Urban Development : Issues, Challenges :

Urban areas in Uttarakhand consist of largely small to medium towns, with some having major transitional/migratory population and have geographically difficult and hilly terrain. Uttarakhand has an area of 53,566 km² with urban population around 25 lakhs. There are 63 urban local bodies (ULBs) in the State (60 with elected bodies); 35 ULBs are located in hill areas and 28 in plain areas. Out of 63 ULBs there are 3 Nagar Nigams, 30 Nagar Palika Parishads and 30 Nagar Panchayats. Uttarakhand’s cities and towns were originally rural settlements converted into towns in the later stages, initially due to the fact that these were stopping points and centres for pilgrims visiting the major pilgrimage centres of the State during “Yatra Season”. Eventually, owing to the growth of commercial activities, these developed into small towns, small to medium towns, and some of these grew to become the State’s larger cities. Urbanisation and urban expansionin the State has largely been an unplanned process, resulting in the typical issues that this results in, including the lack of civic amenities in proportion to population density. Today, many urban areas in the state are heavily impacted upon by the transient population, comprising mainly pilgrims and tourists.

Issues :

1. Unplanned development, together with rapid urban growth and the inflow of tourists and pilgrims has made critical impacts on the urban environment of Uttarakhand.

2.  Most of the towns in Uttarakhand have grown in an unplanned manner causing immense pressure on the urban infrastructure and services resulting in degradation of the urban environment and of natural resources.

3. Population pressure on the cities not only causing unavoidable burden on the available infrastructure facilities but also hinders the social and economic development process of the cities.

Challenges :

1. On the other side of coin, tourism is contributing much in the state’s economy. Cities are now become the hub of capitalization of the state as well. Thus the urban growth in Uttarakhand is impacting it both positively & negatively.

2.  Major environmental concerns associated with such unplanned urban development are depletion of forest area, loss of bio-diversity, potential urban pollution in the form of air, water shortages and quality, noise pollution, issues of solid and liquid waste management, and landslides.

3. Some of the major rivers which are drinking and irrigation water sources for the states downstream of Uttarakhand, as well as being of religious significance are silted and polluted due to the unplanned urban development and industrial activities. These rivers also act as major drainage outlets for the towns, and are often used as a convenient means of solid waste disposal.

4. Lakes and water bodies, which are also attraction for tourists, are polluted due to uncontrolled discharge of wastewater and disposal of solid wastes.

5. Vulnerability to Climate Change and Community Perceptions : Currently, no detailed climate vulnerability and risk assessments or community perceptions for urban centres of Uttarakhand are available. However, it is known that climate change is likely to negatively impact infrastructure and worsen access to basic urban services and quality of life in cities.

Relevant Existing Initiatives :

•  The cities of Dehradun, Haridwar and Nainital are covered under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and thus, as Mission Cities, get the benefit of a range of urban development interventions, including the development of city sanitation plans, etc. In addition, the Asian Development Bank is currently supporting the Uttarakhand Urban Sector Development Investment Program (UUSDIP).
• The UUSDIP seeks to improve infrastructure and operational sustainability in water supply in 5 towns and sewerage infrastructure in 2 towns; in addition it seeks to ensure that people, especially vulnerable households will have increased access to better quality and sustainable urban infrastructure and services in 31 urban towns.
• Solid waste management (SWM) plans have been developed and approved for the three JNNURM mission towns, and SWM action plan for the other 60 ULBs are be prepared under UUDSIP.
• Other initiatives include the proposed Uttarakhand Plastic Usage & Disposal of nonbiodegradable Waste Act 2012, the Nirmal Nagar Puraskar Yojna implemented in the state to encourage ULBs for sanitation works under which ULBs are to be rewarded annually for best performances, development of detailed plans for Dehradun to be proposed under JNNURM Phase II, etc.
• Through the ambitious Sparsh Ganga program, thrust is being given to keep river Ganga clean by not allowing untreatable urban waste into Ganga as it flows through townships like Uttarkashi, Tehri Garhwal, Devprayag, Rishikesh, and Haridwar etc. A Sparsh Ganga Board has been constituted by the State Government to monitoring activities to keep Ganga clean.
• The State has also banned the manufacture and use of polythene of size 20 micron and below. The State is also considering complete banning of the manufacture and usage of polythene on lines similar to Himachal Pradesh. This will definitely expected to have a positive impact in making the environment of the State sustainable.

            There is a need to assess and examine the root cause of the problems and identify the strength of the state by means of balanced systematic planning in consensus with Urban Local Bodies and Citizens of the native towns to get rid of all these issues.