The Hindu : Kerala News : Need for proper planning, implementation of rules Conduct studies

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Saturday, Dec 16, 2006
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Kerala

Kerala

Need for proper planning, implementation of rules Conduct studies

Urban centres in Kerala are witnessing a real estate boom. The apartment culture is growing. High-rises that create large concentrations of people inevitably have an impact on neighbouring areas in terms of water resources, waste generation, drainage and so on. Are the existing rules and regulations adequate to ensure a fair deal to all concerned? Our readers respond:

Conduct studies

People opt for flats owing to spiralling labour costs and non-availability of land at prime locations. Considering the unique labour culture in Kerala, constructing an independent house has become a Herculean task for many. Flats offer specific advantages such as round-the-clock security, back-up power supply, children's play area, covered car-parking, professional expertise, maintenance support and so on.

In most flats, corporation water is supplied for cooking and drinking, while borewell water is provided for washing and cleaning. Excessive use of treated water leads to shortage of water in the neighbourhood. Builders select sites mainly taking into consideration proximity to educational institutions, offices, hospitals and markets. No study is normally conducted to assess the availability and quality of groundwater.

At times, the drainage system gets clogged. As the housing needs of the people owing to rapid urbanisation can be addressed only by flats, these should be encouraged.

Reghu P.L

Thiruvananthapuram

Proper planning

The influx to urban areas is gaining ground. Unless the local government checks it, the upswing will persist.

It is the right of the people to move from one place to another to lead a better life. Likewise, the local government has a duty to safeguard those who have already settled there. No one should be allowed to disturb them.

When the demand for accommodation increases, real estate agencies can begin to build new apartments. The authority concerned in the local government should guide them in finding a location, provided it is not drought-prone or densely populated. Once a suitable location is found, the authority can receive the plan for the apartment. It should consist of specifications for source of water, drainage system and arrangements for disposal of waste. Those who occupy the apartment should take an undertaking that they will on no account dispose of garbage in the vicinity. If the existing laws are not sufficient, amendments should be made.

N. Ramachandran

Vakkom

Plan futuristically

As the pressure on urban centres is still increasing and consequently the demand for housing, there is no other option but to go in for high-rise buildings. High-rise residential buildings should be planned futuristically, taking into consideration the present environmental conditions and the near future with respect to demand for more space, availability of resources, carrying capacity of utility networks and so no.

But the present trend shows an alarming rate in increase in high-rise buildings, leading to pressure on available resources and utility networks. For instance, the water supply network and the sewage system in Thiruvananthapuram city were designed for maybe half the existing users, resulting in scarcity of potable water in many places, clogging of sewers and overflow of sewage onto roads, in open spaces, low-level areas and drains.

Also, such heavy constructions demand supply of raw material such as cement, sand, metal, etc. Already, our rivers are being over exploited for sand. For cement, we are dependent on Tamil Nadu.

Renjan Mathew Varghese

Thiruvananthapuram

Lapses exist

The extent of land is fixed but the demand is growing exponentially owing to real needs and speculative investment. However, high-density development, including high-rise apartments, is good urban land economics. Consumers will be benefited if the builder is scrupulous. Also, the cost of extending utilities and services to high-density population is lower than that for low-density development.

On the downside, there are physical and socio-economic dangers waiting to happen owing to thoughtless and corrupt practices in the proliferation of high-rises. Overloading and eventual breakdown of infrastructure, water supply, sanitation and circulation are lurking dangers in haphazard development.

On the socio-economic front, some fly-by-night developers leave their customers high and dry after collecting huge sums by way of down payment and instalments. The existing town planning and other laws are adequate to deal with both these aspects. Under town planning laws, there is a provision for zoning regulations, which can incorporate height-zoning, use-zoning, floor area ratio and floor space index zoning and so on to take care of available or projected infrastructure. The laws of the land on contract, tort and the like are adequate to deal with breach of contract and injuries. Only the lacunae in the rules and regulations, lack of application of mind, and lapses in implementation and enforcement by the powers that be need to be rectified.

D. Stanley

Thiruvananthapuram

Flats unsuitable

Multi-storeyed apartments are unsuitable and incompatible to Kerala. It was a mistake to amend the Kerala Building Rules 1999 in 2001, raising the floor area ratio from 1.5 to 4, increasing the coverage and decreasing the minimum off-street parking space required, enabling mushrooming of skyscrapers with attendant problems.

This has resulted in disruption of the environment. It has worsened the traffic problems and exerted pressures on the infrastructure facilities such as water, power, drainage and so on. These amendments were effected on the pretext of population explosion, skyrocketing of land values, etc. But not even 5 per cent of the 68 lakh households in the State can afford to live in such exorbitantly expensive apartments, proliferating even in suburban areas. Low-rise high-density configuration is our traditional urban form, which encourages self-help, low-cost incremental housing and generates much more job opportunities. The zoning and building control regulations now in force in the State are more builder-friendly than people-friendly.

K. Thomas Poulose

By e-mail

Rules lack teeth

In the wake of growing apartment culture, no doubt, regulations are needed for planned growth, safeguarding the interests of neighbours and if necessary, the pecuniary interests of the Government in registration of the deal. A minimum area required for the flat depending on the height and number of apartments, minimum space left between the roads and the flat, safety measures, special requirements in respect of water and electricity connection and so on could be prescribed.

A. Jacob Sahayam

Thiruvananthapuram

Develop villages

The real estate boom in urban centres bodes ill for the State. Like the concentration of wealth, the concentration of houses in cities is anathema to equitable human progress. Vilappilsala in Thiruvananthapuram recently figured in the media as a victim of urban-centric development. It has become a dump for the city's solid waste. It is just one of the many villages where dirt, disease and death stalk, owing to mindless, unscientific urbanisation.

Augmentation of amenities and facilities in villages will wean the gullible citizen from the ostentation of urban centres, extending the demographic growth to rural areas. The Provision of Urban facilities in Rural Areas (PURA) project paves the way to check unhealthy urbanisation. Why can't we resuscitate and implement the facet of Gandhian philosophy which propounds `India lives in her villages'?

N. Sadasivan Pillai

Kollam

Enforce rules

The first step in the endeavour to remove the above deficiencies should begin with strictly enforcing rules and regulations to ensure that the construction and occupation of multi-storeyed apartments do not lead to a crisis in the surrounding areas. The three primary factors to be addressed are water supply, sewage, and parking area. Simultaneously, the city water supply and the central sewage systems should be augmented and streamlined. The floor space index should be so framed as to enable open space for playgrounds, a convenient meeting place for the residents and access to public transport. The rules and regulations should contain provisions to safeguard the environment and in a city like Thiruvananthapuram where the undulating terrain is one of its charms, to conserve the topography.

B.K.S. Nair

Thiruvananthapuram

Need for a relook

The growth of high-rise buildings in urban areas is a direct consequence of liberal construction programme, necessitated by the exodus of people from rural areas in search of better employment and livelihood, which cannot be stopped in the rising global scenario of privatisation and globalisation.

The licence issued for such buildings does not insist on proper drainage, sanitation and anti-flood measures during monsoons. Most of these buildings are constructed on marshy wetlands which used to absorb heavy floodwaters. With the disappearance of this natural resource, water logging has become a serious problem. The amount of money spent on anti-flood measures is a waste.

K.P. Karunakaran Nair

general secretary

Confederation of Residents' Associations

Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram

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