Bienestar psicológico

If the Mumbai’s peoples are to enjoy a high quality of life, we must move quickly toward a sustainable future. Mumbai’s aquatic systems will have to be managed keeping the principles of sustainable development in view and encouraging wide participation through, partnerships and networked institutions. Key to sustainable development is the empowerment of the residents through action-oriented partnerships at all levels. Some important elements of the framework for addressing environmental challenges in Mumbai’s urban management are listed below:

7.4.1 Sustainable development should be our ultimate objective. Sustainable

development is a process of achieving human development (widening or enlarging

the range of peoples’ choices) in an inclusive, connected, equitable, prudent, and secure manner [UNDP, 1994]. Advanced Locality Management (ALM) groups could be an effective mechanism in that direction. Their role in urban governance has been discussed in relevant chapter on that topic.

7.4.2 Adoption of "polluter pays principle" should be integrated into planning and decision making process because it promotes internalization of the environmental costs. The polluter should, in principle, bear the costs of

remediation and control of pollution, so that the polluter will eliminate or minimize emissions and imposition of controls would always prove to be the least-cost option. The sense of shared responsibility for river cleanups will also have to be strengthened through the public activities of ALM groups. Without adequate treatment to effluents (collectively or individually) no effluent should be disposed into stream channels.

7.4.3 Adoption of "precautionary principle" should be central to preventive approaches. This principle dictates that in the situations of incomplete data or

understanding, one shall take a path that is more precautionary than any other less precautionary plausible alternative. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing applications of measures to prevent environmental degradation. Hence, immediate evacuation of 1:10 year rainfall probability flood zone on both banks of the rivers and regulation of 1:25 year rainfall probability flood zone on both banks of the rivers is necessary on priority basis. More an island like Mumbai, the possibility of increased frequency of intense precipitation and sea-level rise on account of global warming has to be kept in view in the long range planning of the city. Developmental plans and the land use Maps of the city should accordingly clearly show the flood risk zone and the probable impact areas of sea level rise. In the past, this has not been done in DP maps of Mumbai and hence ought to be immediately reviewed in this context.

7.4.4 “Ecosystem services” are not adequately quantified in commercial markets and are often given too little weight in policy decisions objective. As a

result, economic implications of environmental damage and costs of degradation of natural resources and common property continue to be the “externalities” in our

economic analysis. But the quality of the city life very much depends on the ecosystem status – weather of the landmass, water bodies or the air and the vegetation and biotic life around. Stream flows, ponds, river flows, shorelines, parks, forests have a great role to play in this respect. Hence their specific location vis a vis necessary protective measures for them must be fully defined in the land use plans and DC rules, because they are public goods and it is the collective responsibility.

7.4.5 The “system’s approach” and “watershed” based development planning can ensure sustainable development of urban habitat and security against deluges as occurred on 26 July 2005. We all know that the quality of life in our

urban settlements has been declining due to progressive deterioration of lakes, rivers, and coastal zones. In addition, it is well known that these small streams and wetlands have historically protected the communities from flooding (to an extent) by the virtue of their carrying capacities. BRIMSTOWAD report had provided a well- defined catchment-based approach to the management of storm waters in Mumbai – which was absent in the past.

While other measures for civil life could possibly be handled at least partly on the basis of administrative jurisdictions such as wards, storm water management has necessarily to be handled on the basis of a natural environmental unit as a catchment / watershed. Hence, the approach lead out in the BRIMSTOWAD report need to be pursued and strengthened.

People living in the catchments should be able to clearly identify themselves as belonging to that catchment and understand the natural upstream downstream relationship also. They get impacted and they also impact others. Hence, together they have developed and organized themselves in a watershed / catchment area community and decide as to how they would like to live in the context of flood risks and quality of the stream flows that they have to see and experience in their everyday life.

Because of absence of this realization, ALM groups have not been able to identify themselves with well-defined catchments / watersheds outlined in BRIMSTOWAD report. Hence, a mass campaign for clarifying and strengthening this relationship needs to be undertaken in Mumbai immediately. The neglect of the watershed – solid waste disposal, congestion of stream channels, and chocking of cross drainage works by debris, plastic bags and washed of garbage led to excessive submergence resulting in to risk to life and property. Partly, this was the out come of the catchment’s own misdeeds.

There will have to be THREE core components of the aquatic ecosystem rejuvenation program for Mumbai. Firstly, there has to be a clear realization and awareness about the inputs meeting the aquatic ecosystems including garbage, effluents, and solid wastes. That is expected to change the behavioral response of the catchment community.

Second step thereafter is to look at the condition and status of the aquatic ecosystem’s infrastructure. The polluted and degraded aquatic ecosystem typically has huge accumulation of contaminated sludges and sediments due to the prolonged abuse of the ecosystem through disposal of untreated and partially treated municipal and industrial wastewaters as well as disposal of municipal garbage and

solid wastes. This has happened in Mithi, Dahisar and most of the river channels and stream estuaries around Mumbai Mudflats near Cheeta camp and Mankhurd is such a case in point.

It is necessary that the aquatic ecosystem rejuvenation program addresses this issue of “accumulated contaminated sediments” in the ecosystem and systematically dredges them out so that a newer healthy ecosystem can be instituted. Suffering of dysfunctional water body is aggravated by poorly designed or dilapidated gates, protective dykes and walls, and broken / spoiled edges of the aquatic ecosystem. There is a great urgency of incorporating the activities of designing and commissioning of all the above-mentioned components of ecosystem infrastructure in the context of the aquatic ecosystem rejuvenation program along with a systematic river front development programs at least for the major rivers and estuaries

Third, the attention is to be paid to all the deficiencies in the existing water management practices of the ecosystem. Presumably, those wrong practices have lead to drying/flooding of the aquatic ecosystem and malfunction of the ecosystem infrastructure. Mixing of sewage and storm water flows have aggravated the silting processes at the outfalls and in the estuaries. Our committee has therefore insisted on separation of sewage and storm water drainage and their appropriate safe disposal.

It is therefore critical that the Aquatic Ecosystem Authority (e.g. Mithi River Authority) and user community (catchment community / ALM groups) together decide about correct practices to be adopted for the gainful use of the water body and the steam channels. Implications of all inputs and outputs of the ecosystem in the context of its rejuvenation program will have to be understood by all the stakeholders.

A schematic layout of a typical urban aquatic ecosystem in Mumbai to be subjected to rejuvenation and management program has been presented in the figure given bellow. It can be noticed from the figure that, by and large, any aquatic ecosystem can be sub-divided into four subsystems namely: (1) upstream watershed, (2) mid- course settlement areas, (3) the water body including river channels, and (4) the areas at the mouth of the rivers and estuaries. Clearly, if one wants to protect and improve a given aquatic ecosystem, interventions will have to be made in all the subsystems of the ecosystem with a proper systematic approach. Each subsystem has a distinctive role to play. Relevant environmental factors will have to be woven together in the respective subsystems in the most beneficial manner.

Extensive tree covers are most welcome in the upstream zone in particular for reducing the flood emanating potential of the basin. Grassland and ponds are most welcome in the mid course areas for arresting the gush of water. Flood zoning regulations for the land use patterns are a must along the river channels. Mangroves are most welcome along the open sea face coastlines, but could be a hindrance to the free flow of floodwaters – particularly where the stream channel is already choked. The objective is to restrict and hold back the flows in the first two ecosystems and to make it flow smooth without “increased rugosity – in the next two downstream ecosystems. Land use pattern will have to be regulated accordingly. Ground water has been a relatively “weaker” – smaller element of the aquatic ecosystem of Mumbai because of the geological rock formation and the narrow

coastal strips. But, its quality - for whatever quantity happens to be available – needs to be protected vigilantly. Disposal of the industrial effluents, raw and partially treated sewage and sullage and solid wastes and debris in the two upstream ecosystem zones has been damaging the ground water and reducing its utility to the society. Regulations will have to be strictly implemented to avert this continuing damage.

Environmental Relationships in an Urban Aquatic-Ecosystem

Lake Precinct

SEWA

GE

TREA

Lake

7.5 Recommendations

In the context of 26th July flood, the social and political reactions have been rather sharp and emotional, trying to do anything and everything to avoid the kind of flooding experienced due to the unprecedented heavy rains. A measured, well thought-out plan and interventions, however, should in fact address the issues of frequently encountered floods in Mumbai region, land use planning, encroachments, population density, sustainability of present-day exploitation of water and natural resources. In this direction, the following course of action for systemic changes and improvement in management practices will have to be followed for improved environmental integrity and upgradation so as to achieve sustainable development of Mumbai.

Recommendation 1: First, restore the existing degraded rivers and river-banks