Water crisis
I am a former Chief Engineer (Groundwater), TNPWD, and conducted a number of village level awareness programmes on Rainwater Harvesting and Groundwater during 2000-2002 while in government service.
The projections/extrapolations of data on the shortage of water in general and drinking water in particular by the World Bank-supported organisations are not real and further they had a hidden agenda to force the Governments to declare water as a commercial commodity for the sole benefit of multinational companies.
The Indian Government, State Governments and local bodies have a bounden duty to supply protected drinking water to their citizens instead of helping make water a business commodity.
Chennai City’s water supply reservoirs – Poondi, Puzhal and Chembarambakkam – should be desilted and deepened to 1m depth to achieve additional 3 feet TMC water storage. This will cost about Rs. 660 crore, which burden can be shared by the brick kiln owners, road contractors and builders of large buildings, to a considerable extent.
Government data shows that Tamil Nadu has about 39202 minor irrigation tanks with a storage capacity of 390 TMC feet water (out of which 18789 under the control of TNPWD, another 20413 under panchayat unions, with a silting up of more than 25%). These should be desilted and deepened by at least 0.50 metre to create additional storage of 60 TMC feet water during heavy rains (if they occur) to tide over any water crisis. Tamil Nadu has adequate average rainfall of 925 mm (more than Andhra (908 mm) and Karnataka (732 mm). Chennai City has 982 mm annual average rainfall but poor water management lets out a huge quantity, 259.76 TMC feet, to the sea as flood waters once in four years.
A. Veerappan
State Secretary,
TNPWD Senior Engineers’ Association
tanseapwd@gmail.com
Citizens too
I refer to S.P. Ambrose’s article (MM, April 1st) on water problem.
Water, perhaps the most important of all natural resources, is being affected by uncontrolled economic growth. We find that the available sources of fresh water are getting depleted and degraded by exploitation. There are 34 river basins in Tamil Nadu. The Institute of Water Studies (IWS) in Taramani has prepared an environmental status report on all of them. The study has revealed that the groundwater in Palar river basin with a total area of 1847 million hectares (mha) is polluted. A major portion of the basin contains saline water caused by the discharge of untreated effluents from tanneries and from rubber and plastic industries.
In the case of the Chennai Basin, there are four sub-basins as reported in the study, Araniar, Kusasthalaiyar, Cooum and Adyar. It was revealed that there was over-exploitation of groundwater for drinking purposes, discharge of untreated domestic sewage into the Cooum and Adyar, and pollution by industrial effluents, particularly from more than one hundred tanneries.
The study has further reported that the Cauvery river basin from Bhavani to Tiruchirapalli is polluted by industries manufacturing chemicals, sugar, paper and several tanneries and dyeing units, situated along the Cauvery and its tributaries heavily polluting the surface and groundwater.
In the case of the Bhavani and Noyyal sub-basin the study had pointed out that stretches are being heavily polluted by industries involving in dyeing, manufacturing paper, viscose and sugar.
Groundwater reserves are depleting at rates faster than they can be replenished. The recent research reports reveal that the demand for water by the industrial sector has increased enormously and domestic water requirements, with the increased urbanisation, cannot be met with the balance of the available resources.
The Supreme Court Bench comprising three judges stated that the “Traditional concept that development and ecology are opposed to each other ,is no longer acceptable.” The apex court quoted Brundland Report defining ‘Sustainable Development’ stating, “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs.”
It is the paramount duty of citizens also to take part in the implementation of water conservation projects .This is in line with Article 51-A of the Consitution of India on Fundamental Duties of Citizens, especially clause (g) which states, “It shall be the duty of every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures.”
P.S. Subrahmanian
2 A, Nalanda Apartments
2, 5th Street, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Chennai 600 004
Ranking corruption
I fully agree with reader Sridhar Chandrasekar’s views (MM, April 16th), especially the bit about corruption. It is time that this (not the “scams” that appear endlessly on television channels, but day-to-day harassment and extortion at the grassroots level) is discussed openly in public fora and people made aware how it adversely affects the quality of life and safety of the citizens of this country.
However vehemently our Prime Minister may declare that India is ’now’ free of graft, there is little he can do with governance at the State level. The States may sit up and take notice if the Centre is prepared to rank them according to prevailing levels of corruption, honesty among police, ease of doing business, etc., not in its usual partisan manner, but in an objective and transparent fashion, and publish it in the print media.
However, I feel that Tamil Nadu is not going to fall off the development map. It will, like J.R.D. Tata once said about India, do well not because of the government, but in spite of it.
P.T. Krishnan
1, Second Street,
Wallace Garden,
Chennai 600 006
Searching for answers to slums
The U.N. Habitat’s goal is to raise awareness of living conditions in some areas of the planet which are crowded, with inadequate housing, poor or no water and sanitation facilities, and no security of tenure. There is rarely any public space in these areas and no allocation for streets, meaning no public transport and no access for emergency services.
As part of the Millennium Development Goals, the world pledged to improve the lives of 100 million slum-dwellers by 2020. It is stated by U.N. that by 2010 the achievement has been more than expected. However, with growing urbanisation, the number of people being born in or moving into these areas is also increasing and the overall number of people living in slums continues to rise. Estimates claim that there are already one billion people living in slums.
People in slums are also disproportionately affected by climate change, with houses often built precariously on slopes or unsuitable building space and with inadequate materials, making them vulnerable to landslides, floods, fire, earthquake, tsunami and cyclones.
Great efforts are being made to improve many slums around the world and better the lives of those who live there. But slums are a manifestation of rapid unchecked urbanisation – a result of allowing our cities to expand without design or regulation and with disregard to their citizens. While continuing to upgrade the slums, we urgently need to focus our efforts on robust urban planning and the provision of safe, affordable housing that is appropriate and adequate and for our citizens’ growing needs.
Through real stories from many cities it has been heard that slum upgrading programmes are yielding better life conditions for slum-dwellers, and greater economic and social impacts, of course with certain shortcomings. Crime is often endemic, with women and girls particularly at risk. Unemployment, underemployment and the cost of transport to distant places of work add to further hardship.
Dharavi slum-dwellers in Mumbai are not willing to move out from there to a new environment both hygienic and self-sufficient even though they are offered a better place but with 350 sq.ft. only. They consider the highrise building is going to be a vertical slum. Even though there may be personal toilets in the highrise building, they are prepared to live where they are, managing with the available public toilets, particularly because a dwelling unit of 450 sq ft is partly rented out for a shop or residence which earns an additional income. The upgraded slums provide facilities like water supply, electricity and educational facilities. But for any change there must be 80 per cent positive votes from the residents.
Many building designers are obsessed with highrises. But highrises are inappropriate for the urban poor. They shrink the community space and are expensive and difficult to maintain.
House owners in informal settlements often rent out the extra space they create. This is a source of income for them, while for the poor and migrant labourers, it provides an opportunity to live in areas close to work places at affordable rents. Experts feel that appropriate policies for rental spaces can go a long way in solving the housing problems for the urban poor.
The objective of the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board is very clear. It aims to clear all slums in Chennai and provide self-contained hygienic tenements. That apart, it seeks to prevent the growth of slums and encroachments, TNSCB has so far completed 1.32 lakh tenements and 1.35 lakh plotted development in the allotted Rs. 3000 crore. By 2022, 13.53 lakh urban population is targeted at a huge cost of Rs. 1,13,286.53 crore.
In Nochikuppam in Phase-1 (2011-12), out of 628 dwellings constructed 60 per cent were allotted for defaulters and the balance for encroachers. One BHK with built area of about 400 sq.ft. costs around Rs. 9 lakh to be repaid within 25 years.
Voices are raised that 400 sq.ft. is not adequate and the design type has to be modified. The present improved tenement is alleged to be highly dense and the remaining open space is not maintained by the public. Further, illegal transaction of flats has not stopped.
The suggestion from the slum dwellers is to use the stilt floor either as open space for community or for vendors and small traders.
The voices from the migrant labourers who are under transit in so-called transit slums at construction sites are seldom heard by politicians and policy makers. Migrant labourers are left to live without basic infrastructure; not only that, but midst immoral activities, rape and crime. Their voices should be heard too. – (Courtesy: Our Building & Construction)
-Dr. K.R. Thooyavan
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