Challenges of Urban Resilience in India
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March 2015 southasiadisasters.net 1 URBAN RESILIENCE ABOUT THIS ISSUE What is Missing in India's apid urbanization has Remerged as an undeniable Urban Resilience? global trend. Ever since 2008, more people in the world live in urban areas than in the countryside. In 2014 alone, 54% of the world's population resides in urban areas. This puts an extraordinary level of pressure on urban centres which account for only 2.8% of the world's land area. All these facts point to the distending of urban infrastructure and services beyond their carrying capacity. This leaves these urban areas highly vulnerable to new risks. India's urban infrastructure too is at risk with a projected surge in the number of its urban dwellers reaching 404 million by 2050. This issue of Southasiadisasters.net focuses on the Challenges of Urban courtesy: Google photo. Resilience in India. As repeated Helicopter rescue operation (Srinagar, September 2014). disasters have struck India's urban centres, new risks and ndia, like all other countries of the important reasons behind this vulnerabilities have emerged. Iworld, is increasingly facing the situation are the lack of a holistic Weak institutional frameworks severe impact of the growing vision of the systemic relation and gross social inequalities make climatic changes and its consequences between different urban parameters the urban centres of the country on urban life. Events of many recent (inherent and developed) and also particularly susceptible to the disastrous situations bear testimony the absence of an effective adverse impacts of disasters. to these changes like erratic operational mechanism for timely Climate change has added another monsoonal activities, floods in signalization and modus-operandi to level of complexity to the mire of northern India (Sept. 2014), frequent face these disaster situations. The existing vulnerabilities. In this droughts, severe flooding in coastal most important is the absence of context, this issue tries to explore zones as well as inland river basins, effective resilience measures' underlying facts, observable trends unprecedented landslides in program integrated with the Master and the projected impacts of these Himalayan areas; increasing air Plan of most of the India's urban urban risks and their implications pollution and recurring fog development programs and, most on urban resilience in India. formation on vast Gangetic plains importantly, even if it exists, they and their dramatic impacts on are not constantly monitored with The scope of this issue ranges from transportation, agriculture and the changing nature of these the missing aspects in India's urban health situation, etc. They cost parameters. resilience to the underlying risks billions of rupees every year to to marginalized groups inhabiting India's economic life. Although our knowledge in Indian cities. Topical and visualizing the causes and effects of meticulously researched, this issue Though, many cities have started disasters in terms of place, time and of Southasiadisasters.net including resilient programs in their magnitude has been vastly underscores all major challenges master plans, however, most of them developed thanks to the high quality that India faces in its pursuit of are far from efficient to respond, in of computerization of data analysis urban resilience. time and in quality, to face the effects related to climatology and – Kshitij Gupta, AIDMI of disasters. Some of the most geography, GIS mapping, remote 2 southasiadisasters.net March 2015 A SHORT FLOW CHART OF DESIGNING A RESILIENT PLANNING STRUCTURE OF A TOWN sensing and space imageries and their system of a city is like the arterial development. We built high rise interactive interpretation through 3D system of our body which assures the buildings, clearing virgin forests visualization, there is, however, a vital blood flow. If they are blocked, only to prepare future droughts, land persistent lack in their real time death is inevitable and so is the city's subsides and water scarcity; we built operation and installation of transport system. on floodable lands upsetting measures to achieve highly resilient hydrological balance, subjecting the urban or spatial development plans. Again, to fight against the weather area to future flood disasters (Delhi, vagaries, production system or Kolkata, Mumbai, Patna, Banaras, When we talk about the resilient emergency events, we depend highly etc.); we built on steep hill slopes, capacity of towns, we look to the on energy supply, or almost all cities cutting out the trees thus weakening degree of shock resistant or of India are lacking them severely. the soil consolidation (Dharamsala, absorbing capacity of the towns to The result is, longtime power cut, Dehradun, etc). No Indian city face the disaster events. These events affecting the whole system of life, possesses any consolidated and may be unforeseen or have not been production and services and costing effective plans to face the disasters appropriately considered while billions of rupees in economy. situation. Almost all the Master Plans preparing the development plans of of cities are devoid of appropriate the towns and hence no provision In India, many urban expansion resilient plans to meet the future has been made in the planning programs are planned in areas not disaster events originating from structure or in its operational ecologically susceptible for built-in their own actions as well as natural system. Therefore, when these (a friend of mine, a high ranking events take place, the cities are • Due to climate change India's planning officer in Delhi, told me helpless and bear the burnt. urban infrastructure is exposed that 60% of built-up areas of the city to multiple disasters such as are non-conforming to the Master Take the transport planning system erratic monsoons, increased Plan provision). in the big cities of India, like, Delhi, incidence of floods, landslides, Bombay, Kolkatta, Hyderabad, heatwaves, etc. Almost all cities in India are facing Bangalore, etc... Last year, I was in • While many cities are taking today serious disaster situation Delhi & in Hyderabad. I get caught measures to prepare against such mostly originating from climatic in the traffic jam in both cities. I extreme events, a majority of changes and from man-made actions without backed up by any suddenly heard the frantic siren of Indian cities do not include emergency services (an ambulance appropriate resilient plans. India's resilience measures in their and a police van) looking for cities are unable to resist the shock master plans. passage. To my horror, both were of worst disasters of the coming stuck up in the traffic jam and • This proves to be a major century. nobody gave the way (there was no impediment towards India – Dr. Hari Baral, emergency lane)!! The transport achieving urban resilience. Director ENVITEC, Paris March 2015 southasiadisasters.net 3 CASE STUDY Risk on the Structural Margins HRVA of Thakkar Bapa colony in Tilak Nagar, Mumbai ackground and Bogardi (BBC) model has been health, population density, and B Thakkar Bapa Colony is a used which covers the three institutions structure are also residential and commercial area of dimensions: social, economic and considered. Chembur suburb in Mumbai. It is environmental, are influenced by most famous for its shoes which are both exposure and coping capacities. Physical Dimension manufactured by the local It is based on the model of Cardona The internal road network are paved population. In this area, around (2004) and incorporates the aspects with bricks, concrete or tiles, the ninety percent of the population are of coping capacities and exposure narrowness of these roads makes migrants, especially from Rajasthan, originally proposed by Chambers people highly vulnerable in any Bihar and Haryana. The focus of the and Bohle within vulnerability. disaster situation. The internal roads study is population living below are connected to each other but the high tension wire, but during For this analysis, the model has been complex maze of these roads is likely Hazard, Risk and Vulnerability modified and physical vulnerability to make evacuation very difficult. Analysis it has been found that high and human dimension have been Majority of the houses in Thakkar tension wire is not only a single included in place of ecological Bapa colony are pucca with few kuccha hazard; fire due to electrocution, vulnerability. Hazard and structures. In some areas it has been stampede due to congestion of vulnerability are mutually noticed that high tension wire are buildings makes it more vulnerable. conditioning situations and neither only about a few meters away from can exist on its own. the top of the houses. None of the Methodology respondents reported fire outbreak To understand and analyze the To determine the exposure to the or electrocution event, which gives vulnerability of this area, Birkmann hazards, income earning capacity, a false impression of safety. The communities get adequate supply of drinking water. Households have access to community taps. On an average, one tap provides water to around five to ten households. They have community toilets which are used by most residents. There are two community toilets with a total of 24 seats, twelve for men and women. In the monsoon season the area gets water logged. The roads around and leading to colonies get blocked with traffic at peak hours which can create a problem during an emergency. Economic Dimension Majority of people are engaged in informal sector and sources of their income are not secure. Men are mostly daily wage laborers or self employed as shoe maker, hawkers, vendors, pan shops etc. Youngsters, Figure: The BBC Conceptual Framework. Source: Author, based on Bogardi/Birkmann (2004) and Cardona (1999/2001). usually, after completing their 4 southasiadisasters.net March 2015 school till 10th also work in the same business in the absence of alternate jobs. Unemployed youth is a major concern for this community. Due to moderate income, most of the population is under vicious circle of debt trap, which restricts them to send their children to school and to avail basic services like health.