Session Title: Role of ULBs in Environment Management And Social Audit

Session Title:Role of ULBs in Environment Management And Social Audit

Session Overview • The roll of municipalities / corporations in- • environment management, • basic features of environmental services, • measures taken in India • understanding of social audit in respect of right to information act. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Learning Objective • Necessary discussions and lecture will enable the participants • to be aware of importance of environment management, • roll of municipality / corporation in this aspect and • social audit which will help them to grow their consciousness on auditing environment and social issues. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • Rapid urbanisation has become the order of the day. • It is, today a natural constituent of the process of civilisation and a key indicator of economic development. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • Cities and towns in most countries around the world have been gaining considerable attention due to the large number of households migrating to cities and its consequent effects. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • Dramatic urban growth was noticed in the Asia and the Pacific region during the last two decades of the twentieth century • urban population doubled from 700 million in 1980 to 1.4 billion in 2000. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • It is estimated that by the turn of 2020, • half of the world population will be living in towns and cities. • A study by the United Nations predicts that • the level of urbanisation is slated to cross 50% mark in 2005 itself. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • The projection ibid further forecast that • by the year 2025, more than three-fifth of the world population (approximately 5.2 billion) will be urban settlers. • Of this again • 77% will be in the developing countries. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • Forecast ibid shows growth of mega cities having population more than 10 million to reach 26 numbers by 2010, out of which 21 cities will be in the developing countries: • 14 in Asia, • 5 in Latin America and • 2 in Africa). Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • by the year 2010, population of 33 Number of cities is projected to be between 5 to 10 million, (21 in the developing countries). • (United Nations, World Urbanization Projects, New York, 1993). Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • Major factors for urbanization are – • high rate of population growth, • declining opportunities in the rural areas • low paying agriculture sector to more paying urban occupations. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • Most cities have grown haphazardly showing signs of saturation of • services, • infrastructure and • employment potential. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • This has resulted in: • congestion, • slums, • inadequate water supply and sanitation, • urban poverty and • environmental degradation. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • The priority assigned to urban environmental issues has traditionally been low, resulting in irreversible damage to human health. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • Natural assets in the environment are of three types: • Non-renewable resources like minerals and fossil fuels; • Renewable resources like food crops, forestry products and water supplies; • Capacity of the natural system on this planet to absorb emissions and pollutants of the human activities. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • Rapid techno-industrial development tuned with population explosion has forced this world • to combat multifarious problems of environment-degradation causing enormous stain on the natural resources. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • Population concentration in increasingly smaller land masses has caused • a drastic decline in the quality of living both in the residential and work fronts. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • Along with the benefits of urbanization come multifarious social ills like • lack of access to drinking water and • sanitation services, • pollution and carbon emissions, • disposal of huge solid wastes etc. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Components of urban environment Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • There is thus an urgent need to balance the environmental capacity and quantum of resource utilization. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • The Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 and the United Nations Frame work Convention on Climatic Change (UNFCCC) underlined • the urgency of harmonizing environmental sustainability and development goals. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Modern day urbanisation • The Rio Declaration on environment and development called Agenda 21 reflects • global consensus and • political commitment on development and environment cooperation. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Indian scenario • In India- • the urban population has reached nearly 300 millions. • Growth of population during the past decade indicated higher growth in metro cities. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Indian scenario • There are six mega cities with population above 4 millions. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Indian scenario • Failure of the urban planning process has created chaotic conditions, specially in the metropolitan cities and left municipal services crumbling. • Huge consumption and waste generated in the cities deplete the natural resources and pollute environment. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Indian scenario • Environment pollution created by human activities tells upon public health and hygiene. • The ecological footprints of urban activities expand far beyond the city limits and usurp natural resources of much larger areas. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urbanisation and Waste Generation • Urbanization results in waste generation. • Unscientific waste handling causes health hazards and urban environment degradation. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urbanisation and Waste Generation • Municipal solid waste (MSW) includes: • refuse from the households, • non-hazardous solid waste, • discards of the industrial, • commercial and institutional establishments, • market waste, • yard waste and street sweepings. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urbanisation and Waste Generation • Cities and towns generate huge quantities of solid waste, and these increase with income. • In cities of the developing countries, 20 to 50 % of the waste generated remains uncollected. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urbanisation and Waste Generation • In low income or squatter settlements • garbage collection is often non-existent • either because these settlements fall outside “official” service areas or • because scavenger trucks are unable to maneuver along narrow unpaved streets/lanes. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urbanisation and Waste Generation • Uncollected domestic waste is the most common cause of blocked urban drainage channels in Asian cities, increasing thereby the risk of flooding and vector borne diseases. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urbanisation and Waste Generation • In most of the urban areas 100 percent of the population is serviced by municipal waste collection. • However, with their higher consumption levels, they have to confront increasing mounds of garbage. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urbanisation and Waste Generation • Despite massive recycling and incineration projects, Tokyo is unable to cope with the more than 22,000 metric tons garbage generated each day. • As a result, officials are building islands of waste in Tokyo Bay, which threaten both the shipping and the fishing industry. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urbanisation and Waste Generation • Example of adverse environmental impacts of the solid waste: • Ground water contamination; • Surface water contamination; • Foul odour, pests, rodents and wind-blown litter in and around the waste dumps; Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urbanisation and Waste Generation • Generation of the inflammable gas (methane) within the waste dumps; • Release of green house gases such as carbon dioxide and methane; • Bird menace above waste dumps affecting traffic; • Epidemics through stray animals and other disease vectors. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urban waste and industrial pollutants • Given its sheer volume, sewage is a major threat to local urban waters. • It also poses a significant risk to health from such sewage-borne pathogens as the cholera bacterium, hepatitis viruses, salmonella and the like. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urban waste and industrial pollutants • Most of the world’s sewage is still disposed of untreated. • In developing countries, 90 percent or more is released without treatment of any kind usually to a water body – a river, a lake or an ocean. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urban waste and industrial pollutants • As a result, fisheries are increasingly being damaged / destroyed by the volume of urban sewage. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urban waste and industrial pollutants • Major declines in fish catches have been documented in rivers and estuaries around cities in India, China, Venezuela and Senegal. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urban waste and industrial pollutants • Major sources of water pollution include • chemical-intensive industries such as • tanneries, • metal plating operations, • pulp mills and • refineries. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Urban waste and industrial pollutants • Typical contaminants: • organochlorines like polychlorinated biphenyls • dioxins, • pesticides, grease and oil • acids and caustics, • heavy metals like cadmium and lead, and • synthetic organic compounds. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Environmental services as embodied in the Constitution of India • The 74th Constitution Amendment Act, 1992: • has ushered in a new era in the history of the institution of the urban local government. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Environmental services as embodied in the Constitution of India • gives constitutional recognition to the ULBs as institutions of local self-government • incorporates some landmark provisions of urban management responsibilities down to the grass-roots level. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Environmental services as embodied in the Constitution of India • 18 functions listed in the 12th. Schedule. • One of these functions is “Urban forestry, protection of the environment and promotion of the ecological aspect.” Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Environmental services as embodied in the Constitution of India • this constitutional provision reflects the consciousness in respect of environmental degradation that the city-dwellers are threatened with. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Environmental services as embodied in the Constitution of India • A number of functions listed in the Schedule may be construed as “environmental services”, e.g.: • Regulation of land use and construction of buildings; • Public health, sanitation, conservancy and waste management; Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Environmental services • Urban forestry, protection of the environment and promotion of the ecological aspect; • Water supply for domestic, industrial and commercial purposes; • Urban amenities and facilities such as parks, gardens and playgrounds; • Slum improvement and upgradation; • Regulation of slaughterhouses and tanneries. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Environmental services • ULBs have been providing these environmental services assigned to them by the States. • With the growing concern about the urban environment, most of the municipal functions or services are perceived as essential environmental services. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Measures taken in India • Since 1974 • A number of laws have been enacted • rules framed, • some of the Acts are stated in the next slide: Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Measures taken in India • Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; • The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; • Hazardous Waste Rules, 1989; • Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989; • Bio-medical Waste Rules, 1998; • The Recycled Plastics Manufacture & Usage Rules, 1999; • The Municipal Solid Wastes Rules, 2000. Next Training Module on Audit of ULBs Session 12

Session Title: Role of ULBs in Environment Management And Social Audit