What is wrong in Hyderabad?

Increase in land sharks, lack of lung space and pollution reeling city

What makes the city a source of energy, pride and opportunities for residents? Quite simply, it is the quality of the urban space in the public realm, determined by the parks/greenbelts, open spaces, waterfront developments and the wonderful streets that make walking a pleasure and the public transport that provides easy access.

As cities grow beyond the sustainable limit, their adverse impact on health and the quality of life gets multiplied many fold. Therefore the mega cities jeopardise the very hope for better living and quality of life for which the city dweller aspires. The concept of mega cities is a high risk solution, with high-risk population, the combination of which spells disaster

Capt J Rama Rao VSM; FIE Indian Navy (Retd)

Historically, cities grew and prospered, where geography, climate, and other natural assets were most favorable. The cities can continue to thrive, only by safeguarding the natural resources and the environment that are the underpinnings of both their economy and their quality of life. Therefore economic growth and environmental protection must go hand in hand, as we cannot compensate one with the other.

What is happening in Hyderabad?

It is a fast developing sprawling mega city with fast track growth initiatives and as rumoured; a place for greedy and fortune hunters to make a quick buck by speculating, political lobbying and indulging in criminal and subtle methods by cheating. The growth is not only a gold mine for such people but also a destiny for millions in search of a humble avocation to eke out decent livelihood.

The diversion of forest land of Kothaguda RF, amidst fast developing locality, adjoining the Hitech City, for development of eco-tourism projects and to auction land adjacent to KBR Park near Jubilee Hills check post, appear to be motivated by the real estate value of the urban land. It is as serious and scandalous as the ‘Adarsh Land Scam’ in Mumbai, and ‘Lavasa’ near Pune.

Shrinkage of Public Spaces & Quality of Life

With phenomenal increase in population, the use of land for residential and commercial purposes has doubled and as a result the area under open spaces has shrunk by nearly 50% during the last two decades. With more and more people migrating to Hyderabad for better education & health care facilities, employment opportunities and better quality of life, the pressure on the available land has increased. To cater for the needs of ever increasing population of the city, the parks, open spaces, green belts etc are vanishing making way for concrete jungles. This has an adverse impact on the quality of life in the city. In addition to irreversible environmental problems, it has also thrown up the problems of immense concern in relation to urban utilities, transport, and mobility in day-to-day life, with too many people chasing too little.

Megacity with Mega Risks

As cities grow beyond the sustainable limit, their adverse impact on health and the quality of life gets multiplied many fold. Therefore the mega cities jeopardise the very hope for better living and quality of life for which the city dweller aspires. The concept of mega cities is a high risk solution, with high-risk population, the combination of which spells disaster.

Toxicity of City Environments

Environment is a major issue which affects the well-being of people and economic development. The decline in environmental quality of Hyderabad can be witnessed by vanishing water bodies and green cover, loss of biological diversity, increasing pollution of ground and surface water sources and excessive concentration of harmful chemicals in the ambient atmosphere & in food chains and the threat to life-support systems.

Breathing less with more poison

The city is already breathing polluted gases with reduction of the lung spaces and a green cover. It has become toxic, because of air pollution caused by the industry and automobile emissions such as ammonia, chlorine, Co2,NOX, Particulate Matter (PM 10) etc. The tragedy is that the public are not adequately informed of the magnitude and seriousness of the pollution and the consequent health problems. There is neither any analysis of ill-health created by the pollution nor any serious efforts for prevention of pollution. The cost of inaction in terms of loss of precious human lives by way of premature deaths, loss of man-days due to ill-health and the cost for treatment of ill-health, is enormous.

APPCB abdicated its functions

The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 empowers State Pollution Control Boards to perform the following functions, Vide Section 17 of the Act.

a) To plan a comprehensive programme for the prevention, control or abatement of air pollution and to secure the execution thereof;

b) To advise the state government on any matter concerning the prevention, control or abatement of air pollution;

c) To collect and disseminate information relating to air pollution etc.

Except for releasing the air pollution status report at select traffic junctions once in a blue moon, the AP Pollution Control Board miserably failed in execution of air pollution abatement measures effectively, shifting the responsibility to other organisations / departments. What are the priorities of the Board of Directors of APPCB? Are they involved in pollution prevention & control or are they colluding with the polluter?