Chapter VI Problems and Prospects of Planning in Srinagar City 6.1
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Chapter VI Problems and prospects of planning in Srinagar city 6.1 Introduction It can be observed from previous chapters of the study that the urban system on Kashmir valley is highly imbalanced as majority of the population of the valley is residing in the Srinagar city thereby stagnating the growth and development of other urban centre's in the area. The percentage of urban population residing in Kashmir valley is 26.92 out of which 63.49 percent are residing in Srinagar city. According to UN projections, 45.2 percent people (about 6320 million) will live in urban areas in India by 2025. As per UN projections, urban areas in India will be marked by a growth rate of 3.03 percent during 2015-2020 while rural areas will have a reduced growth rate of 0.34 percent during the corresponding period (Siddhartha and MukhaIjee, 2000: 212). Though urbanization and its consequences are a global phenomenon, the problems are likely to be particularly acute in the less developed areas of India. The population growth and urbanization are leading to over utilization of resources, thus exerting pressure on the limited resources and amenities in the city. 6.2 Objectives I. To see the urban problems faces by Srinagar city. 11. To suggest measures for development of Srinagar city. 204 6.3 Source of data Secondary data has been used for the present study. The data has been used from different sources like, different paper presented in various journals and the paper presented in conference of Taal 2007 held at Srinagar. The data has also been used from certain government departments like transport department, Srinagar, Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Sri nagar, Pollution Control Board, Srinagar, City development plan, 2006 and Srinagar Development Authority. The data from a local news paper namely Kashmir Uzma has also been used. 6.4 Key issues of Srinagar city Urbanization is largely a product of industrial revolution that took place in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Srinagar city is the largest urban entity in the entire state in terms of population and constitutes the most urbanized district as well. It has the status of being summer capital of the state and has a centralized location value in the entire Kashmir valley. The present urban environment of Srinagar city suffers from problems of increasing traffic congestion, haphazard and unplanned growth, air pollution, housing problems, slum growth and other types of social problems. The topography and soil texture of Srinagar city does not let it expand vertically due to which the vertical growth of the city is hampered. The problems of Sri nagar city are basically the result of either the growth of population or the physical expansion of the city. The problems of Srinagar City and its environs constituting the metropolitan area are becoming more and more critical with the increase in population and deterioration in existing level of services. The problems 205 are assuming serious propositions in all aspect of urban living and are extremely critical in major sectors of sewerage, drainage, traffic and transportation, housing for urban poor, conservation of natural or cultural heritage. Sewerage generated in city is directly draining or pumped into water bodies, traffic and transportation problems have begun to impose serious constraints on orderly development and mobility rising cost of land and construction has put lower incomes out of housing market. The city despite having water available in plenty is confronted with acute shortage of potable and pure water supply. Similarly large deficiencies in amenities/facilities and other sectors have begun to impose serious constraints on the orderly and planned development. The increased pace of urbanization· has further aggravated the problems. 6.4.1 Degeneration of water bodies The water bodies have been serving as sewers for a large quantity of the waste being generated by Srinagar. SMC in one of its reports in 2009 confirmed that 44.2 percent of the waste generated does not have collectors, vanishing into water bodies through a huge network of open drains. About 60 sewer drains pour into the lake along the Dalgate-Saida Kadal water channel, transmitting a chunk of solid waste. Three of the five water bodies Khushalsar, Pokhrial and Anchar are 111 terminal stage. The choked waterways put paid to any hopes of revival of the Srinagar's famed water transport. The absence of a planning has also stretched the surface transport in the city to limits with no or little addition or widening of roads in 206 the last century. The encroachments instigated by popular greed had deteriorated the condition of the lakes. Oal lake is subjected to accelerated degradation due to a variety of human activities. Encroachment, silting weed infestation and indiscriminate disposal of liquid and solid wastes by the human population in lakes and on the periphery has converted this lake into a waste sink of which the solid waste is one of the constituents. The intel10r channels connecting Oal with its other basins like Nagin, Pokhribal and Baba Oemb are choked due to the regular disposal of solid waste. The once, pristine Brari Nambal Lagoon in the heart of the city has been tumed into a garbage dump with locals throwing litter into it in tons. The Lakes and Waterways Development Authority has miserably failed to restore the water body's lost magnificence. 6.4.2 Transport congestion Unplanned growth and encroachments have made urban transport a complete mess in Srinagar. Traffic is emerging as one of the biggest problems facing Srinagar, with jams spread over kilometres becoming a nonn. According to TPO, Srinagar, there are 2.75 lakh vehicles registered in Srinagar and during summer the city receives another 1.15 lakh vehicles. Therefore, about four lakh vehicles are running in Srinagar alone. Out of the 1600 kilometres of city roads, 100-150 km is closed due to construction and 300-400 km of road is under illegal encroachment. Every day, 100 vehicles are registered in Srinagar city. Ownership of second hand vehicles, 207 garage vehicles, outside vehIcles are additional. This makes 36,000 additional vehicles on Srinagar roads alone every year. 6.4.3 Solid waste management Srinagar city generates over 450 tonnes of solid waste every day and in the absence of community dustbins, garbage is dumped on roads and open spaces (Srinagar Municipal Corporation). Sri nagar Municipal Corporation has about 2180 sanitation workers engaged for the job. SMC in its report says that an average of about 250 tonnes of waste is collected from 512 primary collection points every day. Rest is visible on road, vacant land and nallahs. The waste collected everyday is carried by the transport fleet of dump trucks for final disposal to the Achan dumping site which is currently the single dumping site for Srinagar city. The site is approximately six kilometres from the city centre and is spread over an area of around 70 acres. The land for the waste disposal site is owned by the Government of Jammu & Kashmir and currently under the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). However, of the 606 Kanals (30.63 hectare) of total State land area, 10 local households have encroached upon 36 Kanals (1.82 hectare) of land and are cultivating it. On the other hand, the construction of the new access road will necessitate acquisition of a total of 6.92 Kanals (0.35 hectare) of private and Mosque owned land in the Acchan area thereby affecting a total of 13 households (Economic Reconstruction Agency, 2006: 11). The Master Plan of Srinagar city (2000-2021) has specified three additional sites for garbage dumping apart from Achan (Saidpora). These are strategically located at Batapora (Zakura) on Northern direction of city, 208 Summerburg (Rakh Shalyna) on South East and Hakermulla (Rakh Arth) on South West side. Table 6.1: Physical characteristics of municipal solid waste (MSW) observed at different locations in Srinagar city, 2008 MSW Residential Commercial Residential Tourist cum Composite components cum commercial (dumping (percentage) commercial (Front side of site) Dallake) Biodegradable 58.69 33.62 49.58 51.24 56.31 paper Cardboard 1.54 2.68 1.93 1.44 1.38 Clothed rags 2.33 9.58 3.79 4.29 2.92 Wooden chips 2.28 2.64 2.72 1.88 2.25 Polythene 0.87 1.73 1.17 0.50 0.86 Plastic/ rubber 3.48 8.29 5.20 5.37 4.33 glass Metal scraps 1.90 4.46 2.57 4.89 2.29 Inert material 0.56 0.90 1.47 1.21 0.76 Others 28.35 36.10 3l.57 29.18 28.90 Source: Ahmad, P and Bhat, G .A., 2008 According to a survey conducted by Ahmad and Bhat (2008), on an average 149.13 grams of household solid waste is generated per person per day. It is evident from the table that most of the solid waste comes in the form of biodegradable resources in all the five categories). The results revealed that from residential areas, 3.48 percent of the solid waste was plastic/ rubber glass followed by clothed rags (2.33 percent) and wooden clips (2.28). Metal scraps and card board amounted to 1.90 percent and 1.54 percent respectively. Similarly, most of the municipal solid waste comes in the fonn of biodegradable sources for commercial, residential cum commercial, tourist commercial and composite. The other important solid waste comes in the form of plastic, rubber glass. Most of the recyclable material especially 209 plastic and polythene is carried away by rag pickers and the rest is loaded 10 municipal trucks and dumped at the designated site (Acchan).