11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

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How do India’s policies and guidelines

look at ‘urban lakes’?
The country has come a long way in the fight to protect these bodies of water, but
much more needs to be done

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

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By Shivali Jainer (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/author/shivali-jainer-118155)

Published: Friday 03 January 2020

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Historically, cities were built along waterways or lakes. The multi-

faceted relationship between urban planning and water has
influenced the development of metropolitan areas, cities, towns and
even neighbourhoods throughout history and will continue to do so.

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

Over time, human settlements near water bodies and lakes have
transformed the natural environment into the towns and cities we
see today. Urban lakes are an important part of city ecosystems as
they play a major role in providing environmental, social and
economic services.

Appropriate lake function can ease the impact of floods and droughts
by storing large amounts of water and releasing it during shortages.
Lakes also help in replenishing groundwater level as they are
essential receptors for groundwater recharge, positively influencing
water quality of downstream watercourses and preserving the
biodiversity and habitat of the surrounding area.

Lakes in urban areas provide us with prime opportunities for

recreation, tourism and domestic purposes. They hold historical and
traditional values and at places are a source of water supply for a
municipality.

In 1559, for securing and conserving water, Udaipur built a chain of

lakes as a 'cascade system' and transformed itself from being a
rainfall-deficient city to be self-sufficient in water supply. Lakes in
urban areas are also used as a source of water for industries,
irrigation and agriculture.

Lakes such as Carambolim (Goa), Chilika (Odisha), Dal (Jammu and

Kashmir), Deepor Beel (Assam), Khabartal (Bihar), Kolleru (Andhra
Pradesh), Loktak (Manipur), Naini (Uttrakhand), Nalsarovar
(Gujarat), and Vembanad (Kerala), have long been providing
recreational, tourism, fisheries, irrigation and domestic water supply
services.

Although fundamentally very important to humans and the

environment, these lake ecosystems are presently endangered due to
anthropogenic disturbances. Urbanisation has come at a cost for
these lakes, as they have been heavily degraded due to pollution from
disposal of untreated local sewage or due to encroachment, resulting
in shrunken lakes.

But how do we define urban lakes?

There is no specific definition for ‘urban lakes’ in India. According to

the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP), a water body having a
minimum depth of three metres, spread over more than 10 hectares,
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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

and having no or very little aquatic vegetation, is considered as a

lake.

The definition provided by NLCP is based on broad hydrological and

morphometry criteria of a lake:

The apparent definition of urban lakes seems to those located

entirely within city limits (census town) and directly surrounded by
urban developments, with some recreation facilities limited to the
shoreline area (parks, playgrounds).

OR

The lakes which are predominantly affected by urban human

populations and their drainage basin is dominated by urbanisation,
rather than geology, soils or agriculture. Such lakes are situated only
partially within city limits, or attached but not necessarily
surrounded, entirely by city development.

Lakes located in most Indian cities are generally permanent bodies of

open water, with a significant size (>0.1 ha). These lakes are
located according to the cities’ topography and are often placed in a
series (inter-linked) to play a key role in urban stormwater
management. Urban lakes also help to mitigate the density of urban
developments by creating passive open space areas.

One of the obstacles for effective protection of these interlinked lakes

in cities is the lack of a clear definition of an ‘urban lake’ in the
Indian context. The definition provided under the guideline of NLCP
acknowledges only broad hydrological criteria to define a water body
as a lake.

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

This definition ignores the fact that the water depth and spread keep
changing every year, depending on various environmental factors. In
fact, there are very few urban lakes that fit into this definition since
most of them occupy a small area (<10 ha), are seasonal and shallow.

Timeline of policies and guidelines around urban lakes

In India, water was traditionally seen as a responsibility of the

community, who not only built but also maintained water bodies.
Since independence, the government has taken control of water
bodies and water supply.

Over time, this has led to the neglect of water bodies and catchments
areas. People have become used to getting water at the turn of a tap
and are no longer interested in maintaining water bodies.

However, there is still hope as concerned citizens across India have

come together to halt this degradation of urban waterbodies. In state
after state, citizens and non-profits have filed legal cases for
protection of urban lakes. Public interest litigations have been filed
for the protection of urban lakes in many cities.

Planning interventions for water bodies started as early as 1927. In

the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act in 1974,
directions were given to control the flow of sewage and industrial
effluents into water bodies. 

The need for lake conservation was felt when India became a

signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, 1982. The
Convention called for the conservation and wise use of wetlands
(including water bodies). Twenty-six Ramsar sites, covering an area
of 689,000 ha, were identified in India.

The Indian government

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(https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/ghaziabad-
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during 1985-86 under the Ministry
of Environment and Forest
Notification. Under the programme, 115 wetlands were identified,
which required urgent conservation and management initiatives.

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

Recognising the importance of lakes, the Union Ministry of

Environment and Forests (MoEF), launched NLCP, a centrally
sponsored scheme exclusively aimed at restoring the water quality
and ecology of lakes in different parts of the country. The scheme was
approved by the Union government during the Ninth Plan (June 2001)
as 100 per cent central grant.

Funding pattern under NLCP has since been changed wef February,
2002. From 100 per cent central funding, the costs are now shared
according to a ratio of 70:30 between the Union and the concerned
state government.

The NLCP focuses on the development of national level policies and

actions for urban lakes. To improve the process of implementation
and coordination between the Centre, state or urban local bodies, the
MoEF directed all states to constitute City Level Monitoring
Committees. The selection of lakes was on hydrological (Lake size
over 10 acres or 3 acres if of religious and cultural importance and
lake depth more than three metres), scientific and administrative
criteria. Many lakes and waterbodies have been conserved and
protected under this scheme for the past 18 years.

In continuation with the NLCP, the Centre had launched the Repair,

Renovation and Restoration of Waterbodies' Scheme in 2005, with
the objectives of comprehensive improvement and restoration of
traditional waterbodies, including increasing tank storage capacity,
ground water recharge, increased availability of drinking water,
improvement of catchment areas etc.

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

Timeline of policies and guidelines relevant to lakes (Compiled by

author)

The Union Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has the mandate,

inter alia, to conserve / restore urban lakes / water bodies, re-use and
re-cycle waste water, etc. These points have been summed up in the
Advisory on conservation and restoration of water bodies in urban
areas by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering
Organisation in 2013 for the use / guidance of state governments /
ULBs with the hope that they shall improve it further and
apply according to their own needs.

The initiative gains immense importance in the sense that urban

lakes / water bodies are first victims of urbanisation and their
conservation / restoration is a sign of healthy and sustainable urban
development. The Advisory is also directed under the URDPFI
guidelines, 2014, which classifies land use for waterbodies and lakes
as protective and eco-sensitive zones.

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Later, in 2016, the National Lake Conservation Plan was merged with
National Wetlands Conservation Programme to form National Plan
for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems (NPCA). The principal
objectives of NPCA is holistic conservation and the restoration of
lakes and wetlands through an integrated and multidisciplinary
approach with a common regulatory framework. 

All lakes that were a part of NLCP, were brought under this scheme,
and are being restored till date.

Following the central government's active participation in lake

conservation and management, many state governments formulated
dedicated lake conservation guidelines and acts for execution and
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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

monitoring of projects. Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,

Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Rajasthan are the few important states
working for lakes and water bodies.

What is missing?

Even after 26 years of pollution abatement works, only ten per cent of
waste water generated in the country is treated. The rest collects as
cess pools or is discharged into the 14 major, 55 minor and several
hundred other rivers.

It is quite clear that the overall status of quality of water in rivers,

lakes and its links to groundwater has not been adequately addressed.
Neither have adequate policies, legislations or programmes been
formulated.

Out of the 43 Indian guidelines passed by the central and state

government, 41 per cent of those talk about conservation and
restoration of waterbodies but only 10 per cent exactly describe the
conservative measure to be adopted. Only 22 per cent of the
guidelines are on subjects related to policies to be adopted by state
government, urban local bodies etc.

This clearly identifies the missing links and marks the future
prospects that India should adopt for the preparation of better and
sustainable lake management plans.

Under the Jal Shakti mission and AMRUT, the revival /rejuvenation of
water bodies is in piecemeal approach, with short-term measures like
beautification, enhancing recreational activities, addressing
immediate solid waste dumping into waterbody, treating wastewater
used to revive storage in lakes.

Even in the case of the national capital, the Delhi Jal Board is
proposing to revive 155 bodies with no pre-defined action plan /
management plan. Although cities have initiated to work towards
water bodies' rejuvenation, the long-term approach is still missing.  

Since a lake is a reflection of its catchment area, it is essential to first

understand the significant changes or trends concerning the primary
land uses within the catchment area / watershed draining into the
lake.     

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

There is no approach which defines the planning process for

preparation of short, medium and long-term action plans for lake
rejuvenation, considering its watershed area. It is essential to have a
document with clear understanding of the lake’s watershed area, with
specific goals, objectives, producing time-bound action plans.

‘Lake management planning’ is an approach for different

stakeholders to come together with a common interest in improving
and protecting their lake.

Focusing on planning process rather than quick-fix solutions makes

lake rejuvenation a manageable process. Moreover, it guides how
time and resources are utilised, keeping future sustainability of the
lake in account. 

Missing links:
No clear definition of ‘Urban Lake’ and thereby missing the approach of
‘Urban Lake management plan’.
A Lake Management Plan: 1) Encourages partnerships between
concerned citizens, special interest groups, government body and water
resources management practitioners 2) Identifies the concerns regarding
the catchment/watershed of the lake 3) Sets realistic goals, objectives,
and (short, medium and long-term) actions, and identifies needed funds
and personnel.
Conservation of Lakes and wetlands through an integrated and
multidisciplinary approach with a common regulatory framework.
No authoritative measures taken for formulation of inventory of ‘Urban
lakes or waterbodies’, ponds and lakes in Indian cities.
Specified roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders along with
Centre, state and urban local bodies.

Urban Water Supply (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/urban-water-supply)

water bodies (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/water-bodies)

Urbanisation (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/urbanisation)

Lakes (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/lakes)

India (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/india)

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Revamping Delhi's 'Gramin Seva' service

The para-transit service started to serve people in Delhi's poor public tranport
accessibility areas is deteoriorating; given its importance, it has to be salvaged

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By Shantanu Gupta (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/author/shantanu-gupta-159072)

Published: Friday 27 December 2019

The success of a public transport service depends on the experience

of a traveller at every leg of a journey. Delhi has been experiencing a
paradigm shift in its mobility patterns due to the expansion of the
built-up area.

A target to achieve 80 per cent of public transport share has been

envisaged in the Delhi Master Plan of 2021. But, it cannot be
achieved solely by scaling up the public transport fleet and neglecting

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

the overall mobility ecosystem, including first and last-mile

connectivity.

According to the Delhi Urban Environment and Infrastructure

Improvement Project (DUEIIP), more than 75 per cent of Delhi’s
population lives in unplanned colonies such as JJ Clusters, urban and
rural villages, unauthorised colonies, etc, where public transport
service is limited. Therefore, a para-transit service named as 'Gramin
Seva' was initiated in the year 2011 by the Transport Department,
Government of National Capital Territory Delhi (GNCTD), to improve
first and last-mile connectivity in the unplanned colonies.

According to the information provided by the Transport Department,

a total of 6,153 Gramin Seva vehicles are operating on 166 routes
authorised by Regional Transport Authority (RTA). The average daily
ridership of the service is 80,000
(https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/gramin-sewa-fares-to-be-
doubled-in-delhi-from-next-week/story-
o5aEUQkLXRK7r6swtcLJbI.html) approximately.

Traffic Police and Regional Transport Offices are the main authorities

responsible for regulatory issues. The minimum fare for Gramin Seva
is Rs 5 per person (for the first 3 km), Rs 10 for up to 7 km and Rs 15
above 7 km.

The vehicle permit is issued at the taxi unit of the Transport

Department in Burari after payment of Rs 2,000 which is valid for five
years. The vehicles also need to undergo fitness tests every year and
after the approval, a fitness certificate is provided.

According to the GNCTD regulations, the Gramin Seva owner shall

adhere to conditions such as maximum seating capacity of six
excluding the driver, compliance with Bharat Stage III fuel norms, ply
only on specific allowed routes, shall be equipped with Global
Positioning System (GPS), first-aid box and fire extinguisher, painted
with white colour, 75 mm light blue and green color strips in the
middle of the vehicle, inscription of ‘Gramin Sewa’ in between the
horizontal stripes, inscription of name, address and telephone
number of permit holder on the rear exterior of the body and,
helpline number of the Transport Department, GNCTD, on both
inside and outside of the vehicle.

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

In addition to it, the vehicle design is approved by the Automotive

Research Association of India or any other agency as approved by the
Government of India (GoI). However, due to the laxity in enforcement
of the regulations and proper service planning, the service is
deteriorating.

As reported by Delhi Traffic Police along with ground verification

carried out by the sustainable mobility team of New Delhi-based
non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the vehicles
usually carry 10-12 passengers, excluding the driver which is double
than the allowed limit.

In some vehicles, the seat structure is modified so as to accommodate

15-16 passengers excluding the driver. It makes the vehicles unstable
and poses a threat to other road users as well. The vehicles lack basic
amenities such as first-aid boxes, fire extinguisher, head and tail
lights, etc.

The majority of vehicles are rusted due to which, the inscribed details
are not usually visible properly. Though the Gramin Seva usually is
confined to specific routes, violations are rampant.

Complaints galore

To understand the other facet of the situation, the mobility team also
interviewed ten Gramin Seva drivers who have been driving the
vehicles since 2010. The key issues highlighted by the drivers are
discussed below:

When questioned about exceeding the allowed passenger limit, the

drivers reply that the government has not raised the fare structure
since 2011 irrespective of the rise in CNG prices every year. Auto

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

fares have been increased three times in the last nine years but they
are completely neglected.

Moreover, the upfront cost of the vehicle comes to Rs 3.5 lakh

approximately, with no incentive provided by the government unlike
subsidies on electric rickshaws. Assuming an average 10 trips in a
day, the monthly income comes around Rs 15,000 which is not
sufficient to sustain in a city like Delhi.

As the vehicles are almost nine-years-old, sometimes they have to

make four visits for its servicing which costs around Rs 700 at once,
which again cuts down the monthly income. Therefore, carrying
more passengers per trip is the only option left to maintain their
monthly income.

The service drivers pay fines for stopping the vehicle near junctions
and on the roadside. But the government has not provided even
adequate halt and go points, the drivers said. The surrounding area of
available halt and go points are either encroached or proper signages
are not available.

Due to this, the drivers stop randomly as the passengers do not get to
know about the halt and go point or prefer to stay away from the
encroached area.

The government has not allocated

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any demarcated parking land and
What Delhi can learn from others
designated Gramin Seva stands for
about free public transport
the service vehicles in the city. The
(https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/what-
delhi-can-learn-from-others-about- on-street parking spaces are fully
free-public-transport-64956)
occupied by private cars, leaving

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

very little space for them to park. Many times, the vehicles are found
in damaged conditions as they get hit by night traffic which increases
monthly maintenance charges.

The drivers have to face the insolent behavior of the traffic police
regularly, especially regarding issuing of challans. In order to avoid
such situations, the drivers pay a certain fixed amount monthly to
traffic police as bribes. The bribe is never demanded directly by the
traffic cops; there are hints thrown in and the driver has to haggle
over the bribe amount.

The ground verification carried out by the mobility team shows that
there are flaws in both the parties, viz. regulatory authorities and the
vehicle permit holders; hence, blaming only Gramin Seva for creating
menace on roads is completely unfair.

The drivers claim the vehicles undergo a fitness test every year.
During the test, the vehicle needs to be in good condition along with
all the amenities listed in the permit regulations present in it.

But contrary to this, around 3,000

(https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-
nation/government-warns-gramin-sewa-of-strict-action-for-not-
installing-gps/articleshow/48241185.cms) Gramin Seva vehicles have
been running without GPS devices since 2011, according to media
reports. Thus, it raises questions over the quality of fitness tests
carried out by the RTA.

The travel demand study for Gramin Seva was carried out in the year
2011 by Delhi Integrated Multimodal Transit System (DIMTS) based
on the projected population for the year 2011. Although Census 2011
data has already been released, no further study has been done to
ensure proper demand-based allocation of routes and fleet.

Due to the Motor Vehicle Act, 2019, the compliance with traffic rules
among the public, especially in Delhi has improved a lot; however,
the trend of carrying extra passengers in the Gramin Seva continues.
The service has been criticised several times but considering the
continuing trend of carrying extra passengers means that either there
is a lack of enforcement by the traffic police or matters are resolved
by bribes.

What are the solutions?

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

Although there are several faults in the service, it has already become

part of the city's public transport scene and has become a source of
livelihood. The Gramin Seva has become indispensable for people
living in poor public transport accessibility areas.

Therefore, improvement of the service is critical to limit the increase

in private vehicles on roads. Otherwise, the service would continue to
further tangle the traffic situation. To improve the service, the
government can take actions as discussed below:

1. The transport department shall consider a revision in fare

structure.

2. Delhi Development Authority (DDA) shall provide dedicated

parking facilities for the vehicles.

3. DDA shall provide land for the development of Gramin Seva stands.

4. The transport department shall conduct a travel demand study for

the service to update routes and fleet.

5. The transport department, along with traffic police, shall take

strict actions against the vehicles found defying the permit
regulations.

6. The transport department shall provide incentives to the permit

holder in terms of availing discounts in the purchase of a new vehicle
provided the old vehicle is scrapped properly.

7. All the road-owning agencies, MCDs/PWD shall ensure halt and go

points for the vehicles are encroachment-free and properly visible.

8. Provision of incentives in the form of discount for purchase of a

new Gramin Seva vehicle, provided the permit holder gets the older
vehicle scrapped properly.

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

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Census 2021: India's Urban-rural

conundrum
We urbanise, we celebrate; but is urbanisation providing basic livelihood?

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(https://www.downtoearth.org
NEXT BLOG ❯

By Richard Mahapatra (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/author/richard-mahapatra-46)

Published: Monday 28 October 2019

Cities like Bengaluru grew exponentially between the censuses of 2001 and 2011, taking in
many earlier non-urban centres. Photo Getty Images

Census 2021 preparations are underway for more than a year now.
One of the first tasks the Office of the Registrar General and Census
Commissioner, India was to identify the country’s urban and rural
areas. For this, officials created a base map by applying the census
criteria.

Officials involved in this process say it is surprising how quickly

urbanisation is spreading, and that rural India will be history sooner
than we think. Many of the urban areas identified in Census 2011
have expanded while thousands of villages have turned into towns, as
per the census definition, the officials say. 

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This exercise usually captures the changing demography, geography

and economy of the country. As we wait for another three years
before the preliminary results of Census 2021 emerge, what’s certain
is that India is changing from rural to urban. 

What are the implications of this change? It’s perilous, because with
India’s transition from a predominantly rural economy to an urban
one, people’s occupations and preferences will also change.

The immediate concern is whether India’s farming population will

remain the same or will it migrate to non-farm occupations. The
other big questions are who would be left in the farming sector and
whether agriculture would survive by being lucrative enough to
provide for the survival of its practitioners? 

Much would depend on the resolution of the Catch-22 rural-urban

situation. Going by the census definition, a habitation is declared
urban (excluding a municipality, corporation, cantonment board and
a notified town area committee) if it has a minimum population of
5,000; at least 75 per cent of the male working population is engaged
in non-agricultural pursuits; and the population density is at least
400 people per sq km. Such habitations are also called the Census
Towns.

For the first time in history, the Census 2011 reported a decline in the
population growth rate of rural India. However, at that time India was
still predominantly rural, with the urban population being just 30 per
cent. Between Census 2001 and Census 2011, the number of Census
Towns increased from 1,362 to 3,894. This indicates that people in

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rural areas are quitting farming or joining non-farm livelihoods.

Millions of farmers have quit agriculture and, worryingly, very few
from the current generation are entering the sector. 

In absolute terms, India is losing farmers. In fact, there are indicators

that many rural residents are not taking up farming despite being
unemployed and having small lands. This shows that India on the
cusp of a major change. In 1970, three-fourths of a rural household’s
income came from farm sources. After 45 years, in 2015, it is below
one-third. Basically, most of the households now earn more out of
non-farm sources.

Another concern is that these non-farm jobs are mostly in urban

areas. In recent years, these urban employment sources have not
been able to meet the surging job demands due to the exodus from
agriculture. As the latest economic data points out, manufacturing,
construction and other related sectors have not been able to generate
employment as they used to earlier. All these sectors are
experiencing slowdown. 

This leaves us with that big conundrum: We urbanise and celebrate it

as a sure shot path to prosperity, but urbanisation doesn’t provide
basic livelihood to people who have migrated from rural areas. This
explains the current slump in demand that is keeping the overall
economy down.

This article was first published in Down To Earth's print edition

(dated 16-31 October, 2019)

Farm Workers (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/farm-workers)

Employment (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/employment)

Urbanisation (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/urbanisation)

World (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/world)

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URBANISATION
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The deficient design of India's streets

The designing of Indian roads, from carriageways to sidewalks, leaves much to be
desired

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NEXT BLOG ❯

By Sugeet Grover (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/author/sugeet-grover-114161)

Published: Tuesday 15 October 2019

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This blog is the second of a three-part series. Read the first part here
(https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/governance/pedestrian-
accessibility-needs-to-come-out-of-the-gaps-between-cars--64297).

Two of the top five most congested cities in the world are in India.
Mumbai, in fact, has the worst traffic flow in the world. Delhi is
marginally better. An average commute during peak hours in
Mumbai takes (https://trak.in/tags/business/2019/06/05/mumbai-
has-worlds-worst-traffic-flow-rs-41000-crore-is-lost-per-year-due-
to-insane-traffic/) 65 per cent more time while it takes 58 per cent
longer in Delhi.

Delhi has 1,749 kilometres (km) of road length per hundred square
km, which is one of the highest road densities
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Delhi) in India. This
gives the city another ‘gift’. The number of vehicles in Delhi comes
out to be more than one crore. A high road density has been
accompanied by a high number of people owning a vehicle in Delhi.
This has happened as the street design has itself favoured personal
vehicles at the expense of non-motorised and pedestrian commuters.

According to the 2011 India Census, about 23 per cent of work trips
happen on foot, 13 per cent on bicycle and 18 per cent on public
transport, with only 15 per cent of trips on private transport.

This raises the question of equity. We need to ask by what logic is an

overwhelming majority of the street space being dedicated to 15 per
cent of the traffic.

The same traffic that is responsible for 40 per cent of Delhi's air
pollution, is responsible for immeasurable amount of working hours
lost due to congestion and has single-handedly killed 1,562 people

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

last year in Delhi alone.

Why do we still keep the sidewalk width to a miserable bare

minimum along with no dedicated space for bicycles while private
transport is given a free reign to run havoc?

A lesser discussed issue in street design is that the streets ‘need to be

useful’. If one happens to zoom in on the Delhi street grid map, one
might notice that due to the unplanned, ad-hoc nature of planning,
Delhi street grids do not align from one neighbourhood to the other,
often ending in dead-ends or T junctions, which increases the
destination-origin distance.

A study (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncff2SfcQAs) indicates
that people often prefer ways with less amount of turns. A longer but
less complicated way to the destination may be preferred by a
commuter to a shorter but more complicated way. The non-
alignment of streets thus makes people take the longer way, reducing
the usefulness of neighbourhood streets.

This is further combined with the land zoning in the cities where the
everyday commercial activities are segregated and pushed away from
walkable distances, further cutting down the usefulness of the
streets.

The planning needs to not just ensure a hassle-free non-motorised

commute but also question the need for the commute in itself by
ensuring everyday commercial and leisure activity spaces to be
located within walkable distances.

Foolish footpaths

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Diving further into the design issues, the height of the footpath is
illogical in most places. Kerbstones are easily 30-45 centimetres high.
Footpaths of this height are perhaps the biggest reason behind
Delhi’s ‘A city for able-bodied persons’ image. It is a city that is not
meant to be traversed by an old person, a woman in a saree or a
person on a wheelchair.

Is 30 cm to 40 cm height
Related Stories
appropriate? Let us look at it in
Why our cities are becoming
comparison to the height of a
increasingly dangerous for
cyclists & pedestrians staircase in a public space which is
(https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/why-
kept up to 15 cm. This height is
our-cities-are-becoming-
kept to ensure public convenience.
increasingly-dangerous-for-
cyclists-pedestrians-42522) The footpath height often exceeds
15 cm by twice or even three times.

The other problem arises as the cars, street vendors, rickshaws,

parked vehicles, two wheelers, cycles and pedestrians are left jostling
for the same space. A pedestrian path could be interrupted by a
hawker, a parked car, and open manhole, a pole or even the newly-
constructed dustbin.

Footpaths are designed as an afterthought to motorised vehicles. The

footpaths, if they exist, are interrupted in front of a gate so that the
car has a convenient passage to the property, bringing again into
focus, the ‘gaps between cars’ mentality of the designers.

Moreover, the footpaths are actually curved to the cars’ turning

radius, at the same time making the pedestrian commute even more
awkward as at the end of the footpath. One foot is on the footpath

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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

while the other one is in the air, owing to the curve.

Footpaths do not ramp down to meet the level of the street either.
This means that eventually, the pedestrian will be jumping up and
down to get on and off the sidewalk, get frustrated
(https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/wanted-in-delhi-safe-
walkable-pavements/story-kyvFVriwE3R6NaOs89FSTP.html) and
walk on the street itself, endangering his or her life by jostling for
space with oncoming traffic.

Has there been an attempt to rectify these problems? The Unified

Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering)
Centre (UTTIPEC), set up by the Delhi Development Authority, came
up with its ‘Street Design Guidelines’ in 2011.

The guidelines detail the street design for various contexts and
widths. However, clearly, these guidelines are not being implemented
even in the new projects.

A recent welcome step has been the Supreme Court’s ruling on

September 2 on parking policy by reaffirming the right of
pedestrians to the footpath
(https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/air/need-parking-policy-to-
entitle-every-citizen-to-dignified-life-says-supreme-court-66478?
fbclid=IwAR2I3rPZoP9d1RrTZNnN3nxbbLWdw0do6jbqX4j414yNwaD-
fjrCcR5XDCk). This needs to be combined with genuine on-ground
action by the law-enforcers by penalising the encroachers.

The street guidelines need to be enforced without exceptions and the

planners and designers need to set their priorities right by
reaffirming the right of the citizen to walk and commute without
adding onto the carbon emissions.

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The next in this series will talk about how the experience of the
pedestrian is another aspect which needs to be looked at. A street
might be useful, wide enough and yet, subtle or sometimes brave
decisions are needed to make the streets and neighbourhoods much
more attractive for the non-motorised commuter.

Sugeet Grover is a Programme Officer in the Sustainable Buildings

and Habitat Programme at the Centre for Science and Environment,
New Delhi

Urban Roads (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/urban-roads)

Footpaths (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/footpaths)

Urbanisation (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/urbanisation)

India (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/india)

Delhi (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/tag/delhi)

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India Environment Portal Resources :

Draft policy for enhancing walkability in Delhi

(http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/464699/draft-policy-
for-enhancing-walkability-in-delhi/)
Question raised in Rajya Sabha on Enhancing Walkability in Delhi for
Pedestrians, 03/07/2019
(http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/464685/question-
raised-in-rajya-sabha-on-enhancing-walkability-in-delhi-for-pedestrians-
03072019/)
A longitudinal study examining changes in street connectivity, land use,
and density of dwellings and walking for transport in Brisbane, Australia
(http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/454722/a-
longitudinal-study-examining-changes-in-street-connectivity-land-use-
and-density-of-dwellings-and-walking-for-transport-in-brisbane-
australia/)
The prevalence and use of walking loops in neighborhood parks: A
national study
(http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/440026/the-
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11/10/2020 How do India’s policies and guidelines look at ‘urban lakes’?

prevalence-and-use-of-walking-loops-in-neighborhood-parks-a-national-
study/)
Perceived neighborhood environmental attributes associated with
walking and cycling for transport among adult residents of 17 cities in 12
countries: The IPEN Study
(http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/425951/perceived-
neighborhood-environmental-attributes-associated-with-walking-and-
cycling-for-transport-among-adult-residents-of-17-cities-in-12-countries-
the-ipen-study/)

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