Water Resources, • River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, • Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, • Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare • Local authorities, i.e., Municipal Corporations, Development Authorities, Tourism Department, Water Supply Boards, etc. The management and the conservation of the urban bodies of water has also been complicated by the absence of proper policy on the conservation and protection.
water bodies under the jurisdiction of land owning agencies were mostly interested in maximizing land availability and not in protecting water bodies.
For prevention of pollution and encroachment, the government has come up with different policies and acts. Program like National Lake Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems has been launched in order to restore the lakes, tanks and other water bodies of urban areas by central government. URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
THE CHALLENGES AND GAPS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF WATER BODIES IN INDIA
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
LACK OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF A WATERBODY AS A LANDUSE CATEGORY The absence of a specific land use category for water bodies results in its use for other purposes. Here, it will be relevant to quote the CSE director general Sunita Narain’s observation: “If you ask the obvious question of “how construction was permitted on the wetland, you will get a not-soobvious response: Wetlands are rarely recorded under municipal land laws, so nobody knows about them. Planners see only land, not water and greedy builders take over.”
Source: LDA URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
LACK OF DATA India has a large number of water bodies and we do not have correct data on the number of water bodies that exist in a particular region. As a matter of fact, orderly and scientific census has not been conducted so far. So the data about their existence is highly unsatisfactory. Uttar Pradesh Pond Mapping Application
Ponds Mapping Data has been provided by Concerned Department. Designed & Maintained by State Unit NIC Lucknow.
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
LACK OF EFFECTIVE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK & CONSENSUS AMONG THE STAKEHOLDERS Another prime reason cited for the deteriorating situation of our water bodies is a complete lack of an effective institutional framework to manage our water bodies. There is also a complete lack of synergy, coordination and strategy among the implementing agencies. • •
Ministry of Water Resources,
•
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
•
Local authorities, i.e., Municipal Corporations, Development Authorities, Tourism Department, Water Supply Boards, etc.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change,
Another big challenge for the protection and management of water bodies is to bring diverse groups of people together to arrive at a consensus to solve common problems. Local organizations, welfare associations, activist groups, political organizations and government agencies have very different ideologies, agendas and views. This difference of opinion often makes protection and management of common resources difficult. URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
LACK OF AWARENESS & PEOPLE’S PARTICIPATION Without making people to realize the importance of their local water bodies and ensure they participate in its protection and conservation, it becomes almost impossible to protect our water bodies. Unfortunately, most of the government policies do not rope in the local community in the conservation efforts.
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
INTERVENTIONS NEEDED & WAY FORWARD
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
INTERVENTIONS NEEDED
arrest the decline and,
take steps to reverse the destruction caused to our water bodies.
study the rate of disappearance, identify our water bodies, URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
STEPS TO REVERSE THE DESTRUCTION CAUSED TO OUR WATERBODIES
Intercepting, diverting and treating the pollution loads e n t e r i n g t h e l a k e . T h e interception and diversion works may include sewerage & sewage treatment
In situ measures of water body cleaning: de-silting, de-weeding, bioremediation, aeration, biom a n i p u l a t i o n , n u t r i e n t reduction, withdrawal of anoxic h y p o l i m n i o n , c o n s t r u c t e d wetland approach
Catchment area treatment w h i c h m a y i n c l u d e afforestation, storm water drainage, silt traps etc.
Strengthening of bund, lake fencing, shoreline development etc.
Lake/Riverfront front ecodevelopment including public interface
Solid Waste Management
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
IN SITU MEASURES OF WATER BODY CLEANING
De-silting
Aeration
De-weeding
Bio-manipulation eg. Naini Lake in Nainital
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
Bioremediation Eg. Lakes of Thane district
Hypolimnetic Withdrawal LUCKNOW CITY
WAY FORWARD It is a well known fact that the rate of disappearing water in cities has reached an alarming level, and the impact is being felt beyond the environment and into the socio-economic sphere. So, apart from plugging in the gaps and challenges mentioned above, proactive steps should be taken to address the issue. Sensitizing city planners, local bodies and other stakeholders about the importance of water bodies.
Regularly maintaining water bodies by cleaning sediments and improving the drainage infrastructure.
Strictly implementing environmental rules and regulations and also the land use regulations. Environmental laws should be further strengthened to impose hefty penalties for law breakers.
Framing the vision, mission and master plan to protect various water bodies locally and implementing them rigidly. URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY
Unless there exists necessary Political and Social will, we will continue to be exposed to severe natural calamities
URBAN PROBLEMS AND PERSPECTIVES: PERISH OF LUCKNOW’S WATERBODIES
LUCKNOW CITY