Introduction:
Ecocity can be defined as a sustainable city, designed with consideration of environmental impact and inhabited by people dedicated to minimization of required inputs of energy, waste, water and food and output of heat, air pollution and water pollution – Wikipedia.
The term was first coined by Richard Register in his 1987 book entitled Ecocity Berkeley: building cities for a healthy future.
As per this definition, an ecocity can sustain itself with minimal dependence on the surrounding countryside and also use renewable sources of energy to power itself. The resultant impact on the environment will be the smallest drawing of natural resources and the lowest quantity of pollutants by the efficient use of land, air and water. This would also mean a better level of living for the inhabitants through offering them quality environment all around.
ECOCITY INITIATIVE IN INDIA
Most of the cities of our country are presently facing problems of deterioration of environment and socio-economic conditions. The major concerns are unplanned development, poor sanitary and living condition, urbanisation and associated problems including pollution related problems, poor infrastructure etc. The inadequate infrastructure facilities, deteriorating environmental quality and living condition coupled with the lack of finances, awareness, adequate technical competencies and organisational set-up, and the need for an immediate solution lead to the conceptualisation of “Ecocity” projects. A decade has passed with the first advent of the concept of Ecocity in India. The genesis of the Ecocity Programme in India may be traced to the Zoning Atlas initiative launched by the Central Pollution Control Board/Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF), Government of India (GoI). The concept was first seriously discussed at a Conference of Ministers of Environment belonging to different States in May 2000. Subsequently, the initiative was mooted in six small and medium sized towns in India. The thrust areas of Eco city initiatives are:
Environmental Quality: Reducing pollution of air and water is a primary concern. Conserving natural resources, better waste management, better sanitation, reducing air and water borne diseases are other important concerns.
Socio Economic Aspects: Improving the living conditions of the people is of primary importance. Encouraging tourism and other related activities to increase revenue for the local authorities is also targeted.
Recycling: Waste management is an important aspect. It includes reducing waste, recycling materials and reuse of products. Municipal solid waste management system is a thrust area.
Urban Design: Planned development with ample provisions for pedestrian friendly zones, clean and green open spaces, and community recreation areas. Area under green foliage is to be sustained and increased.
Transportation: Focal points would include pedestrian pathways, ample parking facilities, and better roads. Traffic is to be planned and restricted, service lanes to be built and maintained.
Urban Management: Urban sustainability Management System for improving urban management including facilitating with other modern cities and towns in European countries.
ECOCITY KOTTAYAM-KUMARAKAM
The Kottayam-Kumarakom Ecocity Project was born as a result of a collaboration between the Government of India through the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of Kerala (GoK), Kottayam Municipality (KM) and IL&FS through its subsidiary Ecosmart India Limited (Ecosmart), formed for facilitating environmentally supportive infrastructure development.
The Project addressed the development needs of the Kottayam-Kumarakom Ecocity Region, comprising of Kottayam Municipality, and eight neighbouring panchayats that are mostly rural in nature. The region is on the eastern bank of the Vembanad Lake, the largest backwater lake in Kerala. It is an environmentally sensitive area, with tracts of marsh lands, and an extensive network of waterways. The region is witnessing a sudden spurt in tourism activities based on the lake and the waterways, followed by the resultant development pressures.
Regulatory Authorities
Overall Control: The overall control of various ecocity projects across the country rests with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.
Planning and Coordination: Planning and Coordination including the function of researching different proposals and deciding on the basis of needs and resources rest with the Central Pollution Control Board, Government of India
Technical Support: Providing technical support to ensure quality results with the aim of improved urban sustainability rests with German Technical Cooperation (GTZ). GTZ also supports facilitating strategic alliances and project development.
Implementation: Implementation of the project including day to day activities rests with Kottayam Municipality and Ecosmart.
ECOCITY OUTLINE
There are two major projects undertaken as part of Ecocity initiative in Kottayam. The first is rejuvenation of the Mundar River and the second is Renovation of the Kacherikadavu Boat Jetty Canal. The Ecocity initiative is aimed at addressing problems of siltation, deteriorated water quality, growth of weeds, growth of rodents and pests and spread of diseases. The various activities outlined under the twin projects include embankment protection, wastewater treatment, sewerage development, removal of weeds, development of recreational facilities, and landscaping.
Objectives:
· The drive is expected to improve the water quality both in Mundar River and Kacherikadavu Boat Jetty Canal
· By cleaning both the waterways it is expected to reduce the number of rodents and pests and reduce spread of diseases
· Landscaping and development of recreational facilities would offer better meeting places for the local population
· The development of recreational facilities is expected to generate additional revenues for local government
· Traffic bottlenecks can be reduced when Kacherikadavu canal is used for navigation. It would reduce the pressure on road traffic
· Availability of trained personnel sensitive to sustainable urban management including solid waste management and waste water management
KOTTAYAM ECOCITY – A CRITICAL OUTLOOK
In trying to bring together the concept of the ecocity and the problems pertaining to sustainability that come with urban development, Mark Roseland has argued that a collection of apparently disconnected ideas about urban planning, transportation, public health, housing, energy, economic development, natural habitats, public participation, and social justice all hang upon a single framework that is called ‘Ecocity’.
However, it follows from this view that at least a good number of the above components need to be encompassed into the ecocity project for the expectant result. A look at the Kottayam Ecocity Project would reveal that the conceptualization fails in covering the major components of a sustainable Ecocity project. A few aspects are discussed below:
Limited Scale of the Project: The Central Pollution Control Board of India draws up the Ecocity initiative at Kottayam as “The project in Kottayam is aimed at rejuvenating Mundar River and Kacherikadavu Boat Jetty and Canal that have severe siltation and pollution problems”. The Ecocity project is brought down to a very limited scale of cleaning up a river and canal.
Conceptual Misrepresentation: It is doubtful whether the agencies involved with Ecocity Initiative in India have themselves grasped the concept in its totality. “The Kottayam Municipality (Kerala) is implementing ‘Ecocity’ programme to Renovate Kacheri Kadavu Boat Jetty Canal and Rejuvenate Mundar River which were severely degraded because of siltation, weed growth and disposal of domestic waste” explains the CPCB, India. The Ecocity concept is obviously lacking in its entirety in this statement.
Myopic Implementation: The implementation of Ecocity programme in Kottayam involved removal of weeds and vegetation, dredging of the canal, construction of sitting steps, and renovation of parking area. By admission of the implementing agencies, the weeds and vegetation have started to grow back again, and widening of culvert and protection of embankment could not be completed due to price escalation.
TAKING STOCK
A look at the set Objective would be helpful in taking stock of the Ecocity initiative in the pilot project of Kottayam. This would assist in understanding where the initiative lacks in wisdom as far as implementation is concerned and create referral points while formulating projects in future.
· Improving water quality was achieved to a limited scale by cleaning up weeds and vegetation in Mundar River and Kacherikadavu canal. However, due to poor follow-up the weeds and vegetation have grown back again. This happened because the objective was not integrated with the wider conceptual sense of Ecocity.
· Cleaning up waterways and thereby reducing the number of rodents and pests was also achieved to a limited scale. However, this advantage is also being lost since the waterways could not be kept that way.
· Landscaping and development of recreational facilities would meet its objective only if the waterways are kept clean and pollution-free. However, as this objective could not be achieved in full, the recreational facilities will not attract the local public into using them.
· Creation of additional revenue for the public through offering recreational facilities would only succeed when such facilities are frequented by the public.
· Traffic bottlenecks in Kottayam have only increased since the waterways still remain underutilized for transportation.
CONCLUSION
The Ecocity initiative can solve many of the urban development problems in Indian cities. However, the concept needs to be understood in its entirety and all components of the Ecocity concept including transportation, public health, housing, energy, economic development, natural habitats, public participation, and social justice need to be integrated into any projects for getting the expectant results.
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