Development is taking place in the city like never before. Metro, industrialization, national educational and medical institutes, concretization of roads — everything seems to be in a fast forward mode. The question is are we doing it the right way. In catching up with developed cities, we may make the same mistakes that they did at the cost of environment and quality of life. Jai Shanker Pandey, chief scientist, science secretary and head, climate change in National Environmental Engineering Research Institute talks about finding a win-win situation to go about development in a planned and scientific manner, keeping the city liveable like it always has been.
Excerpts from an interview…
Q. How will you define the city’s development?
A. Most of the development happening around the world is forced and Nagpur is no exception. Development is being defined in competitive parameters, in terms of metro and flyovers. Environmental impacts are not being weighed leading to irreparable damage. We need to look at it from a different angle, in a more scientific way.
Q. Is the city taking correct steps when it comes to defusing environmental impacts vis-a-vis projects like metro?
A. Getting environmental clearance should not be treated as a licence to damage it. For such mega-projects, we are not doing need-assessment study. Metro will surely make a big difference in lives of people tomorrow but we need to think about today too. Afforestation can’t be a solution in all cases as it is a very site-specific issue. Different plants need different type of ecosystems. Uprooting trees from one place and doing compensatory plantations at a completely different ecosystem does not help much. We are treating plants as material things.
Q. Nagpur is lucky to have over ten lakes. Do you think the civic bodies have the right approach towards maintaining them? What more can be done?
A. Lakes are ecosystems in themselves and represent a healthy environment. However in our city, we have reached the ‘end of pipe treatment’. We waited for them to get excessively polluted rather than having the right approach from the beginning. Though discharge of industrial waste has been the major source of pollution for city lakes, there are other human activities too that directly add to contamination. For instance, Telangkhedi is bound to get polluted surrounded by so many food joints. The best solution is land use management. There should be a buffer zone around every lake having the right kind of vegetation. Selection of plant species needs to be done scientifically based on the type of location. The root zone of plants helps in purifying water to a large extent.
Q. Is concretization of roads a good option for the city?
A. Concretization is not a very healthy option as the concrete traps heat and adds to the increasing temperature. But on the other hand, coal tar is also harmful as it contains cancer-causing agents. Because of high durability, many argue in favour of concretization as it is better polluting the environment once than every year. But I think we can still explore more environment-friendly materials. This calls for a need for scientific experimentation.
Q. Is noise pollution hyped or is as bad as it seems. Is there a need to redefine the permissible noise limits?
A. While air pollution is the most dangerous as it directly affects the respiratory system; noise pollution also has long-term adverse effects on human health. Ailments relating to blood pressure, diabetes, insomnia and heart problems are caused due to noise pollution. Yes we need to redefine the ambient noise levels by bringing them down. But it is not just about the intensity but also frequency of the noise that should be considered while assessing environmental impacts of sound pollution.
Q. What are the lessons a developing city like Nagpur can learn from a developed city like Delhi?
A. We shouldn’t be repeating their mistakes. In running behind development, we should not reach a stage where the damage cannot be restored. Vehicular pollution is the major reason behind the menace caused in Delhi. Its contribution in overall air pollution is about 60-70%. We still have time to cut down on fuel consumption. Activities like cycling and carpooling needs to be adopted by citizens. It will have to be a collaborative effort.
Q. Development is necessary so is environment protection. How can we get a win-win situation?
A. Development agencies should find a middle way to reduce carbon footprints as much as possible. In construction and infrastructural projects, environment-friendly materials should be used. The city is expanding and moving closer to industrial areas. Hence it is important for every industry to have a buffer zone, a green belt. Environmental norms as suggested by pollution control boards need to be followed at any cost.
Date: November 27, 2016