Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES AND ISSUES IN HILL TOWN: CASE OF SHILLONG TOWN AND ITS AGGLOMERATION AREAS . Banbhalang Swer.1 Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Nehu, shillong Email: [email protected], Keywords: Hill Town, Urban Areas, Urban Landscape, Urbanisation, , Built-up. ABSTRACT: It is critical to ensure the long-term viability of metropolitan centres, particularly in sensitive hill locations, in order to safeguard the quality of their natural and built environments, as well as the well-being of their inhabitants. The nature and magnitude of problems, challenges, and concerns of sustainability vary greatly due to the generic distinctions between plains and hills, despite the fact that the essential principles of sustainable urban development remain the same in all situations. This necessitates a greater awareness of the qualities of their natural and built environments, as well as the effects of one on the other through real-life examples. Based on a literature analysis and observational investigations, this paper tries to comprehend and identify the essential sustainability difficulties and challenges of hill towns in the context of Shillong and its Urban Agglomeration, a selection of India's hill towns Hill instability, fragile ecosystem, proneness to natural hazards, inaccessibility, presence of natural resources, and visual mismatch of developed forms are some of the challenges and issues of sustainability in hill cities in India. It is critical to have a thorough grasp of these challenges and issues in order to ensure the long-term growth of hill towns and their surrounding areas. Based on secondary data and census data, an attempt has also been made in this study to examine concerns connected to the unplanned urbanisation pattern of the Shillong urban agglomeration, and more specifically human interference on the hills. Introduction: Indian cities and towns are expanding at an exponential rate to meet the growing demand for buildings (residential, workplaces, recreational, and institutional) resulting from rapid urbanisation and migration. Greenfield development is common in these cities and towns, which are spreading outwards and consuming valuable agricultural land to meet urbanisation demands. As a result, massive unplanned and uncontrolled horizontal semi-urban expansions with low density low rise buildings are being built. Unauthorized development(s) to meet housing or shelter needs are common in these semi-urban extensions, which are often devoid of basic infrastructural facilities (such as electricity, water supply, sewerage system, transportation network and systems and solid waste management system). Hill towns below 14°N latitude, hill towns between 14° and 22.5°N latitude, hill towns between 22.5° and 28°N latitude, and hill towns beyond 28°N latitude are the four groups of settlements or towns found in India's hill areas (Fig. 1). Hill towns located below 14°N latitude: This category includes all hill towns/settlements in the southern region of India, such as Ooty, Kodaikanal, Wayanad, Munnar Devikulam, and other hill towns in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The northern and southern slopes of these hill towns receive direct solar exposure. The development of northern slopes is preferred over the development of southern slopes. For protection from direct solar exposure, large building overhangs are required on both the north and south sides. Hill towns located between 14°N and 22.5°N latitude: This category includes all hill towns/settlements located between 14°N and 22.5°N latitude. Maharashtra's hill towns, such as Khandala, Lonavla, Panchgani, and Saputara, fall under this group. Hill towns located between 22.5°N and 28°N latitude: This category includes all hill towns/settlements located between 22.5°N and 28°N latitude. This category includes hill cities in eastern India such as Shillong, Gangtok, Darjeeling, Itanagar, Imphal, Siliguri, and Mount Abu, as well as hill towns in western India such as Shillong, Gangtok, Darjeeling, Itanagar, Imphal, Siliguri, and Mount Abu. All hill towns in north India, such as Shimla, Manali, Nainital, Almora, Mussoorie, Dalhousie, and Srinagar, are located in this zone. Because these hill towns have a chilly climate and no direct sunlight from the north, development work on the southern slopes is favoured, and the majority of development in these cities has occurred on the southern slopes solely. SUSTAINABLE ISSUES AND PROBLEMS IN HILL TOWNS Hill towns in India are densely populated with multi-story buildings, causing problems such as depletion of green areas, congestion, overcrowding, water scarcity, landslides, pollution of lakes and streams, and destruction of scenic beauty and visual blight, all of which have an impact on the ecological balance. Furthermore, topography, climatic conditions, orientation, traffic movement, available usable space, source of water supply, natural drainage, and paths are major factors that govern the planning and construction of buildings in hill towns, but in the current context, most hill settlements have issues/problems related to these vital issues. Unprecedented population expansion, migration, and massive influxes of visitors constitute a major issue for hill towns, putting a strain on housing and infrastructure. This has led to the construction of more multi-story structures for residential, office, and commercial reasons in hill towns. The current infrastructure, such as parking, water supply, and sanitation, is insufficient to accommodate the rising population. Most hill cities have issues with high and dangerous slopes (greater than 35° to 40°) that are prone to decimate during an earthquake and multiply damage owing to the chain effect [4]. More storeys combined with a high FAR and covering, resulting in limited light, air, and ventilation, could cause environmental disorder and have an impact on human health. Furthermore, hill cities are vulnerable to a variety of natural hazards, including landslides, earthquakes, floods, cloudbursts, and fire, and the majority of buildings that have been built or are being built lack basic safety features to lessen the impact of these natural catastrophes. The amount of buildable land available in hill towns is restricted due to topographical factors, therefore it is quite expensive. As a result of the lower price, poor land policies, improper development plan suggestions and techno-legal regime, and farmers' weak economic background, fertile agriculture land in the suburbs or outskirts of hill towns is used for development purposes. Due to unsuitable and unsafe building stock for habitation, insufficient infrastructure, narrow roads, inadequate open spaces, and reduction in green areas, which are the results of incorrect planning and building regulations, as well as inappropriate planning and design solutions [10], the quality of living environment is deteriorating. CASE OF SHILLONG URBAN AGGLOMERATION: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: The growth of Shillong has largely been a result of British Administration as during this period only Shillong has been evolved in three phases. The first phase could be traced way back during Pre-British Period then the second phase evolution the British period and then finally the third phase of evolution is the Post British period. During the pre British period Shillong existed in the form of few cluster of scattered hamlets under the jurisdiction of syiem of mylliem (monarch or small king). The town was called Shillong after the Shillong peak which overlooks it . During this period there was one market call Iewduh (Bara Bazaar) which was held once in a week to serve the tiny population. (Ref Map 2.1) In 1830, a sanatorium was proposed by Britishers at Cherrapunji, Brigg's Trace Road connecting the Hill route of Assam and Surma Valley through Cherrapunji. An agreement was made between Cherra Raja and Governor General for land acquisition. Government has given approval for the proposed sanatorium at Cherrapunji and also 409 Ha of land was procured for the station of Cherrapunji. In 1834 due to heavy and uninterrupted rain with excessive humidity of the air and the frequent dense fog which made the living condition worst, sanatorium at Cherrapunji got abolished. Later in 1835 with 31 British villages of the Khasi hills and the Jaintia territories constituted a separate administrative unit and Cherrapunji was made its headquarters. Even by 1860 Cherrapunji has no good facilities, no good markets were found. Only one road connecting Guahati to Sylhet (now in Bangladesh) was existing. 1. 2. On the other hand Shillong fullfilled the following objectives. A central position found with better advantages for military post and civil station. An easy access and approach. Shillong and Iewduh (BaraBazaar) together were considered for the headquarters station, military cantonment and sanatorium. British Government purchased large tracks of land from the Syiiem of Mylliem for Rs 2000 only. District Headquarters of Khasi & Jyantia Hills were tranferred formally to Shillong in 1864.Consequently upon the separation of Assam from Bengal Shillong became the provincial headquarter of Assam and further development of Cantonment took place in Shillong in 1865. Newly assigned tiny settlement resulted in rapid growth from 1763 inhabitants in 1872 to 4000 inhabitants in 1875 because the climatic conditions of Shillong was better and more accommodation of houses and offices were available, the European people who were engaged in administration and tea plantation found that Shillong is a more suitable place for them. In 1878 under the chapter III of Bengal Municipal Act V of 1876, only the british area was not adequate to fullfill the condition required for the establishment of a station for sanitary improvement, hence Mawkhar and Laban two suburban villages were included for forming of a station. A new municipal act called the Bengal Municipal act III was passed in 1889, under this Act the formation of municipalities started. The act was extended to municipalities of large towns but not to Shillong due to difficulty in levying water, power and conservancy taxes, but by 1909 the Bengal Municipality act of 1884 was extended to Shillong and the municipal boundaries were revised and the three wards were included (i.) Mawprem (ii.) Laitmukhrah (iii.) Malki and the British wards was split into (i.) European wards (ii.) Jail road (iii.) Police bazar. By 1929 there were eleven wards, three in the so called British area and eight in the non british area. POST INDEPENDENCE PERIOD As a result of Independence, a number of central and state government offices and the immigration of people both for government and non government job started, people came across the international border of Bangladesh. All these expansion both within and outside the municipal limits started taking place, vacant land within the municipality have been filled with residential houses. Municipality did not provide enough scope for residential colonies and the town began to grow outside the municipal limits, By 1961 Nongthymmai and Mawlai started developing as urban characteristics and formed two census town. However in 1972, Meghalaya attained its free statehood and Shillong become the capital of the state. This gave further boost to the growth, as various regional institutions of central government were set up in Shillong. Henceforth city acted as administrative cum tourist centre and regional centre for the NorthEast. (Ref Map 2.1) LAND FORM Shillong has an average elevation of 1400-1900 m above mean sea level. The present site of Shillong is divided into five physiographic units, such as the northern slope of Shillong range (1900 M.S.L), the Umshirpi Valley, the Laitumkhrah – Mawkhar upland, the Umkhrah village and Umkhrah & Umshing river divide. The northern slope ofShillong range is now occupied by Nongthymmai, Motinagar, Malki, Lumparing & Laban. The Umshirpi is a narrow valley commonly known as Happy valley and is occupied by the cantonment area. The Laitumkhrah – Mawkhar upland is located between the Umkhrah & Umshirpi valleys. The Umkhrah valley is the lowest hieght (1400-1500m). This valley is wide and flat near the race course. Larger part of the city area falls with 50-100 slope. Happy valley, Pynthorumkhrah, Polo ground lies on the low relief hillocks. Northern & western peripheral development is on steep slope where the range is more than 150 which is unfavorable & uneconomical. (Ref map 2.1a) GROWTH DIRECTION Shillong spreads northward to Umshing river & extends eastward from the divide between Umkrah & Umshirpi river. The ribbon development with respect to landuse, demographic & socio economic structure has given the city a big urban form with extension to the north on the Guahati- Shillong Road, to the South-West on Cherrapunji Road, and to the North-East on the NEHU campus at Mawlai Area.The New Satellite township, new Shillong on the eastern side of Shillong creates new avenues for development of the city in a planned manner.This is integrated of ten villages of Mawpdang, Tynring, Seijiong, Umroh, Mawlong, Mawdiang diang, Diengiong, Umsawli, Mayvkasiang, MadanSaisiej. METODOLOGY This paper is an exploratory study that examines primary and secondary sources of data and analyses them. Research papers/articles, reports, books, and websites on urban sustainability in general and in the context of hill areas were used as secondary sources. Primary research comprised on-site observations and surveys, and conversations with domain experts and people about difficulties in the Hill Town of Shillong and its Agglomeration Areas. PROBLEM STATEMENT: Based on a various Scolarly review and studies on environmental degradation problems and issues in selected hill towns, it has been discovered that the problems and issues of sustainability in Shillong hill town vary greatly due to the unique setting and conditions (natural environment) as well as anthropogenic activities. As a result, sustainability challenges in Indian hill communities have been identified as a knowledge gap. Slope instability, natural drainage patterns, conservation of natural resources, accessibility, housing, infrastructure, and community services, visual incompatibility of built forms, tourism, and heritage are some of these concerns. TRANSPORTATION: Transport Infrastructure is one of the important needs of the people in order to facilitate various productive activities in any area and general well being of the society at large. It also plays a significant role in promoting city’s economy. Roads serve the accessibility and mobility needs hence it stimulates the spatial growth of the city by linking new expansion areas on the periphery of the city. In absence of rail and water transport, road transport plays a major role in Shillong. All movements, both for goods and passenger traffic, are met by roads only. Salient features and associated problems of Urban Transport and related infrastructure are discussed in this section. Public Transportation system in the City The city is primarily driven by private modes; role of public transport is limited because of inadequate road network, poor infrastructure and scattered demand. Shared Taxi and other IPT modes such as buses are plying in the city for intracity movement mainly on 4 routes are being operated by various private operators. Besides the taxis which are used for the intracity public transport, passengers travel to and from various places connecting the city mostly by buses, outside the state and far of places i.e. as intercity transport facility. Existing Traffic Management Schemes: In spite of such high traffic levels the city has no signallised intersections. The traffic is controlled at each intersection by manual means. Continuous and rapid increase in the number of vehicles without any significant capacity augmentation in the road network has resulted in a chaotic traffic situation. For management of the traffic, the city is divided into 7 zones. Three zones have headquarters in Shillong Sardar traffic branch, Laitumkhrah traffic branch, Lumdiengjri traffic branch and the rest of the zones are operated by the officials of these zones only. Salient features of the traffic management schemes adopted in the city are as under Creation of one way on most of the road, Using cones to divide the road. Marking of lanes and creation of footpaths and barricades/ fencing. Enforcement of parking restriction on certain road stretches Provision of on street/ off street parking lots for private cars and taxi stands Critical Road Stretches As discussed above majority of road corridors in the city suffer from several inadequacies, such as capacity constraints in the road network, poor definition of road hierarchy, encroachments, on street parking, mixed traffic, poor traffic management, slow journey speeds, poor safety situation, inadequate enforcement of traffic rules, lack of pedestrian facilities and other street furniture. The problem is further aggravated due to the National Highways (NH-40 & NH-44) passing through the heart of the city, resulting in the mixing of the local and regional traffic in core of city area. To worsen the situation further many new activity centers and shopping centers have been constructed on already congested roads without any traffic and parking impact study or taking other planning considerations into account. These new sites, in order to fulfill their access and parking needs, are putting additional pressure on these congested roads. The problem of encroachment, hawking and unauthorized on street parking is severe, majority of the road corridors are operating at 50% of their capacities The following table presents different critical road stretches in Shillong. Critical Road Stretches Civil Hospital l(P.W.D. Road main Highway) Police Bazar (7th way to Jail Road) Keating Road to Police Bazar Center Point Hotel) Dhankheti (Main N.H. Road) Nongmynsong (3rd way Road to Nongmynsong) Anjalee Road (Anjalee Petrol Pump to Mawlonghat) Bara Bazar (Syndicate Stand Road to Bimola Road Bimola Road to Motphran Road (Motphran Bridge) Motphran Bridge to Garikhana Road Garikhana Road to Jhalupara Road Jhalupara Road to Military Hospital Road Military Hospital Road to Garison Ground Road Barik Point Junction Road to Malki Point Malki Point Road to Dhankheti Road (Till Woodland Hospital) Dhankheti Road going to Laitumkhrah Road Laitumkhrah Road going to Fire Brigade Road N.H. fire Brigade Road to Nongthymmai Road N.H. Road Nongthymmai Road to Madanrting Polo Road going to Golf Club Mawlai Nongkwar Road to Sonapani Road Jaiaw Road (Robert Hospital to Motphran) Secretariat Road to Police Bazar (D.C. Office Road going to Police Bazar) Critical Intersections Consultants have carried out a detailed study to identify various critical intersections. In a recent ADB study for Shillong city, large scale turning movement count surveys were carried out at many intersections. The findings from these surveys show that the peak hour traffic volume on the major intersections varies from around 16800 PCUs to 74500 PCUs. Peak flows at major intersections vary from 10 to 12 % of the total traffic. Details of intersection counts and peak flows are presented in the following table. Traffic volume on major intersections Traffic Volume at junction (in PCU) 12 hrs Peak Name of Junction Total Hour % peak Police Bazaar Intersection 32224 3463 11 Rhino Point Intersection 32341 3481 11 IGP Intersection 74423 7695 10 Dhankheti Intersection 46500 4790 10 Mawkhar Point Intersection 17702 2071 12 Bimola Medicine Intersection 16873 2011 12 Fire Brigade Intersection 27426 3279 12 Barik Point 50609 5926 12 Table Source: CDP, ADB 2006. The above table shows that the 12 hours traffic volume is highest at the IGP intersection followed by the Barik point and Dhankheti Junction. Based on the traffic data and detailed reconnaissance survey of the city, the Consultant’s have identified 14 intersections in the city along with the various problems experienced at each location. The details are presented in the table below. The total road length of Shillong is about 356kms with a road density of 2.05km/sq.km. The total road length in SUA is only 250 kms. The total length of the road network (classified as other district roads) inside the city is constructed and maintained by PWD (roads).The following table indicates the length of roads in the city. Table 4. Road Length and Density. Urban Component SMB SUA Other Total GSPA length of Road in m 111 139 106 356 Density km/Sq.km 10.71 8.16 0.72 2.05 Area in Sq. Km 10.36 17.04 146.6 174 % length 31 39 30 100 * SMB- Shillong Municipal Boundary ;SUA- Shillong Urban Agglomeration; GSPA- Greater Shillong Planning Area (Source- Meghalaya State PWD) The following table indicates the road classification along with width. Table 4. Width wise road classification Classification of roads NH SH MDR VR UR Total road length Percentage Single lane up to 3.75 m Intermediate lane 3.75m to 6.9m 0 66 45 140 0 10 0 35 Double lane above 7m 33 0 0 0 24 251 70.5 58 16.3 47 13.2 Total 356 100 33 0 76 45 199 Source: Meghalaya State PWD *NH=National Highway, SH=State Highway, MDR=Major District Road, VR=Village Road, UR=Urban Road Issues Associated with Critical Intersections List of Critical Intersections Intersection Fire Brigade Dhankheti Don Bosco Laitumkhrah Malki Barik Associated Issues Traffic due to regional trucks, Local taxis, tourist buses and taxis. Poor geometrics, Traffic due to School and Offices in the morning and after peak hours due regional trucks traffic, Improper channelliser and island. High traffic at the school hours, 4 arm junction catering traffic majorly of taxis, poor geometrics. Major traffic of local taxis due to school and offices. Traffic due to School and Offices in the morning and after that due regional trucks traffic. No Island. Traffic due to School and Offices in the morning and after that due regional trucks traffic. IGP Heavy traffic at the time of school and offices. Major regional traffic of truck, buses and taxis. Improper geometry of junction Civil hospital Major regional traffic of truck, buses and taxis, less road capacity. Four road intersection, on street parking of Tourist buses and taxis for picking the passengers. MES District Nazareth Hospital Police Bazaar On-street parking due to local taxis stand, taking passengers. High pedestrianized traffic, 9 roads meet together High pedestrianized traffic, encroached by hawkers, On street parking. Heavy motorized traffic due to regional trucks and buses. Heavy truck, buses and taxi traffic, encroached by hawkers, taxi stand, on-street parking. Motphran Rhino Anjali Source: CDP, ADB 2006. ISSUES : Road planning in Shillong has so far been highly auto mobile oriented that makes other Road users vulnerable who could not reap the benefits of such planning. High vehicular traffic compounded by heavy shares of commercial (heavy) traffic that make the congested road unsafe. Lack of respect for the smaller vehicles and pedestrians in the minds of the heavy motor vehicle driver’s worsens the situation further. On an average the city witnesses about 50 traffic fatalities every year, coupled with about 250 odd traffic injuries the road safety scenario in the city is very grim. It can be seen from the table that road traffic injuries and fatalities have shown a fluctuating trend during last five years with a decline in fatalities but increase in injury causing accidents. DRAINAGE : Shillong is located on deeply dissected central upland of the Meghalaya plateau with topography varying between 1400 to 1900 m above mean sea level (MSL). Two major drainage channels, Rivers Umkhrah and Umshyrpi, control the drainage pattern within GSPA (Refer to Fig on page 4-84). Rain water from houses, roads and land flow through existing primary, secondary and tertiary drains as well as through natural channels into these two major channels or streams, previously called rivers. These two rivers, both flowing from south-east to north-west direction, join with River Wah Ro Ro near Sonapani after Bidon and Bishop Falls before Wah Ro Ro joins River Umiam further downstream. River Umiam feeds the Umiam Reservoir or the Barapani Lake located north of Shillong. A socio-economic survey (SES) conducted in May 2005 under the Project Preparatory Technical Assistance (PPTA) provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for preparation of North Eastern Region Urban Development Project indicates that 26.66 per cent of the population in Greater Shillong Planning Area (GSPA) were affected due to localized flooding in the last year, while another 24 per cent reported stagnation of water. Table . Distribution of Drains Sr. N o. 1 2 3 category length(km) Primary 141.63 Secondary 122.97 Tertiary 73.14 Natural 4 drains 52.98 5 Total 390.72 Source: Shillong Drainage Master Plan 2005-06 ISSUES: Heavy rainfall coupled with poor drainage often cause flash floods inundating the low lying areas in GSPA especially in the Polo Area, Pynthorumkhrah, Lawmali and Mawlai areas. Drains along the roads are choked with pipes and solid waste. There has been little or no effort to clean the drains and streams. The average rainfall is about 2100 mm, which is mostly from the southwest monsoon. Such heavy rainfall coupled with poor drainage often cause flash floods inundating the low lying areas in GSPA especially in the Polo Area, Pynthorumkhrah, Lawmali and Mawlai areas. Sewerage: The urban area of Shillong has no sewerage system. The domestic wastewater, comprising of sewage and sullage, is in general disposed off in the following manner: (1) The sewage flows into individual septic tanks and soak pits. (2)The sullage from the kitchen and bathroom flows into the primary, secondary and natural drains and finally to the nearby rivers Wah Umkhrah in the north and Wah Umshyrpi in the south. As per the Municipal Act, provision and management of sewerage and drainage facilities inside the municipal area is the responsibility of the SMB. The sanitation bye-laws require that each building is to have a toilet with a septic tank system and that raw sewage should not be discharged directly into water bodies. Maintenance and desludging of the septic tank is the individual property owner’s responsibility. The SMB operates a septic tank pump-out service with a pump-out tank trailer to facilitate dislodging. It carries out a septic tank emptying service by pump-out for a fee of Rs. 3000 within the SMB area and Rs. 4000 outside. Outside the SMB area, the responsibility of sanitation lies with the dorbars or traditional institutions. However none of them are equipped with either staff or funds to provide such services. ISSUES: (1) As per the sanitation Bye laws every household must have toilet in the dwelling but only 47 percent households have toilets within the dwelling. (2) Waste water is being drained to the streams and rivers without being treated. (3) Only 25 % of the waste water enters into septic tanks and the remaining 75 %( mainly sullage) is discharged into open drains without being treated which create septic conditions. (4) Land is scarce as a result of which many households do not any space to have a septic tank and a soak pit. (5) Large no. of septic tank becomes unsuitable with such a high density of population and with a piped water system. ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES: Environment is the holistic view of the world as it functions at a given point of time with a multitude of special, elemental and socio-economic systems, distinguished by quality of space, and the mode of behavior of the various abiotic and biotic forms. Abiotic components consisting of lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. Biotic components consist respectively of flora, fauna and micro-organisms which act as producers, consumers and decomposer. THE BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SHILLONG Shillong, by its location and physiography has abundance of natural beauty. The environmental degradation has been a matter of concern only since a few years. The water, air and soil quality is degrading fast and if proper action is not taken then it can be a reason for serious problem. The deforestation rate is quite high and this causes harm to the flora and fauna. FOREST The decrease is more in the closed forest by 10.2 %, open, forest by 6.2 % and degraded forest by 1.87 % during 2000-2005. It shows that decrease in forest cover is mainly due to the rapid urbanization. A change of Forest cover can be marked in Mawklot, Mawianglah, Syllai-u-lor, Mawpynthih, Ishyrwat and Mawdiangdiang, where the closed and open forest areas are to some extent facing degradation. There is no sign of degradation in the protected forests in the whole area. The forest in the south of Umshirpi basin, Umjapung basin & Umiam basin is closed & is retained because of steep terrain. Vegetation facing the settlement is coming under open & degraded category. WATER POLLUTION Shillong city depends upon river/ steam /spring sources. Ground water extraction for public use is very insignificant. In Shillong average water table depth is 30 m. Most of the deep tube wells extracting ground water are for private use. The water samples of 11 deep tube wells located in different localities of Shillong city. The average pH level Of Shillong ground water is 6.1. ISSUES the ground water gets polluted because of the seepage of polluted water from the automobile industries. the untreated wastewater also polluted the ground water and the river water. the solid waste treatment plant near umium lake is an controversial issue which pollutes the lake. the solid waste is often disposed at the natural streams and that pollutes the surface water.the washing of automobiles in the river also pollutes the river water. there is very little public awareness about water pollution and how it can be prevented. AIR POLLUTION The problem of air pollution is more in the SUA area. At regional level, the air pollution rate is not that much. Air pollution only concentrates in some parts of the city. Some areas in GSPA which have quarries and land cutting actives also generate polluting element Conc. In ug/Nm3 24 hrs Average Station SO2 NO2 SPM Nonthymmai 30.6 44.9 347.2 Dhankheti 11.8 42.1 400.8 Barik 10.6 28.1 227.3 Police Bazar 9.2 30.8 259.9 Barabazar 4.2 37.9 234.9 19.2 43.2 349.8 Mawlai Source: Environmental Report (2001), Meghalaya State pollution control board From the table it can be seen, the concentration of both sulphur dioxide (SO2) & oxides of nitrogen (NOx) are well within prescribed limits for residential & other areas i.e. 80ug/cu. m. of 24 hours weighed average. The concentration of Suspended Particulate matter (SPM) exceeds the prescribed norms for residential & other areas i.e. 200 ug/cu. m. of 24 hrs weighted average. In the absence of air polluting industries, high concentration of SPM may be attributed to the vehicular emission. The vehicles needs to move at slow speeds , at high gear frequent use of clutch due to hilly terrain of the city. The city is active from 0800 to 2000 hrs. ISSUES The excessive pressure on road transportation causes more vehicular emission. 50% of the vehicular emission crosses the permissible limit of the CPCB. The stone quarrying and land cutting causes air pollution. The practice of jhum cultivation also creates dust and ash causing air pollution. The increasing rate of deforestation make the situation more complicated. The forest fire in the dry season is also another cause of air pollution. SOIL POLLUTION The soil or land pollution in Shillong is mainly because of lack of proper solid waste disposal and solid waste treatment plant. The wastes are usually collected by the municipality trucks and disposed in trench method. The only treatment plant is near umium lake. Sr . no 1 2 3 4 Type of Effluent Domestic Trade Hospitals Garages Total Percentage 75% 14% 7% 4% 100% Source: Environmental Report (2001), Meghalaya State pollution control board Municipal Board lifts solid waste around 75-80 MT/day & Cantonment Board lifts around 15 to 18 MT/ day. The actual daily generation of solid waste even within the municipality & cantonment areas may be higher than the daily lifting quantity. Daily generation of urban solid waste in Shillong Urban Agglomeration is 121 tonnes per day. Sr. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Particulars of waste Composite matters paper Rubber & Leather Plastics Rags/ textiles Wooden Content (%) 48.41 10.91 1.81 0.96 2.85 1.85 7 metals 8 Glass & Crockery Stone, Bricks, ashes, fine 9 organics Total 0.85 2.51 29.85 100 Source: Environmental Report (2001), Meghalaya State pollution control board ISSUES The soil is polluted because of lack of proper solid waste disposal system. The garbage is thrown in natural streams, slopes or open spaces. The waste from the auto mobile industries is also a major source of soil pollution. There is not separate waste disposal system for bio medical waste and industrial waste. The seepage of the sewage is also a major reason for soil pollution. directly SLOPE INSTABILITY : Landslide is a Geological Hazard- either natural or man-made. Landslides generally occur during heavy rains that are during the months of June to September in Meghalaya. It may occur due to steep slopes or due to erosion at the toe of the slope, depending on the nature of soil. Failure starts at the toe and spreads up the slope. Landslides may occur due to construction activity or due to earthquakes. Deforestation is also responsible for landslides. CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKE Earthquake The cutting of land for quarrying, road construction and building activities. Deforestation Excessive rainfall Building activity on steep slope AREAS GENERALLY PRONE TO LANDSLIDES On existing old landslides. On or at the base of slopes. In or at the base of major drainage hollows. At the base or top of an old fill slope. At the base or top of a steep cut slope. Developed hill sites where leach field septic systems are used. HOUSING: The town's housing circumstances are primarily defined by mediumdensity development, largely in the form of sem ipucca or pucca structures with a significant number of kutcha dwellings.According to the census, 60.8 percent of h ouses used for housing and other purposes in metropolitan areas are in good condition, 34.7 percent are in liveable c ondition, and 4.5 percent are dilapidated.Furthermore, 87.7% of households reside in homes with a pucca roof mate rial.The state of Meghalaya developed a housing policy in 1988 that focused on growing housing stock and qualitati ve upgradation of existing shelters by giving subsidised construction supplies and soft loans to the poorer sections o f the population. In terms of other socioeconomic groups, it envisions to facilitate the flow of institutional capital for the construction of housing The main focus is on encouraging private individuals and cooperative societies to purchase homes. Issues: Due to a lack of basic infrastructure in these places, slums have merged in the state's urban districts. 45 slum areas have been notified and 5 unnotified in six towns in Meghalaya, according to the provisions of the Meghalaya Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act 1973 and the Assam Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act 1959, as adopted by Meghalaya. Slum dwellers account for roughly 42% of the population in these towns. The majority of the slum pockets are located in low-lying, water-logged locations, and are in poor hygienic and unhygenic conditions. The majority of them are only there for a short time. A large number of people lack access to essential amenities such as water, electricity, toilets, sewerage, drainage, solid waste disposal facilities, health care facilities, schools, and paved streets, to name a few. SANITATION In none of the urban areas is there a sewerage system. Domestic waste water, which includes sewage and sullage, is either disposed of in individual septic tanks and soakpits or flows into primary, secondary, and natural drains before being discharged into surrounding rivers. According to the 2011 census data, 91.58 percent of urban areas have latrines, with 47.54 percent having sanitary latrines and 52.46 percent having pit and other forms of latrines. Only 8.41% of people have access to restrooms. The majority of households have septic tank systems. The increased risk of groundwater pollution is a major disadvantage of these systems. The high initial cost per user and the need for regular desludging are some downsides of septic tank systems. STORM WATER DRAINAGE The lack of a proper drainage system is a serious issue in all communities, producing water logging and flooding, as well as landslips and soil erosion. The problem is exacerbated by indiscriminate and uncontrolled development operations, which cause drain blockages and encroachment on rain flow pathways. VUNERABILITY TO EARTHQUAKE Around Shillong, there are a number of epicentres where earthquakes has been felt. There are minor fault lines in Shillong which may not cause extensive earthquake but increases the chances of small tremor. About 8.4% houses with stone or unburnt brick walls, which have Very High risk of damage during an earthquake. 7% houses are with burnt brick walls which have high risk of damage .32.6% houses with concrete and wood have medium risk of damage and 52% made with other material have medium risk of damage. Due to human activities the upper layer of the soil has become very loss causing landslides during the time of earthquakes. There is less awareness among people about the preparedness and response procedure. Violation of building bye laws, congested growth increases the chances of building collapse and fire during the time of earthquakes. LANDSLIDE Landslide is a Geological Hazard- either natural or man-made. Landslides generally occur during heavy rains that are during the months of June to September in Meghalaya. It may occur due to steep slopes or due to erosion at the toe of the slope, depending on the nature of soil. Failure starts at the toe and spreads up the slope. Landslides may occur due to construction activity or due to earthquakes. Deforestation is also responsible for landslides. CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKE Earthquake The cutting of land for quarrying, road construction and building activities. Deforestation Excessive rainfall Building activity on steep slope AREAS GENERALLY PRONE TO LANDSLIDES On existing old landslides. On or at the base of slopes. In or at the base of major drainage hollows. At the base or top of an old fill slope. At the base or top of a steep cut slope. Developed hill sites where leach field septic systems are used. FLOOD Flood is a condition which becoming more frequent in Shillong because of a number of reasons. Floods are generally predictable. Floods may occur between April/May and October/November. Flash Floods are unpredictable as they occur suddenly due to thunderstorms in localised hilly areas. It happens in 10- 15 minutes. CAUSES OF FLOOD Overflowing of river banks following incessant rain in the catchment of rivers. Blocking of natural drainage of an area by construction of a dam/ barrage, building or by landslides caused by an earthquake. Narrowing of waterway of a river/stream. Silting of river/ stream beds with garbage Thunderstorms/ cloud bursts. FIRE Shillong is very much vulnerable to fire. The materials of the houses are easily susceptible to fire. There is also lack of general awareness about fire about among common people. Fires generally occur during the dry period – December to March – and especially in the month of February when there are wind disturbances. The buildings which are mostly affected by fire are the Assam type ones made of wood. Fire is usually caused by electrical short circuit, sometimes due to chimneys which have not been cleaned, and most often due to carelessness with inflammable materials. Forest fire mainly in the month of February, March is caused because of wind and plants. The congested areas like Bara Bazar and Polobazar are highly vulnerable to fire. There are no such evacuation ways or places in these areas. YEAR INCIDENT OF FIRE 1930 Cathedral 1930 D.T.O’s office 1976 PWD –Secretary &C.E.’s Building, Shillong 2001 Assembly Building 2003 Governor’s House Secretariat Source: Multi hazard profile of Meghalaya. Environment dept.NEHU 2008 2009 Total No. 0f Fire Incident 85 246 2010 ( 2 months) 16 Special Cases 2 13 0 Property Damage ( in Rs.) 99,15,328 24,88,500 186200 Source: fire department DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN The disaster Management Plan (Draft) comes under the National Disaster Management Act 2005. The main components of the Disaster Management Programme of the United Nations Development Programme and the Government of India include capacity-building to deal with disasters common to this city, with special emphasis on development of Disaster Risk Management and Response plans at all levels have been taken into account by the Shillong City Disaster Risk Management Committee. PARKING Parking problem is now a day is a major problem in almost all the cities, as in Shillong. There is lack of on-street parking, due to the less available width of the roads. And provision of the on street parking further reduces the less available width of the road. So there is an urgent need of the alternative solution for parking. The MUDA and SMB provide this service in the city. The following table gives the status and details of the parking lots along with the agency responsible. NO. of FLOO RS Area in Sq. Km Capacity (ECS) Sr.No. NAME LOCATION 1 2 3 4 5 Near Polo Towers Opp.Apex Bank Boucher Road SCERT Compound Old Civil Hospital Polo Apex Bank Boucher Road Mawkhar Police Bazar 3 6405.3 6 Mahavir Park Luckier Bazar 4 864.12 7 Opp.Anjali Cinema Mawlonghat 68 8 9 10 11 12 Bus Terminus Mawlonghat I (23/17) Mawlonghat II Laitumukhrah Market Stoney Land Polo Mawlonghat Mawlonghat Laitumukhrah Dhankheti 13 Khlieh Iewduh Parking Iewduh 4 9193 160 97 35 62 30 25 LMV, 60 Sumo, 35 Buses, 35 Trucks 14 15 Garikhana Parking Barabazar Terminus Garikhana Barabazar 2 1383 11 79 221 47 215 LMV 20 Trucks 45 ECS Agency Responsible For Operation And Maintenance SMB SMB NA SMB MUDA MUDA Under Construction Trust MUDA MUDA SMB SMB MUDA MUDA SMB Source:Data provided by MUDA and Draft Final Report of the North Eastern Region Urban Development Project funded by the ADB; Table 6.7, ch6, p15 Above are some of the authorized parking spaces proposed and provided by urban affairs and transferred to various other agencies like SMB and MUDA for operation and maintenance. It has been observed that the Bara-bazaar Sumo parking space on the street reducing the actual width available for the flow of traffic. Also due to large number of bus and truck (10.68%) inflow the terminal capacity is inadequate. CRITICAL PARKING STRETCHES The city is facing inadequate parking facilities. On most of these stretches the root cause of the congestion on the street is caused due to on street parking. There is lack of space for on-street parking, due to the inadequate carriageway width and R O W availability for expansion with most of the important roads. Hence there is an urgent need for solving the problem of parking. List of such areas with severe parking problems is furnished in the table below. CRITICAL PARKING LOCATIONS 1 Police bazaar 2 Mawkhar point to Garikhana point 3 Anjali point to barabazar road 4 IGP to center point 5 Keating roads 6 Mawlong hat roads 7 Pegasus Ground hotel stretch 8 Laban (Red Cross road) 9 Laban (Pine Mount Road) 10 Laban (Masjid Road) 11 Laban (Batti Bazar) 12 Kench’s Trace Road to Bishnupur 13 Jail Road (From M.T.C. to J.R. Petrol Pump) 14 Laitumkhrah(Upland Road) 15 Laitumkhrah(Taxi Stand Laitumkhrah Point) 16 Laitumkhrah(Bazar Road going to new S.B.I) 17 Polo (C.R.P.F camp Road going to Golf link) 18 Malki(Road going to Seven set School) 19 Polo Bazar Road (Taxi Stand) 20 Nongmynsong Road to Ishyrwat Road 21 Anjali Road going down to Mawlonghat 22 Mawkhar Road 23 Jaiaw Road going to Mawlai 24 Umpling,Rynjah Road(Near Bazar) 25 Madanrting Road to Mawblei 26 Golf link Road to Sanker 27 Mawlai Mawdatbaki Road (Road going to Meter Factory) 28 Garikhana Road 29 Keating Road (Road to Mi-casa Hotel) 30 Keating Road (Near S.P. Office) 31 Governor House Road to Camel Road (Nanpalok Lake) 32 Director of Health Services Road (D.H.S Road near D.T.O. Office) Issues: Encroachments by vehicles and commercial activities. Low operating speeds and environmental pollution. On street parking due to inadequate parking space. Improper intersection design and traffic management. Inadequate capacity of road. Intermixing of regional traffic and intra urban traffic. Poor public transport system operated by private owners. Overcrowding and increased waiting time. Lack of pedestrian facilities making safety an issue CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS. The District Council, the Municipality and the Traditional Dorbar acts as independent administrative units. The GSPA area is fragmented under different governing bodies-The municipality has authority and control over the municipal area except the cantonment area. MUDA is the official plan implementing body in GSPA but only effective in SMB area and parts of SUA. Dorbar prevails within and outside the SUA, spread over the whole GSPA. The Dorbar boundaries do not match with the word boundaries. In reality the KHADC has very limited role to play in working as a coordination body as well as implementing body. For providing the basic infrastructure complication arises due to ownership of land and control over the land is very complicated. The implementing bodies also do not work in coordination. There are unserved areas and also some areas with two systems coexisting. Recommendations : To avoid institutional conflicts and encourage development the municipal boundary should be extended up to the GSPA boundary. This will serve a number of functionsThe provision of services like water supply and electricity will be easy and well managed. the maintenance and further extension of services will improve if it is under the coordination of the one single governing body. Assess the human resource of Shillong Municipal Board, to make the human resource strong for both long and short term plan. Prepare administrative manuals declaring roles, functions and power of individual departments and how they can work as a united body. The urban planning should be visionary and have sustainable goals. The municipal council should be given the right of taxation and decentralize finance management. There is a need to have a central body. This body will be a jurisdictional body which will coordinate the modern and traditional governing system. This body will solve out the conflicting issues and put forward developmental aspects. Holding elections to to SMB and declaring Dorbars as legislative body. Dorbars should be included in the ward level decision making process. Legislations at the GSPA level to incorporate the Dorbar s in the municipal council. Dorbars can be a cooperative body between the administration and the local people. The Dorbars can facilitate the administration by providing the information about local level need. Having technical and infrastructural facilities at the local ward level to facilitate large projects. The Dorbars can be given the responsibilities to manage the funding for the medium and small projects. The Dorbar system should also include the females for the Headman and other responsible posts. Encourage and ensure effective public participation. The participation of the people in the decision making process. The Dorbar and Dorbar representatives can play the role of mediator between people and the government. Interaction between all stakeholders, the people’s representatives and government officials. A major initiative should be taken to form a people’s forum or a legislative group which will deal with the problems and issues of the city and also should take the initiatives to make the administration aware of the aspect. The right to information law should be applied. Public discussions and debates should be encouraged. The overall planning approach should be participatory and inclusive. The inclusive planning approach should be implied here since it will help to preserve and maintain the unique governance system here along with ensuring long term development. Neighbourhood level, small scale community water purification plants, with water storage tanks and chlorine pills. Impose ban on the dumping/disposal of the solid waste and sewage into the water bodies. City Level Rain water harvesting measures, with groundwater recharge pits and farms. Need to implement regularized, metered water supply system Regularized volumetric water tariff through installation of consumer meters should be implemented. Provision of good solid waste management system and sewerage disposal system Reconstruction and redevelopment of natural drainage. Provision of garbage and silt trap in drains Restrict encroachment of the stretch along river bank in dense settlements, as well as in future settlement areas. Regular cleaning of natural cross drains specially during monsoon. Encourage plantation of vegetation along river banks. Identify the areas of inadequate drains and the assess requirements for additional drainage. References: 1. Impact of building regulations on Indian hill towns Ashwani Kumar, Department of Architecture and Planning, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, India Volume 12, Issue 3, December 2016, Pages 316326 2. A.K. Seam, General factors for planning a hill town J. Ind. Inst. Arch. (1995), pp. 27-29. 3. Design for successful hillside development J. Urban Plan. Dev., 117 (1991), pp. 85-94.