URBAN PLANNING

URBAN PLANNING

An important aspect often forgotten in planning of types is our environment -Anonymous

201 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT - 2003

URBAN PLANNING

Current Status

Problems Impacts Trends

Projections Action Plan

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CURRENT STATUS Legislations on urban planning

The Town Planning Department is responsible for urban has a good tradition in urban planning but planning and the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act important aspects of the environment have not been 1961 forms the comprehensive legal framework for urban incorporated as key elements in the legislations pertaining planning of the state. The Act’s statement of objectives specifies that “Physical planning with co-ordinated effort on a to urban planning. Ideally, urban planning should follow large scale is necessary if the people are to live in a better, the regional planning (i.e. economic and physical planning) healthier and happier environment”. The statement also includes the responsibility: exercise. In particular, the ‘Statement of Object and Reasons’ of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning To preserve and improve existing recreational facilities and Act, 1961, clearly indicates that “Physical planning has to other amenities contributing towards balanced use of land. To direct the future growth of populated areas in the state precede economic planning as otherwise cities, towns and with a view to ensuring desirable standards of villages in our country will grow to unmanageable sizes environmental health and hygiene and creating facilities without proper planning resulting in unhealthy for the orderly growth of industries and commerce, there by promoting general standards of living in the state. surroundings”. vbIn recent years, however, regional planning has not been conducted for the state. Other legislations on urban planning Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964 Karnataka Slum Clearance Area Act, 1974 The Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act 1961 Development Authority Act, 1976 makes provision for the preparation of two types of plans. Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, 1976 An interim plan called Outline Development Plan (section Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority 12 of the Act) in the first instance, followed by a detailed Act, 1985 Comprehensive Development Plan (section 21 of the Act). Karnataka Urban Development Authorities Act, 1987 The Karnataka Planning Authority Rules, 1965 (subsequently amended in 1976, 1977, 1980, 1986 and Initiatives of the Government 1988) lists out the details of reports to be prepared and surveys to be carried out for a Comprehensive Some of the initiatives taken in urban planning in the state Development Plan in Rules 41 and 42. are noteworthy, since these incorporate environmental dimensions to urban growth and the quality of life. Four such noteworthy initiatives are listed here: It is noteworthy that at no stage of planning is environmental assessment or estimation of likely Plans to use Remote Sensing Maps in urban planning. Currently such maps are being developed for a few major environmental damages and mitigation methods a part of cities, including Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore. the long term urban planning. Such a system requires a The new Building Bye-laws (2003) of the Bangalore detailed understanding and study of hydrological Mahanagara Palike, have provided guidelines for exterior open space, solar water heating and parking based on characteristics of the region, air circulation patterns, study different characteristics (e.g. width and depth of site) of of ecological characteristics, etc. Similarly at the time of buildings whether residential, commercial or public. the preparation of town planning schemes, sometimes The Bangalore Development Authority, in particular, has been developing urban infrastructure and providing sites. involving huge residential development, Environmental Substantial increase in area under the guidelines for impact assessment is not prepared even on an informal parks and open spaces. Fifteen percent of total plan area basis if not according to the rigour of Ministry of is now to be incorporated as parks / green areas. Environment and Forests recommendations. The main For the first time, heritage buildings have been defined in the amendment made in February 2004 to the reasons probably are the absence of legal requirements / Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1964. guidelines and absence of trained manpower/ and The state government has constituted a Park Authority facilities. The Urban Development Department/ Planning to oversee the maintenance and development of Lalbagh, Cubbon Park and Freedom Park. Authorities prepare the schemes based on planning standards including accommodation, accessibility, affordability, safety, density standards, etc. Thus there is

203 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT - 2003 some effort to create a good urban environment and Urban planning in Karnataka optimum use of valuable agricultural land, in lieu of the legal environmental guidelines. The Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961 provides for a three-tier system of urban planning. This includes the Outline Development Plan for the local planning area which is PROBLEMS prepared first. Outline Development Plan broadly indicates the proposed zoning of land use for residential, commercial, industrial, recreational, educational and other public purposes, Environmental problems associated with urban planning proposed circulation pattern and a set of zoning regulations. can be broadly classified under two categories, namely, Then the Comprehensive Development Plan is prepared strategic planning and urban management. The indicating therein the comprehensive zoning of land use together with zoning regulations, complete street pattern, environmental problems associated with urban growth and improvements to existing road patterns, reservation of areas management include urban sprawl, damage due to for public purpose such as parks, playgrounds and other construction activities (in planned versus unplanned recreational uses, public buildings, institutions, areas for housing, etc. Finally, the town planning schemes are prepared settlements), threat to the cultural heritage, and for the planning area for implementation of the proposals of inadequacies in the provision of basic environmental Comprehensive Development Plan. This is a time consuming amenities in the urban areas (underground drainage, process which takes nearly 20 years. waste water treatment facilities and solid waste disposal The Karnataka State Legislature has passed an amendment sites). to the above mentioned Act in February 2004 to do away with Comprehensive Development Plan and Outline Development Plan. The amended provision prescribes preparation Master The two major plans prepared for urban planning, namely Plan by all the Planning Authorities in one stage. Added to this Outline Development Plan and Comprehensive there is provision for Interim Master Plan pending preparation Development Plan, do not have explicit environmental of the Master Plan for regulating land use pattern and road pattern. Further there is a time limit of one year for preparation components nor an environmental master plan. Although of Master Plan. Another very important feature is that it is there are guidelines on the proportion of land to be used mandatory to revise the Master Plan once in every ten years. for various purposes like residential, parks and open competitive advantages of regions to attract investment, spaces, etc., environmental planning per se is missing. A and regional migration trends based on hierarchy of problem map, though prepared, as a part of the development plan, explicit environmental components are settlements. As investment potential of an area is not not addressed. But it considers items such as the comprehensively assessed, and only a land allocation and availability and use of land (factors like slums, marshy use prescription is made, the actual growth rarely follows lands and low-lying areas are included) rather than all the the original assumptions and infringements of regulations environmental components. A study map covering the are common. climatological aspects like predominant wind direction, rainfall and temperature variation Development plans and coverage of urban population is prepared, and for proposed industrial % of state No. of Total 2001 Type of Plan urban areas consideration of treatment of industrial towns population wastes/ effluent and nearby natural lakes population Revised Comprehensive and reservoirs, etc. are included; but the 1 5,686,844 32 Development Plan Bangalore study maps does not cover all ecological Revised Comprehensive 7 2,754,010 15 characteristics. Development Plan Comprehensive Development 21 3,621,106 20 The physical Comprehensive Development Plan Outline Development Plan 48 3,046,559 17 Plan is based on conventional time series Outline Development Plan 28 1,438,510 8 population projection, and is not a part of ongoing the regional plan exercise. Thus the Total 105 16,547,029 92 Comprehensive Development Plan does not Source: Town Planning Department, December 2002. ‘Total’ includes two areas that are not towns, viz., Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure consider the resource base, impact of Corridor and Bangalore International Airport area.

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The whole planning process is affected due to lack of base for residential purposes, and as a characteristic almost maps, since up-to-date base maps of urban areas covering half the urban households in Karnataka live in independent the local planning area are not available. Moreover, the houses. This preference for low density housing cannot available base maps for the conurbation areas do not have be sustained given the trend in population growth in the the desired details or accuracy required for urban planning. cities.

Presently base maps for the conurbation area are being The deficiency in affordable housing makes the prepared by the traditional civil engineering survey economically poorer sections of the population move to methods. However, remote sensing maps are being the periphery of the cities. Certain sections of the migratory developed for the three cities of Bangalore, Mysore and urban population do not like to live in the periphery of the Mangalore, where the aerial surveys have been conducted city and seek accommodation nearer to city centres/ but the maps are awaited by the Town Planning workplaces. This results in higher density (but low rise) Department from the National Remote Sensing Agency, settlements and/or conversion of land uses like water . bodies, borders of roads and railway lines and open spaces into housing activities. The change in the land use from The pressure of growing urban population results in green belt associated activities to urban activities on the demand for additional land, which may result in using up periphery of the city then affects the hydrological agricultural land on the periphery of urban areas. Due to characteristics and hence the environment of the urban this, the average trip distances will increase, leading to areas. more pressure on the city centre and associated problems of infrastructure will increase in the environs of city centre. With population migrating to urban settlements in search The local authorities, which are financially constrained, of improved economic levels, the first pressure is on are unable to take up redevelopment schemes in the core housing leading to the high land costs or prevailing high area or allow high-density areas with adequate road width rents in urban areas thus leading to illegal occupancy of and urban services. vacant / public land through huts which over a period of time develops into a slum. Such housing does not have Planning with high-density areas, however, also depends any basic amenity like light, water or toilet facilities and on social aspects and cannot be adopted in all categories consequently affects environment in the immediate of towns. During the preparation of the Outline surroundings. Migration into urban Karnataka had been Development Plan and Comprehensive Development Plan most significant in the district of Bangalore (accounting the Town Planning Department does provide for high- for 26.2 percent of total urban migration in the state), density areas in a few locations of a city. followed by Dharwad (9.6 percent),) Belgaum (7.5 percent) and Mysore (6.3 percent) as per the Census 1991 data The high pressure on land is attributable to planned low- density sprawl. As a policy guideline, 125 persons per The high land costs and inability of planning authorities to hectare is used as a planning criterion in Karnataka for provide adequate land at cheap prices result in the assessment of land requirement irrespective of the city formation of unplanned /illegal layouts. Agricultural land size. This is based on the Urban Development Planning zoned for residential land use in the master plans are often Formulation and Implementation Guidelines 1996 from the subdivided into plots and sold by owners without Ministry of Urban Affairs, which recommends 80 to 125 permission from the concerned planning authorities persons per hectare for different types of cities. Thus even (violating Section 95 of Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964 for a fast growing city like Bangalore this low density and Section 17 of the Town and Country Planning Act, guideline of 125 persons per hectare is adopted. 1961 – permission for conversion from agriculture to non- agriculture and approval of layouts). In case, the area As a guideline, 50 percent of urban land use is reserved falls under an Urban Development Authority, then a third

205 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT - 2003 legislation is violated in the process of illegal land use, Migration to urban areas in Karnataka by namely Section 32 of the Karnataka Urban Development district, 1991 (in ‘000) Authorities Act, 1987. Thus three pieces of legislation Total % share in District typically get violated in the growth of illegal layouts. Migration state total Bangalore 1,198 26 The purchaser of the agricultural land typically puts up a Bangalore Rural 69 2 structure and begins residing in it. The illegal layouts Belgaum 345 8 typically do not have adequate open spaces, access roads Bellary 181 4 Bidar 68 2 will be too narrow and provision for water supply or sewage 246 5 system or for garbage collection will be absent. No taxes Chikkamagalur 74 2 are levied or paid. Such sites called as ‘revenue sites’ are Chitradurga 214 5 a common phenomenon in urban areas. The ownership Dakshina Kannada 243 5 of land is legal in this case, the usage many times correct, Dharwad 441 10 171 4 but change of land use is illegal and layout formation and Hassan 124 3 construction of houses illegal. Kodagu 40 1 Kolar 163 4 Absence of provision of water and sewage system by the Mandya 106 2 Mysore 290 6 state (due to illegal nature of these sites and construction) 134 3 forces people to draw usage of ground water and use soak Shimoga 212 5 pits for toilet activities, thus affecting the environment. It Tumkur 159 4 has been observed that the users of revenue sites are not Uttara Kannada 97 2 the fresh migrants to urban areas but people who have Total 4,573 100 stayed in urban areas and have saved certain amount of Source: Karnataka Census 1991 (Census 2001 data on migration is not available), and authors’ calculation. money and want to improve their living conditions. Note: The data pertains to population, both rural and urban, that migrated to urban centres in Karnataka.

Slum development programmes

Before X

S S Tippunagar, Shimoga Muni Madara Oni, Bijapur T T

After Development X

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Map showing the growth of Bangalore city from the year 1537 to 2001

207 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT - 2003

The current shortage in housing of the urban population Houses constructed by various agencies from is acute, with households crowded in insufficient space 2000-01 to Aug 2003 within their homes and shortage of affordable housing has Agencies Numbers also led to increase in slums. According to the Census Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation 542,062 2001 data on housing, by far the largest number of Limited households living in one room or two room Grameen Awas Yojana - Rural accommodations in Karnataka was in the district of Development and Panchayat Raj 120,610 Department Bangalore. Planning and providing adequate housing to Pradhan Mantri Grameen Yojana - the growing urban population of the state with conventional Grameen Awas Yojana -Rural 7,448 materials, preference for owning single family independent Development and Panchayat Raj Department dwelling in the state have significant environmental impact. Matsya Ashraya - Fisheries Department 4,685 The conventional use of timber for doors and windows Karnataka Slum Clearance Board 21,748 rather than plastic, glass and steel, and the lack of Karnataka Housing Board 187 information on low cost and durable housing using new Total 696,740 materials (with acceptable architectural styles based on local preference) to the masses further aggravates the The Schedule III of the Municipal Solid Waste Rules, 2000, problem. specifies that the selection of landfill sites (with a life of 20-25 years) shall be based on examination of The slum population in Karnataka has been growing at a environmental issues. Also, the Department of Urban high rate and the living conditions in slums are poor Development is to co-ordinate with the concerned especially in terms of access to basic services. In terms organisations for obtaining the necessary approvals and of distribution of slum population across the state, the clearances. The landfill site has to be away from habitation highest proportion is found in Bangalore City. clusters, forest areas, water bodies, monuments, National Parks, Wetlands and places of important cultural, historical The overall living conditions in slums in North Karnataka or religious interest. Moreover, as per the Rules “a buffer are worse than in the slums of South Karnataka. Two zone of no-development shall be maintained around landfill surveys conducted in slums indicate the deficiencies in site and shall be incorporated in the Town Planning the provision of basic infrastructural and environmental Department’s land-use plans” (Schedule III.9). services in slums in Karnataka. The Government of Karnataka report on the evaluation of the programme of There exists severe deficiency in the provision of basic Environmental Improvement of Urban Slums covered 23 urban infrastructure in terms of underground drainage and slums, 14 of which were from Bangalore and 9 in - wastewater collection and treatment which pose severe Dharwad. environmental and health problems. This problem can be linked to the lack of planning in new residential layouts According to the report, of the fourteen slums in the in urban Karnataka that has led to human settlements Bangalore urban and rural districts, two slums are fully without proper sewerage system. covered with water supply i.e. for every 150 persons one tap is provided. In the rest of the slums water supply is Most of the wastewater generated (by volume) comes from partial. Of the nine slums in Hubli-Dhrwad, only five are the domestic sector which is about 97 percent in Class I fully covered with water supply. Whether these taps had cities and 100 percent in Class II cities. There is deficit in restricted hours during which water is supplied is not clear. the collection of sewage (due to incomplete provision of Street lights at the rate of one pole for every 30 meters drainage network) in cities, as well as in the treatment was provided in nine slums in Bangalore and urban capacity of the wastewater collected. As per the report of districts and for five in Hubli-Dharwad district. the high power committee for redressal of regional imbalances, 2002, the underground drainage facilities

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Satellite imagery showing three major lake valley systems of Bangalore

View of the restored Vengiahana kere in Bangalore have been provided by Karnataka Urban Water Supply and lakes. This has led to the increasing deterioration of and Drainage Board in 36 cities, while work is in progress water quality of the natural lakes and tanks in the urban in 19 other towns, 162 towns are not covered under the centres. Some other cities in the state like Hubli-Dharwad, drainage system as yet. Belgaum, Davanagere do not even have a provision for treatment plant. In Bangalore, the sewerage system is sometimes not connected to trunk sewers (termed “missing link”) of Lakes and tanks support a fragile ecosystem, and help Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, and recharge the ground water table besides providing surface municipal effluents get into natural drains leading to tanks water for a variety of uses including nature recreational

209 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT - 2003 sites within cities. Lakes and tanks in and Glimpses of vintage Bangalore around the cities have been polluted with domestic sewage, dumping of garbage, industrial effluents, and immersion of idols. This negligence of the natural drainage Commercial Street in X system while planning new layouts is Bangalore another important cause behind the improper drainage abusing the tanks and lakes of the state. The shortage of housing and availability of dried up lakes in prime spots of urban areas and poor policing of unauthorized occupancy have led to housing activity in tank beds.

In South Karnataka the problem is aggravated by the fact that most of the tanks are chain tanks such that the sewage W Old building of Victoria hospital let into one tank spills over to the other tanks. Sewage flows into small tanks, typically resulting in choking of tanks and are consequently prime areas of acquisition for construction purposes some times legally and sometimes illegally. Historical tanks such as Kempambudhi in Bangalore, Dalvai, Doddakere and Jivanrayanakatte in Mysore, Doddakere in Tumkur, are Some instances of lakes and tanks lost with urban all examples to this. development

In some cities like Bangalore, Mysore, Tumkur and City Urban structure Former lake/ tank Chitradurga, the natural drainage connecting several tanks Football stadium Shoolay lake Hockey stadium Akkithimmanhalli lake has been neglected and roads and other structures have Sports stadium Sampangi lake been built across the natural drainage without taking into City bus stand Dharmanbudhi lake consideration the drainage capacity and its potential KGA Golf Course Challaghatta lake Residential layout & contribution. Consequently, city streets are flooded during Koramangala lake Sports Complex the monsoon. Space department Nagashettihalli lake Ambedkar Medical Kadugondanahalli lake Another problem associated with urban areas in the state Bangalore college BDA layout Domlur lake is the lack of adequate lung space in terms of parks and Residential layout Millers lake open spaces. In smaller towns this problem appears to Residential layout Subhashnagar lake be acute, as local bodies lack the financial capability to Residential layout Kurubarahalli lake Residential layout Kodihalli lake manage these spaces. Further, it can be stated that in the Residential layout Sinivaigalu lake bigger cities the open spaces are used as dumping sites Residential layout Marenahalli lake or and encroached upon by service providing Playground, Bus stand Shivanahalli lake organisations or religious organisations. The general lack Hassan Bus stand Tank of appreciation of the importance of open spaces is a very Exhibition Ground Dhoddakere Tank Mysore common scenario in all urban areas. Open Space Subrayanakere lake

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The norm for parks and open spaces is 15 percent of total Monuments in Karnataka specified in Environment land use, but not only one major town Rabakavi-Banahatti, (Siting for Industrial Projects) Rules, 1999 or city in Karnataka meets this criterion in existing land use at the time plans were prepared! The four towns Locality District Name of Monument of Gokak (Belgaum), Sindagi (Bijapur), Dharwad Aihole Bagalkot Durga Temple (Dharwad) and Malavalli (Mandya) have double-digit Complex proportion of the land use as parks and open spaces, at Badami Bagalkot Jain and Vishnu 14.9 percent, 11.91 percent, 12.8 percent and 10.48 Caves percent respectively. These towns also have more than Bangalore Bangalore Tipu Sultan Palace Bijapur Bijapur Gol Gumbaz one hectare of parks/ open space per 1000 population. Bijapur Bijapur Ibrahim Rouze Among the larger cities, only Dharwad falls in this category, Chitadurga Chitradurga Fortress and temples with 1.3 hectare/1000 population. on the hill Hampi Bellary Group of Temples Pattadakal Bagalkot Group of Temples It is pertinent to note here that that planning intervention Somnathpura Mysore Sri Kesava Temple in the existing human settlements of the state for has been Srirangapatna Mysore Daria Daulat Bagh undertaken only during the past 2 to 3 decades, while these Under the environmental legislation of The Environment (Siting settlements have grown over a much longer period. Thus, for Industrial Projects) Rules, 1999, new units of polluting planning standards are unlikely to hold for these older industries are not allowed to be set up within 7 km periphery existing urban settlements and only can be useful in the of the important archaeological monuments including are ten planning of new townships. from the state of Karnataka. This legislation provides for protection of heritage sites from industrial pollution.

Private or illegal housing colonies as well as construction protected in the year 1921. In November 1986, the World of urban structures in the site areas have threatened sites Heritage Committee of United Nations Education, Social of historical and cultural heritage in Karnataka. and Cultural Organisation declared the group of monuments at Hampi as a world heritage site! In 1999, The Archaeological Survey of has been maintaining when the review of the United Nations Education, Social the monuments at Hampi after they were declared as and Cultural Organisation report on the Hampi monuments at the World Heritage Committee session, it was observed Green spaces in Bangalore city that two large scale two way bridges for vehicular traffic and the second footbridge within the protected areas were The largest land use under the category of ‘park and open space’ area among all the cities in the state can be found in threatening the integrity of the heritage site. Subsequently, Bangalore (2132.16 hectares). In Bangalore the area under the Hampi site was declared as World Heritage in Danger. parks and open space constitutes about 7.5 percent of total land use, implying the availability of 0.52 hectares per 1000 The constructions of two bridges were to be halted, and population. A study on Bangalore City noted that there are corrective measures undertaken to remove the threats 370 parks and public gardens. Unfortunately, most of these facing the site and no further unplanned development were are poorly maintained. The problem of irregular clearing of garbage seems most predominant (in about 270 parks/ to be allowed in the Hampi area. gardens), besides the problems of public nuisance (in 97) and illegal parking (in 35) in these open green spaces. On an A taskforce constituted by the Government of Karnataka average, there is a park for every 16,220 residents of the city, but this seems reasonable. The topographical distribution of to devise long-term measures to save the Hampi site these parks/ open spaces is highly uneven since most of the recommended relocation of the two bridges. The parks are concentrated in certain localities within the city. constructions of the two bridges were stopped. A large “Due to rapid urbanization many old tiled buildings, bungalows number of unauthorised encroachments in the Hampi site with their gardens and a variety of large flowering and fruiting (about 150 near Krishna Temple, Uddanavaraha, Bhadra, trees, have been lost. These have given way to a steady addition of tall concrete structures and the resultant loss of Chandikeswara and Pattabhirama Temples) were private open spaces, with their rich vegetation and fauna.”. removed. More recently in March 2003, the legislative

211 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT - 2003 assembly passed the bill entitled The Hampi World short staffed and do not have specialists in environmental Heritage Area Management Authority Bill, 2002. engineering/planning in their staff.

Encroachments of illegally constructed houses in old forts The general norm used in the Town Planning Department are also evident in Srirangapatna, Bijapur, Chitradurga, assumes a requirement of about 125 persons per hectare Gulbarga, and Raichur. Sometimes stones from the forts as the gross density for the calculation of conurbation. are removed for construction purposes. In Raichur, the Moreover the tedious legal and administrative procedures location of a bus stand within the fort area has also for land acquisition and the poor financial status has contributed to the fort’s degeneration. Besides illegal dissuaded Urban Development Authorities with the construction within cultural sites, urban waste is also exception of Bangalore in acquiring land and developing openly dumped in and around these sites, degrading the new layouts and carrying out other development al environs. In Bijapur, the moat around the fort even activities. receives the sewerage of the town habitation. One of the most important causes is the non-availability CAUSES of affordable housing sites or houses (physical constraint). Second is the financial constraint of urban households, The rapid growth in urban population in the state has been which pushes them to take non-residential plots for driven by both push and pull factors. The absence of basic housing construction, or live in poor-quality houses or even amenities/ facilities and the lack of employment slums, as the case may be. Since urban land is relatively opportunities in rural areas act as push factors driving away expensive for the lower and middle-income groups, the population from rural areas as well as small urban agricultural sites are built on without authorisation, while settlements. On the other hand, the perceived presence those below the poverty line move into slums. of such facilities in larger urban settlements acts as the pull factor leading to the migration of rural population into The problem of revenue sites has assumed vast the urban areas. proportions on the periphery of Bangalore, and it is estimated that the area under revenue sites in the The inadequate co-ordination between various Bangalore Metropolitan area is 3000 to 45000 square departments, lack of financial and technical resources kilometers, i.e. 5 to 7 times the urban agglomeration area (coupled with the inability of some users to pay even the covered by the 1991 Census. In effect, there is a parallel minimum user charges to maintain the system) are the illegal city co-existing with the legal city. reasons behind the deficit in the provision of basic services. The implementation of 74th constitution amendment of The improper underground drainage has been caused by 1992 was expected to improve the functioning of the urban incomplete construction of the sewerage system, which local bodies since it provides autonomy to the urban local should have been considered as a priority issue in urban bodies in planning and management, and also supports infrastructure. Illegal settlements are not provided the independent financing options to urban local bodies. drainage facility, the sewerage system is sometimes not connected to the trunk sewers and the untreated effluents The Comprehensive Development Plan prepared contaminate the surface water (in lakes and tanks) as well according to the Town and Country Planning Act does not as ground water. Finally the deliberate use of tanks by mandate an Environmental management plan as a legal the planning authorities/urban local bodies for the requirement, nor are Environmental impact assessments construction of other urban structures has resulted in the prepared for large-scale residential layouts or major city permanent loss of some of the fresh water tanks. extensions, as it is not a legal mandate. Moreover, the Town and Country Planning Department and Urban Historical growth of the city ignored the significance Development Authorities and Planning Authorities are maintaining parks and open spaces. Thus, the older parts

212 URBAN PLANNING of the city of Bangalore are completely built up and it is Change in biodiversity with urbanisation unlikely that land can be released for parks/open spaces. In comparison, the new extensions of a major city like The growth of concrete structures in a city like Bangalore has Bangalore has more designated space for parks and green often taken place in areas that formerly held green cover or lakes and tanks. Consequently some bird species like the areas. A second cause of the lack of parks and open Lesser Florican, Great Indian Bustard, Sandgrouse and space is the inability of the development authorities to others, have been lost, while others like the Babblers, resident Shrikes, Red headed Merlin, Red Starts and Sparrows, have acquire and maintain such space due to their financial been driven out of the city environs. The loss of these birds constraint. has been replaced by wetland bird species (addition of marsh habitats) and those that adapt to urban structures well, like the Blue Rock Pigeons. IMPACTS • health problems due to crowding of families in one- The environmental impacts of the problems associated room or two-room houses, with urban planning and growth are listed below: • increase in temperatures due to radiation from • ground water contamination due to soak pits and buildings and paved roads (heat islands), and improper drainage system near open wells, inadequate tree cover to counter this rise in • decrease in groundwater recharge due to increasing temperature. Air circulation is also reduced due to surface runoff due to paved areas, the dense residential development and loss of • polluting surface water bodies like tanks by the letting vegetation/tree cover, sewage into the lakes, • health problems due to uncollected garbage strewn Urbanization has been accompanied by disruption and around, sometimes destruction of fragile ecosystems, including

Urban Green Belt in Karnataka

A Green Belt is land area predominantly for agricultural use, meant to check the haphazard and uncontrolled growth of the city as well as to prevent neighbouring town/ settlements from merging into one another. Moreover, the Green Belt is also supposed to serve as local food production area and also function as a sink for air pollution generated from urban activities (industries, vehicles). I.e. the concept of a Green Belt is meant to provide for healthy environmental conditions to a city. The main legislation for urban planning in Karnataka, namely the Town and Country Planning Act 1961, however, does not have any provision to classify land as Green Belt in the Outline Development Plan or Comprehensive Development Plan. The Department has suggested a set of new guidelines to identify certain lands within a Local Planning Area to declare it as Green Belt under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964, such that these lands can be permanently maintained as open space in and around an urban area. The Town and Country Planning Act does provide for identification of lands to be used as parks/ open spaces and earmarking certain lands (beyond conurbation limit but within the Local Planning Area) as agricultural zone, and within the agricultural zone certain areas can be further notified as Green Belt (under the Land Revenue Act). The Town Planning Department has so far notified green belts for only three cities of Bangalore, Bidar and Mandya.

The task of delineation of the limits of the green belt is difficult, since it presupposes the determination of the size and growth rates of a city which depend upon several factors beyond the control of the city planner and the city administrator (like regional and national economic growth rates). Since urban development and growth is a dynamic phenomenon, typically the growth of a city/ town cannot be confined to a notified area. For instance, in case of Bangalore under the 1972 Outline Development Plan the planning area was 500 square kilometers (220square kilometers conurbation and 280 square kilometers agricultural zone), and in the 1984 Comprehensive Development Plan the planning area was increased to 1279 square kilometers (439 square kilometers conurbation and 840 square kilometers agricultural zone), but in 1995 the demarcation for conurbation and “green belt” was revised to 597 square kilometers and 682 square kilometers to accommodate the growth of the city.

Encroachments in the green belt are also common as rural tracts urbanise. Some of the peripheral expansion is illegal and unauthorised, and the 1999 Task Force Report on the Bangalore Green Belt, documented of such construction and layouts found in the Bangalore Green Belt area. Given the difficulty in managing an urban green belt, experts have suggested that the green belt should be developed with proper parks, open spaces, or forestry, rather than allowing irregular cultivation or leaving barren areas.

Source: Town Planning Department and Task Force Report on the Bangalore Green Belt, 1999.

213 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT - 2003 water bodies and as surface water bodies and groundwater municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified tables decline, the green cover with its accompanying life town area committee, etc. and all other places which have support system is adversely affected. a minimum population of 5000, at least 75 per cent of male main workers engaged in non-agricultural pursuits; The construction of residential and non-residential and a density of population of at least 400 persons per buildings (schools, hospitals) and developmental activity square kilometere qualify to be termed as urban areas. of constructing access roads and infrastructure provision Thus, one may find an anomaly of small habitations with create increased demand on items like cement, steel, 5000 population being considered as urban areas, while bricks and stone, timber, etc. Moreover, the environmental habitats having large population of sometimes 20000 to pressures while such construction is going on are in terms 30000 persons not being considered in this report. of vehicle movements, dust, water requirement, contamination, noise etc. Places where construction During 1991-2001, the population growth in urban workers stay and the environs in that region also gets Karnataka has been higher than that in the rural areas. affected temporarily. Once the construction is over and The urban population increased by 40,12,070, much normal land use activities start, the requirements and higher than the rural population increase of 37,44,687 waste generated by this population puts new during the said period. The ratio of urban to rural environmental pressures. These problems have been population growth in the state (1.071) is higher than the observed more recently in the city of Bangalore, where national average (0.600). This indicates that urbanisation debris from construction work has increased particulate has a strong foothold and the trend is towards an air pollution, and constricted road space causes traffic increasing rate in Karnataka. Among the 27 districts in congestion. the state, the extent of urbanisation (proportion of urban The increased movements of heavy vehicles carrying to total district population) is highest in Bangalore Urban construction material like trucks and lorries, and concrete (88 percent), followed by Dharwad (55 percent), Dakshina mixtures during the peak hours have also caused traffic Kannada (38.4 percent), Mysore (36.9 percent) and Gadag snarls, eg. along southern part of ring road, Bannerghatta (35.2 percent). In other districts the urban population is Road, and Airport Road, where heightened construction less than 35 percent. activity has taken place. TRENDS It is noteworthy that through the last two decades, Bangalore has continued to be the most urbanised district, Urban planning should specifically address the issues of followed by Dharwad. Interestingly, these two districts also pressure on natural resources and increases pollution and have the highest proportion of in-migration taking place. wastes while making physical plans. The definition of urban The growth pattern of towns of various classes between area as per the Census, 2001 includes all places with a 1991 to 2001 (in terms of the percentage decadal growth)

Urban Population by classification of Towns in Karnataka, 2001 and the projections for 2011 2001 Census Data Projections for 2011 % Share of % Share of Population range Class of Town Urban Urban urban urban Population Population Population Population I lakh or more Class I 12,043,036 67 15,792,075 70 50000 - 99999 Class II 1,726,134 10 3,002,218 13 20000 - 49999 Class-III Cities/towns 3,096,525 17 3,042,434 13 10000 - 19999 Class-IV Towns 839,021 5 624,630 3 5000 - 9999 Class-V Towns 192,477 1 195,437 1 Less than 5000 Class-VI Towns 22,665 0 17,598 0 Karnataka Urban All towns 17,919,858 100 22,674,392 100

214 URBAN PLANNING is negative for class IV, class V and class VI. On the preparation of Outline Development Plan / contrary, highest growth for the decade 1991-2001 is Comprehensive Development Plan needs to be cut registered by class II cities (69.5 percent). This is far higher down to three years by amending the relevant than the growth registered by class I cities (33.73 percent). provisions of Town and Country Planning Act. In terms of the share of population, Class I cities have • Rainwater harvesting to be made mandatory for the nearly two thirds of the total urban population. Bangalore approval of building plans. urban agglomeration, which consists of Bangalore City and • Incentives like reduction in property tax for surrounding towns, contains 31.1 percent of Karnataka’s buildings adopting rainwater harvesting urban population. systems could be introduced to encourage rainwater harvesting. PROJECTIONS • In cases of economically weaker section housing schemes provided by the Given the trend in growth of the urban population in Government like Ambedkar Housing Karnataka in the last decade, the urban population for 2011 schemes, Bangalore Development Authority, is projected at 22,674,392. The share of class I cities is Slum Board, etc., instead of individual expected to go up to 69.6 percent. In particular, Bangalore rainwater harvesting system, community urban agglomeration population is expected to go up to rainwater harvesting should be provided by 7.64 million. the government. • Rainwater harvesting should be mandatory Assuming that the current norm of 125 persons per hectare for any new Government building and should will continue to apply, with the urban growth projected, be adopted for all completed buildings in the the land required would be nearly 40,000 hectares to cater next one-year. to urbanization in the next ten years. On the other hand, • Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Town Planning Department estimated the total local Board should examine incentives for houses, planning area requirement as 11,500 square kilometers. multistory buildings with rainwater harvesting facilities. ACTION PLAN • The encroachments in the catchments of lakes and tanks and in the overflow zones should be identified • Modifications to the Outline Development Plan/ and removed. Only green activities like parks that will Comprehensive Development Plan should be made not interfere with the natural drainage should be to statutorily provide land for landfill sites, sewage allowed in these areas. treatment plant and underground drainage. The Act • Residential and commercial multistorey should be amended in such a way that the land is not establishments should obtain Consent under the air diverted for any other purpose. and water act and get environmental clearance from • Traffic surveys to assess the transportation modes the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board. adopted, changing needs, destination surveys need • Solar water heating in all Multistorey Buildings, to be conducted for a five-year period to ensure residential and commercial, should be made adequate development of transportation corridors, mandatory for approval of building plans. economical and sustainable mass transport systems. • Setting up of Environment Cells in the Urban • The long time required for Plan preparation results in Development Authorites and Urban Local Bodies to cropping up of activities that are not as per the planned incorporate the environment component in planning activities. This results in degraded environment. and maintaining cities and towns. Hence the time required for the preparation of • The Corporations should formulate Environment Comprehensive Development Plan should be Management Plans for all Class I cities in Karnataka. reduced to a single stage process. The time taken for • Eco-corridor/Eco-villages in different climatic and

215 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT - 2003

geographical areas should be developed to function on principals of environment conservation. These will develop as model sustainable eco areas for demonstration and study for the State. • Eco-corridor/Eco-village Project for sustainable development: Few cities are to be developed on principals (all or some) of Environment Conservation and management as model cities. This project can be taken up at Udupi and Manipal on the Coast, Sakaleshpur on the foothill of the Western Ghats, Shringeri/ Koppa in Western Ghats, Basavan Bagevadi / Kushtagi in the Northern plains, Information technology corridor in Bangalore in Southern Plateau. • Definition of the word ‘Heritage’ to include not only historical monuments but also old trees and parks, tanks, old wells and old buildings. These need to be identified and conserved. • Environment Conservation and Management Plans should be prepared for places of historical interest. • Preservation of heritage sites could be designated to a state government appointed special Heritage Conservation Committee of the Department of Ecology and Environment that would work closely with the municipal bodies and other departments. • The existing institutions need to be strengthened to analyze environmental data, implement and enforce environment conservation and management measures applicable to urban area by training the existing staff and providing adequate equipment.

Stages of Outline Development Plan

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