Addressing Urban Environmental Problems

Keshab Raj Joshi

Unmanaged and unplanned urbanisation has made the cities the centre of environmental problems. The pace of urbanisation in the developing countries has accelerated greatly. Often rapid urban growth has taken place without matching expansion of the infrastructure, services and facilities necessary for a healthy urban environment and without adequate planning or regulation. This has caused deterioration in urban environmental quality and left urbanities susceptible to health hazards associated with poor environmental quality.

Sustainable cities

Today's cities are not sustainable. They are the major consumer of resources, and for their needs, they have to depend upon distant sources. Therefore, environmental problems occur not only within the cities but much beyond. Cities are often located in prime agricultural areas. Conversion of this land into urban areas cuts down on agricultural productivity and puts additional pressure on nearby areas, which may be less suitable for agriculture. Water is a key issue in urban areas.

Local supply becomes inadequate given the intensified demands. Moreover, human pressure on the existing water bodies pollutes the water due to the discharge of untreated wastewater, sewage, urban runoff as well as disposal of solid waste. Urbanisation takes a toll of the greenery in the cities. Trees as well as other vegetation that absorb air pollutants, give off oxygen, help cool the air, muffle noise, provide wildlife habitat and give aesthetic pleasure are destroyed. As a result, the local ecosystem is disturbed.Cities are where vehicles and industries are concentrated. Their concentration makes the cities vulnerable to air and noise pollution. Traffic congestion intensifies the pollution. The gaseous emission from vehicles and industries turn the urban air unfit for breathing.

Urbanisation alters the local climate also. Cities are warmer than the nearby rural areas. Vehicles, industries, light and people generate enormous amounts of heat. Tall concrete buildings and paved surfaces absorb heat and obstruct the cooling wind. Paved surfaces everywhere lead to rapid runoffs, causing flooding in the cities. Flooding also occurs because the course of the natural river is obstructed by encroachment. Cities tend to be developed on floodplains as they are flat, accessible and near the rivers. Reduced seepage of rainwater brings down the groundwater table, drying up wells. One of serious problems in the urban areas is solid waste management. Most of the cities lack landfill sites, and practices of reuse and recycling are not adopted. In the absence of landfill sites in the urban areas, cities have to depend on outer rural lands, which means waste is generated by the urbanities and its environmental cost has to be borne by the rural poor.

Urban poverty is a major issue in the discussion on urban environment. Many of the urban poor live in slums and squatter settlements where drinking water, solid waste pickup facilities and good sanitation do not exist. The emergence and expansion of squatter settlements have led to the encroachment of riverbanks, public lands, religious/cultural sites, agricultural land and forest areas. However, it is not to say that urban areas are bad due to the presence of these environmental problems. Urbanisation itself is not a problem. Urban areas are engines of growth. They play an important role in economic, political and cultural development; provide better access to education, employment and health care. They also have beneficial environmental effects. Recourse use is more efficient where people can share goods and services, which leads to greatly reduced unit cost in providing such goods and services. Less energy is spent in transportation and production when people don't have to travel too far.

Efforts are necessary to make urban areas livable and environment-friendly through good urban planning and environmental management. Urban areas must not be car-oriented; they should be people -oriented. Well planned densely populated settlements can reduce the need for land conversion, provide opportunities for energy savings and make recycling more cost effective. Urban environmental management involved increasing resource efficiency reduction in waste generation and setting recycling schemes; developing more effective waste collection systems and effective mechanisms for hazardous waste treatment; waste management through private-public partnerships; and adoption of clean and energy efficient technology by vehicles, industries and households. Improving urban infrastructure for water supply, management and conservation of water resources in urban areas through improved wastewater treatment is a must. Categorising the city into different zones is necessary. There is a need to raise awareness among the people regarding the environment, health and appropriate practices and behaviours; addressing urban poverty and the needs of the urban poor, including those of the slums and squatter settlements; and introducing "polluters pay principle". Strengthening of municipalities and local bodies and introducing clear urban development policies and a legal framework is important.

Management

Urbanisation will continue to play an important role in the economy, environment and people's lives. The challenge is to live in cooperation with urbanisation while using its benefits and making the negative impacts manageable because many of the urban environmental problems are the result of poor management and planning and absence of coherent urban policies rather than of urbanisation itself.

Source: The Rising Nepal, April 23, 2007