The seasonal rain fall in the country have continued like any other year but the well-developed infrastructure failed to accommodate the natural occurrence in comparison to least modernised cities.
A City with newly built roads, high tech looks and sophisticated movement are the pictures that run in one’s mind at the thought of ‘Smart City’. Lately, one more picture is added to the subconscious mind that of, ‘water filled amusement park’ like streets.
With majority of the population of the nation today being involved in agriculture and allied activities, a simultaneous hype is witnessed in urban migration too. With an intention of preparing Indian cities for the future, the ‘Smart City’ programme was launched.
In the coming times when 70 per cent of population will be residing in the urban areas, the Smart City plan is aimed at making India future ready. Quality lifestyle, sustainability, environmental initiative and infrastructure-based on technology are certain components of the plan. Indeed the programme seems to be made analysing futuristic trends of the nation. But in case of implementation of the programme, the programmes have slightly taken the setback in proper planning. It will not be wrong if told, ‘No less to Mohammes Bin Tuqhlaq’s unplanned initiatives.’
The waste management and pollution control have continued to be the greatest concern even now in Indian cities. Not only as an objective of ‘Smart City’ initiative but even as a matter of human right, sustainable development and environment protection has been the right along with duty of the citizens. But unfortunately, the planning for Smart City programme seem to have forgotten an important element of sustainability because of which the earlier existed ease of life is taken away with rain. The unscientific and improper drainage system have led the City turn into a flooded land. The cities which were once all okay with heavy rains are vulnerable today with little rain. The report based on the disaster data between the period 2000 and 2017 by an NGO Seeds and Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters estimated, 56 per cent of smart cities in India are said to be prone to floods that account for 77 per cent of all disasters in India. Indeed the unscientific planning was witnessed post two years of the programme implementation and the effects continue even today.
If one does not wake up and a remedy is not initiated then crores of rupees spent on the project will flow along the river caused by flash floods in cities. With the hype in urban migration if the sustainability is not seriously looked upon nature’s rebellion is no far from this generation.
Image by Biplav Sabu
