Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your town or city reflects behavior that is in line with the concept of sustainable development? In your opinion, what should be improved?���

The tale of my city- New Delhi, India

By Vaibhav Kapur

An introduction to my city, Noida (Delhi NCR)

According to the 2011 census of India, the

population of Delhi is 16,753,235.

Delhi one of the fastest growing cities in the world

with the population of Delhi NCR shooting up by 40% in

the past 10 years.

Delhi has the second highest GDP in the country at $ 167 billion and contributes 4.94 per cent to all-India GDP.

Delhi has a per capita income of approx 1500$,

which is more than double the national average.

In the year March 2011-12, the nominal GDP grew by

11.34 in the city.

Increased solid waste generation with suboptimal waste management infrastructure Change in lifestyle of the people has resulted in increased wasteful consumption, leading to a change in the composition and increase in the quantum of solid waste generated.

Problem Integrated approach towards waste management Institutionalizing waste picking would necessitate a change in urban waste management practices. There is a need to build up public awareness on the social and environmental component on waste management.

Encourage Recycling More investment in power plants that convert solid waste into electricity. One such project is being started in Okhla(Delhi) that would not only treat 1950 metric tonnes of solid waste each day but also generate 16 MW power from it in an environment-friendly manner.

Solution

Why my city DOES NOT reflect behaviour that is in line with sustainable development 1a

Fast increasing population and lack of infrastructure to support the increasing population

Huge dump sites like this exist within the city.

Lack of sewage treatment polluting the natural resources The river Yamuna, the reason for Delhi's existence, has suffered heavily from pollution. At its point of entry into Delhi the river’s dissolved oxygen (DO) content is 7.5 miligrammes per litre. At its point of exit from city limits, the DO level is only 1.3 mg/l. It is estimated that out of 3267 million litres per day of sewage generated in Delhi, 2376 million litres per day treatment capacity exists and only 64.37% of treatment capacity of STPs is utilized. roughly half of all the city's raw sewage goes straight into the river

Problem

More focus on decentralized waste water treatment plants Maintenance and efficient running of the already installed sewage treatment system

A holistic approach for rescuing the river needs to be adopted as the increasing population is not only increasing the volume of sewage but it is also leading to increase in demand of fresh water due to which the volume of flow has decreased.

Solution

Why my city DOES NOT reflect behaviour that is in line with sustainable development 1b

Fast increasing population and lack of infrastructure to support the increasing population

A photograph of the Yamuna river in Delhi

People defecate in open spaces because one fourth of the households in Delhi have no access to toilet facilities.

626 million people in the country - the highest number in the world - don't have a closed toilet and consequently practice open defecation. Not only does this cause diseases, it also harms the environment in the city

Problem

Not only does the city need more public toilets, it is important that the ones in place are maintained clean and hygienic

Proper signage informing people about the availability of toilets could also make a difference.

Solution

Why my city DOES NOT reflect behaviour that is in line with sustainable development 1c

Fast increasing population and lack of infrastructure to support the increasing population

Public toilet in Delhi

Increasing population but lack of water supply With no continuous water supply, a large population washes their clothes in streams further befouling the environment. According to official estimates, the city’s water demand in peak summer months was more than 1,150 million gallons a day, but the city got only about 835 million gallons a day.

13% of Delhi's citizens do not get water supply every day.

Problem

Repair leakages in the distribution pipelines. As much as 52% of water is wasted because of leakages in the distribution pipeline of the Delhi Jal Board, which is responsible for supplying water in Delhi.

Solution

Why my city DOES NOT reflect behaviour that is in line with sustainable development 1d

Fast increasing population and lack of infrastructure to support the increasing population

People cleaning clothes in the yamuna river

Decreasing natural resources a. Increasing power demand The peak demand has increased from 2879 MW in 2001 to 5265 MW in 2012.

60.4 % of the total installed generation capacity in the northern India is thermal power plant, as a result the coal reserves are depleting.

b. Increasing water demand The falling ground water level in Delhi has become a matter of concern. In some parts of Delhi, Water level has gone down to 20-30 meter below the land surface. The quality of underground water is deteriorating and in several places it has been found to be unfit for human consumption.

Problem For Depleting Natural Resources Increase capacity of hydro pwer plants in northern India, Currently they account for only 29.9% of the total installed generation capacity.

Implement a new system of water bill in which the user pays for the amount of water he/she uses, doing so will curb undue wastage.

Seven out of the nine revenue districts of Delhi are considered critical in regard to ground water resources. By creating awareness and implementing rain water harvesting, approximately 40,000 litres of water can be saved annually

Solution

Why my city DOES NOT reflect behaviour that is in line with sustainable development 2a

Unsustainable pattern of consumption

With the extra money people buy more cars than required. As per government statistics, the city currently has over 65 lakh vehicles which was just 5.62 lakh in 1981. The increase in the number of cars is one of the main factors leading to increased air pollution levels and respiratory diseases.

Problem

Increase registration tax of all automobiles which will thereby decrease the number of vehicles bought. Improve the quality and increase the frequency of the mass transit system.

Solution

Why my city DOES NOT reflect behaviour that is in line with sustainable development 2b

Unsustainable pattern of consumption

Picture of Delhi Metro Train

Conclusion

The capital of India, New Delhi has a long history. This 2nd most populous city has been attracting people in search of opportunities from all over the country. While the city has been growing very fast in terms of contribution towards the country’s economic growth, it has also been over burdened with the increasing population without the supporting infrastructure Unless some measures are taken, the development will keep harming the environment which may not be sustainable in the long run.

Thank You

}  Vaibhav Kapur