Managing Urbanization

[chanana.ak@nic.in]

What measures can be taken for environmental sustainability of urban areas, including air, water, sewage and solid waste management?

[skcskg@gmail.com]

This is a broad field so briefly:

Air

This is dependent on industrial and construction activities . While there are laws by pollution control board but implementation is poor.So need to strengthen compliance.

Water

Dependent on industrial , commercial & residential operations where compliance is an issue regards to what is being pushed in to municipal sewage system.
Further,the adequacy and maintenance of nallas / sewage drains needs critical review.
Also , the big issue of water table depletion can be easily handled by creating a focussed group providing harvesting systems with attractive subsidies.This can be done by increasing cost of water supply so that harvesyinf schemes appear attractive.Also no new construction project should be passed without an adequate water harvesting system.

Solid Waste

A ppp model for collaction , transportation & disposal processes will do well.Again need for more regulation.

We caqn discuss details on each topic relating to planning , organizing , funding , technology etc

rgrds

Sunil K Chaturvedi
skcskg@gmail.com

[spha99@yahoo.com]

There is a tool known as Environmental management plan (EMP) which could be used for maintaining environmental sustainability. Every household, shops, factory, offices and vehicle owners should do brainstorm at their unit level and build an environmental management plan at the smallest unit (may be at family level). they should consider all the issues regarding resource use and waste generation at the unit level.

These environmental management plans should be displayed at their main gate or main door and Municipal corporation should monitor these EMP regularly. Implementation of this Idea will definitely generate more people's participation in sustainable development. City planners and policy makers will get a very clear idea to manage the city in sustainable way. People will be more aware about their responsibility towards their environment. Within three month you can a very good idea about city's environmental problems.

Regards,

Pramod

[sambath.kumaar@gmail.com]

I have seen a film called Madarasapattinam, where they show how colonial Madras was, the river Adayar and koovam running through the ehart of the city is clean and fishing was carried on...!!

But now, the river is nothing but Chennai's stink, scum and sewer..!!

That river was popularly called the Thames of Madras, but now after Independence, everything has changed...!!

1. The waste water and other effluents must not be directly allowed to flow through rivers, but must be taken through pipes to the ocean.
2. The solid wastes could be treated in a rather useful way, where huge amounts of wastes are dumped and covered by a Poly Ethylene thick cover followed by several tonnes of top soil and a park or something could be constructed over it. On due course of time, the solid wastes decomposes and forms a inflammable methane gas. At one or two points, pipes could be brought from the surface to the depth of the waste and this gas could be fired and electricity could be produced out of the waste. This is still practiced in Taiwan and that city accounts for world's largest waste managing city.
3. Air waste must be filtered strictly before being left out to the atmospheric air. Mass Public transports must be encouraged to reduce air pollution and fuel management.

This is only my suggestion.
Steps must be taken effectively to curb this improper waste management process..!!

[chaotic_chord@yahoo.com]

Dear Sir/Madam,
At present in many parts of our cities there are no thrash collection bins, this is part of the reason why there are plastic bottles and papers in the side of every streets.

New storm drains are constructed in major urban areas, but the openings are clogged with trash, reducing efficiency of these storm drains. The rain water collected from the roads should be stored and treated made use for drinking.

Adopt waste managment techniques from clean countries like Singapore.
In Singapore trucks with huge vaccum cleaners, sweeps the streets in the mid night when the traffic is less. In Indian major cities humans sweepers still sweep using hand tools which is ineffective and dust flies in all directions which causes breathing problems.

Most importantly we need to run advertisment in TVs, newspapers and Radios educating the public that littering, spitting, and open air toilets are bad habits.

Thank you
K. Ravi Kumar