Pitch: To address climate all owners of residential and other plots should be encouraged to plant at least one tree for every 100 sq meter of plot area.  The concretisation outside house may be banned except grapple tiles in front of the gate of a house. This will save roads from erosion by rain and other water.

The issues of climatic change and its consequent impact on environment are discussed at the highest fora like United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and World  Meteorological Organization (WMO) especially around the Environment Day on June 5.  The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was set up by the UNEP and WMO in 1988 to obtain scientific information on climatic changes.  IPCC latest sixth Assessment Report was released in March 2023. The report warns that continued emissions may result in  intense heatwaves, heavy rainfall, drought and biodiversity losses. The workable solutions  suggested are more use of electric transport, low carbon energy resources, sustainable agriculture packages, energy efficient industry, smart urbanization and green buildings, etc . The last suggestion synchronizes with original thinking of author too since last 10 years or so. This paper discusses the minuses of urbanization without focus on environment and  suggests  a few policy steps for Urban Development Authorities (UDAs) which can result in lasting climate improvement. 

Planned urbanization in India has been accelerated  since eighties with the setting of UDAs in almost states, Union territories and even big cities. Crore of residential and commercial plots and constructed-houses have been allotted by these authorities to public, industrialists and institutions.  The UDAs do provide space for parks and green belts in most of the states while carving the sectors but there is hardly legally binding bylaws to maintain the same.  Moreover, after the construction of houses in the sectors,  the residents/owners are going unabated to concreatize a large parcels of land outside their houses and nearby. Even green belts earmarked for greenery are  occupied and cemented in many cases by the adjoining house-owners. These violations are clearly visible in the states of Haryana and Punjab.  The UDAs of the states do not exercise any control despite having legal first lien to act. 

If one looks in the lanes of the sectors in May and June, the concrete earth outside houses looks like hot iron plates, contributing to rise in temperature. Besides, the unplanned undulated concretized surfaces outside the houses have destroyed the ambiance of the sectors. These surfaces also block most of the storm water outlets and the rainwater accumulates on roads for hours at the slightest rains. It results in damaging of roads before the normal repair period. It causes additional expenditure to governments.  Some of the authorities in some states have recently dared to take strict demolition campaigns and have fully recovered the demolition cost from the violators. The Demolition may annoy a few but it is beneficial to all residents as well the government. Such demolition drive have been carried by  a few  local leaders and bureaucrats have been appreciated in the long run. Government may earn the goodwill of all residents owing to likely improvement in ambiance and  price of their properties.

To address climate all owners of residential and other plots should be encouraged to plant at least one tree for every 100 sq meter.  The concretisation out side house may be banned except grapple tiles in front of the gate of house. This will save roads from erosion by rain and other water. This demolition campaign will increases the green cover in thousand acres without any cost to the UDAs or states. Even such conditions can be imposed for giving completion certificate of the building. The author inquired in 1999 that upkeep of environment was one of the conditions while allocating plots in Israel. These small policy steps without additional cost can enhance ranking of the states in ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, too.   This derive can also revive may of the fund staved UDAs by recovering huge fines and auctioning its left out residential and commercial plots at higher prices. These small suggestions  may be taken in right spirit by the UDAs and states government in their own interest.

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