Network Past Issues

Is urban development in Gujarat healthy?
Abhishek Nair, Pramod K. Singh and Lakshmikant Tiwari

Gujarat’s development pathway to achieve high economic growth has not planned for providing basic civic amenities arising out of urbanization and increasing urban population. The Institute of Rural Management Anand has commenced a study to understand the sprawl of urban Centers in Gujarat and its policy implications under the IDRC-Think Thank Initiative. In this study we look at the urban sprawl in Gujarat’s municipal corporations and class ‘A’ cities through spatio-temporal data analysis and rise of urban population. Spatial maps of physical expansion of 25 major urban centers will be generated for the years 1955, 1975, 1990, 2000, and 2012. Satellite data will be used for the last four years. Change detection in terms of physical expansion of these urban centers for the years 1955, 1975, 1990, 2000, and 2012 will be done using appropriate GIS techniques. Data from the Gujarat Urban Development Company and other municipal bodies have been assessed to understand the current status of civic amenities in providing a healthy environment to the urban populace. Based on these findings recommendations will be made regarding development pathways that provide a better standard of living and a healthy environment.

Policies framed in Gujarat over the past decades have been aimed at attracting domestic and foreign investors. Today, Gujarat accounts for 7.2% of India’s GDP due to its rapid industrialization and tremendous growth rate in the service sector. The state has witnessed an annual average growth rate of 9% in the last three years and an average industrial growth rate of 15% for the same period. This high growth rate and increased urbanization is due to fast industrial growth and growth of the tertiary sector. A double digit growth rate, massive FDI inflows, a huge SGDP increase, and a stupendous foreign exchange reserves have been cited as valid and justifiable gains in the urban sprawl and in urbanization. Gujarat is the fourth most urbanized state in the country. About 42.6% of Gujarat population (25.71 million) lives in urban areas as compared to India’s 31.16% (Census 2011). Urbanization refers to the process by which rural areas become urbanized through economic development and industrialization. Demographically, urbanization refers to the redistribution of population from rural to urban settlements. An increase in the urban population causes urban sprawl that pressurizes natural resources. Gujarat’s urban cities are based on population; this is divided into five classes of which there are seven municipal corporations, 18 A class (> 100,000), 33 B class ( 5 0 , 0 0 0 - 1 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 ) , 44 C class (25,000-50,000) and 64 D class (15,000-25,000) urban centres. Of the total urban population 56% live in Gujarat’s seven municipal corporations namely Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Rajkot, Surat, and Vadodara.

Unplanned economic and industrial liberalization pathways adopted by the state, such as the Vibrant Gujarat Summit has increased urbanization and urban sprawl without much thought to providing basic civic amenities for the increasing population. Population rise and urbanization drive the production of waste. There is enough evidence of waste causing land and water contamination through leaching and air pollution owed to the release of suspended particulate matter and methane emissions. Increase in waste and lack of basic civic amenities for treating this waste in the largest urban centers of Gujarat has contributed to the environmental degradation and pollution. Untreated waste in major urban centers i s   being discharged on land and water resources, degrading them and reducing air quality creating thereby an unhealthy environment impacting humans and ecosystems. In this study, we look at the urban sprawl of municipal corporations and type A cities and their civic amenities for the treatment of wastes. To give readers a glimpse of the study being conducted, this note mentions urban sprawl and the basic amenities available in seven municipal corporations.

Table 1 depicts the sprawl in various classes of urban centers in Gujarat in the past decade.

Table 1: Urban sprawl in Gujarat’s urban centers in the last decade .... (See pdf file for tables)

Table 2 and the figure in the appendix show the urban sprawl in the last five decades of the seven municipal corporations. Thanks to unmanaged urban development an increase in slums is observed with about 59% of the state’s urban slum population (2.21 million) dwelling in these cities. The remaining 1.56 million live in A, B, C and D classes cities.

 Table 2: (see pdf file)

Unmanaged urban sprawl and development Gujarat have taken a toll of basic amenities including clean water and healthy air. The seven municipal corporations contribute about 72% of the total solid waste from urban areas. The total solid waste generated from all the urban areas in Gujarat amounts to 8566.54 tons per day. Out of this about 18% is put through treatment of which only 1.6% is treated through scientific measures. About 63% of wastes are dumped into landfills and 17.6% is left untreated. Only four municipal corporations own compliant scientific landfill sites; two in Surat, one in Rajkot and one in Vadodara and one in Ahmedabad.

The total urban domestic sewage generated in the state amounts to 2288 MLD while the seven municipal corporations contribute 73% of the urban domestic sewage that is generated. The C & D class towns do not have established sewage networks in place. Class B towns have the treatment capacity of only four percent of the total waste water generation while class D towns do not own any kind of treatment facility. Classes B, C and D towns are in a deplorable state with insignificant treatment facilities. The rate of urbanization continues to add pressure on waste management options. There is a need to ensure that waste disposal and treatment are given importance for reducing health and environmental problems in urban centres.

 The current status of solid and liquid waste treatment depicts the dire state of basic civic amenities required for a healthy environment needed for a good quality of life. This throws light on the unplanned development pathways opted for by the state. There is an urgent need for basic civic amenities such as waste disposal and treatment facilities, water supply, and air pollution regulations to ensure a sustainable environment for future generations.

(See pdf files for Figures...)

 Authors can be contacted:
abhishek@irma.ac.in , pramod@irma.ac.in , lakshmikant@irma.ac.in