Poor Waste Disposal System, unauthorised constructions & siltation behind flooding: NSSO Report………Yasodhara Rakshit
NEW DELHI: The monsoon may affect the urban poor more as 48% slums are facing acute waterlogging problems, affecting about 4 million households.
In 2002, waterlogging had affected 36% slums, as per a report by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). India has about 49,000 slum clusters and Orissa tops the list, the report states.
Experts say poor waste disposal system and unauthorised constructions are the main reasons for the problem. “Many of the cities are stocking natural drains for land development projects, thus leading to the overflow of water and sewage onto the low-lying areas and the slums,” National Urban Commission director Chetan Vaidya said.
Mr Vaidya says that the government became conscious of water-logging only after the July 2006 floods in Mumbai. Now, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai is monitoring water logging in the city by installing CCTVs at various points.
“The problem lies in the fact that waterlogging is not considered in the whole view of the problems facing urban development,” Mr Vaidya said.
Absence of proper waste disposal system is another reason cited for waterlogging. “Though Mumbai has natural outlets, the water rises during the rains due to the drains being clogged with plastic and other such materials,” says Mr Dibyaroop Samajpati, a Mumbai-based corporate professional.
Also, since sewage is not directed towards the drains, it collects in the river leading to flooding central, low-lying areas like Dharavi, he said.
The BMC has identified 249 water logging spots in the city, 55 of them are marked chronic including Milan subway, Andheri subway, Kalachowkie, Kurla and Dadar. Siltation is also one of the major reasons for the problem.
Civic bodies should immediately start desilting of drains before the arrival of monsoon with the primary objective of preventing large-scale waterlogging, says Vaidya.
The NSSO surveyed report tabled last month, revealed that 24% of slums are located along nallahs and drains, which overflows during the monsoons. About 40% of the slums have the entire area as well as their approach road completely water logged during the monsoon, thus making it difficult for thoroughfare and trade. The survey covered data is between July 2008 and June 2009.
Barring waterlogging problems, lives in Indian slums have improved, the report said. About 85% of 49,000 slums experienced improvements in facilities such as roads, water supply and electricity over the past five years. Such facilities were available to only 75% of slums in the country when last survey was done in 2002.
Growing slums is a matter of concern specially at a time when the government launched the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) to meet its committment of a slum-free India. RAY proposes to bringing existing slums within the formal system and enabling them to avail of basic amenities such as water supply, sewerage and drainage.