Environmetally sustainable development in the peri urban area : case study Kolkata metropolitan area

Abstract

The world has now reached a threshold limit beyond which survival of human beings would become difficult. The cities are growing in sizes resulting in a huge number of peri urban outgrowths which host the excessive population pushed away from the city. This has proved highly detrimental for the environmental resources existing in these peri urban areas which in turn have made the cities more unsustainable in recent times. Generally the city expands along its peripheries which are composed of many eco -fragile zones but gets altered due to urban encroachment. The case of Kolkata Metropolitan area (KMA) is one of such example. The research aims at developing a strategic framework for achieving environmentally sustainable development in the peri urban area by fulfilling the objectives of studying the growth and direction of the sprawl of the city and selecting the study area, followed by analysing the environmental and socio economic status of the study area by using relevant sustainability indicators and establishing the kind of relationship that exists between these two aspects and subsequently preparing a framework based on sustainability parameters which would guide the future developmental activities in this area. The study however focuses on a small area of the entire peri urban region of KMA and plot level survey have been carried out to understand the problems at a greater depth. The study area selected for this research happens to be a part of East Kolkata Wetland which is a Ramsar Site and it serves as the only waste water treatment system to the entire city of Kolkata. It is the largest sewage fed farm of the world and is most prominently referred to as the ‘Kidney of Kolkata’. But in recent times, this wetland is facing a huge encroachment from the real estate developers which have disrupted the entire wetland ecosystem. Two Mouzas- Karimpur and Bhagabanpur, belonging to the district of South 24 parganas, West Bengal, have been selected for detailed analysis of the problems faced in the peri urban areas. The methodology followed for this research can be divided into four major steps i.e., identifying the study area by some location selection criteria, followed by assessing the environmental impacts that have occurred in recent times due to increased anthropogenic activities and establishing the type of correlation which exists between environmental and the socio-economic condition of the area and finally preparing a strategic framework for achieving environmentally sustainable development in the peri urban. The major findings of this research are the level of environmental degradation which have occurred due to the ongoing developmental activities taking place in this area. This have resulted in a decline in the water bodies, changes in water quality, depletion of ground water table, reduction of fish species, siltation of canals and changes in microclimatic conditions. The study have also tried to establish a relationship between the environmental degradation process and the socio economic transformation that have occurred in this area. Finally, the study ends by trying to find a sustainable direction of development i.e., a solution of balanced growth. The proposals are mainly in the form of strategies which need to be implemented to bring about a balance or restore the ecosystem once again to its original form. The strategies comprise of poverty alleviation measures as well environment conservation approaches so that a sustainable form of development is achieved in this area. Most works on Sustainable development of the peri urban area have concentrated on checking the urban sprawl by controlling population growth but have failed to understand the spatial relationship of human and nature. This research measures and analyses the environmental impacts that are created on the peri urban due to the organic growth of the city of Kolkata. It reveals about the conflicts that occur between environmental conservation and the emerging developmental activities. Thus, the research tries to find a balanced solution to develop the peripheries in an environmentally sustainable way.