Development of Himalayan cities

Reference

The Indian Himalayan Range (IHR) comprises 11 states and two union territories. These regions have experienced decadal urban growth rates of over 40% from 2011-2021. Towns have expanded in these regions and more urban settlements are developing. However, Himalayan cities require a different definition of urbanization.

Challenges of Urbanization in the Himalayan Region

• Unbalanced Urbanisation and Development: The Indian Himalayan range is facing increasing pressures of urbanisation and development which is compounded by high-intensity, unsustainable infrastructure and resources (land and water) use. This is further aggravated by climate changes such as changing rainfall patterns and rising temperatures.
  • For example, Uttarakhand has faced disasters like submergence of Joshimath, floods and landslides in Himachal Pradesh, glacial lake outburst in Sikkim, Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarkashi, etc.
• Water Crisis: Water quality and management may be a problem. Water bodies in Srinagar have depleted by about 25%.
• Lack of Waste Management: Cities like Srinagar, Guwahati, Shillong and Shimla as well as smaller towns face immense challenges in sanitation, solid and liquid waste management.
  • For example, in Srinagar, about 90% of the liquid waste enters water bodies without treatment.
• Tourism pressure: Tourism growth puts pressure on local resources.
  • Tourism continues to expand and diversify in the Indian Himalayan Range (IHR), with an estimated average annual growth rate of 7.9% from 2013 to 2023.
  • Tourism growth in these areas often results in inappropriate and hazardous construction activity, poorly designed roads and inadequate solid waste management, instead of sustainable infrastructure. This leads to loss of natural resources and damage to biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• Failure of Planning Institutions: The urban areas of these states use models copied from the plains for development. Their capacity to implement these plans is limited.
• Human Resource Shortage: Urban governments have a shortage of human resources by about 75%. For example, in the Kashmir Valley, more than 40 urban local bodies, barring the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, have only 15 executive officers.
• Land Encroachment: Cities are expanding with encroachment on common land of villages. Srinagar and Guwahati are examples of such expansion leading to loss of open spaces, forest land and catchment areas.
  • For example, Srinagar saw a 75.58% increase in land use change between 2000-2020. These areas have been taken over by real estate.

Measures for the development of Himalayan cities

Special measures are required for the development of Himalayan cities as the region is environmentally sensitive. Some of the major measures are as follows:

• Mapping of cities: Vulnerabilities should be identified from a geological and hydrological perspective as climate-induced disasters destroy infrastructure built without such mapping every year.
• Involvement of local community: The planning process should involve local people and follow a bottom-up approach.
• Financing: None of the cities in this region can raise capital for their infrastructure needs. The Finance Commission should include a separate chapter on urban financing for this region.
  • The high cost of urban services and lack of industrial corridors create a unique financial situation for these cities.
  • The current inter-governmental transfer from the Centre to urban local bodies is a mere 0.5% of GDP. This should be increased to at least 1%.
• Sustainable and environment-friendly development: Construction and infrastructure development should adopt measures that cause minimum damage to the environment. Use of local materials and traditional architecture should be given priority for building construction in this region.
• Conservation of natural resources: Conservation of water sources, forest areas and biodiversity should be ensured. Improvement in solid and liquid waste management system is necessary to protect water sources from pollution.
  • For example, construction of ice stupas in Leh and Ladakh is used for water supply in summer. Emphasis should be laid on water conservation along with reconstruction of small reservoirs and traditional water harvesting systems.
• Sustainable development of tourism: Sustainable tourism policies should be formulated to promote tourism, which can reduce the negative impact on the environment. Planning is also needed to control the number of tourists and preserve local cultural heritage, such as:
  • Making Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) mandatory for construction in cities like Shimla and Nainital.
  • Limiting the number of tourists, promoting homestays and eco-friendly resorts to encourage 'sustainable tourism' in Manali.
• Protection from landslides and disasters: Himalayan regions are prone to landslides and other natural disasters. Keeping this in mind, identification of risk areas, strengthening of disaster management system and implementation of risk reduction measures should be done.
  • For example, construction of retaining walls along with green belts and earthquake-resistant buildings to maintain the stability of hill slopes in areas like Darjeeling and Mussoorie.
• Improvement of road and transport system: It is important to maintain environmental balance during road construction in hilly areas. Emphasis should be laid on the development of air and public transport, so that traffic pressure can be reduced.
  • Development of road, electricity and internet facilities in small towns like Ranikhet and Auli provides convenience to both local people and tourists.
  • Construction of ropeways and tunnels in hilly areas can also be useful for improving traffic.
• Urbanization and population control: To avoid uncontrolled urbanization, planned city development plans should be implemented. Facilities should be developed keeping in mind the population growth.
  • For example, in cities like Dharamshala and Dehradun, strict zoning rules and measures like control on population growth should be emphasized to control urbanization.

Conclusion

Himalayan cities should engage in a broader dialogue about sustainability, focusing on urban futures through robust and environment-focused planning processes with public participation.