Risks in Delhi: Environmental concerns
Hospital waste pollution
With the increase in the number of hospitals and nursing home sin Delhi, hospital waste has become another area of concern. Private nursing homes and small hospitals do not have arrangements to treat hospital waste. Installing incinerators to burn hospital waste is not an ideal solution since these incinerators add to air pollution.
Pollution from thermal power plant
Thermal power plants contribute to 13% of air pollution. The main pollutants are stack emissions, fly ash generation and fugitive emission in coal handling. The cost of constructing 15 CETPs, which was estimated at about Rs 190 crore. Progress has been slow due to reluctance on the part of industrial units to contribute their share.
Accidents in Delhi
Road accidents
Compared to population growth of 43% in the city during the last decade the growth of motor vehicles has grown by 87% with road length only increasing marginally by 15%, that too within MCD area. No of people injured and killed inroad accidents ahs increased by 33-36%
Crime
The unchecked and unplanned growth of cities as well as large floating population are major contributing factors to urban crimes. Criminal propensity is also known to be higher in urban industrial area. Migration of poor and illiterate people having roots in a simple environment, consequent to migration, suffer emotional instability in the urban settings. They are easily lured into crime like theft, robbery, smuggling or even terrorist's activities.
Forms of urban crimes
Urban crimes are being presently recorded under two major heads, namely (a) as defined in the various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and (b) crimes identified under the special and local laws. A total of 2,47,930 cognizable crimes under the IPC were reported in the three Metropolitan Cities of the country during 1995. These crimes registered an increase of 7.6% over the previous year.
Murder and attempt to commit murder as reported incidents wise is highest in Delhi (413). These has been increase in cases of kidnapping and abduction with effect from 1994 in all mega cities however Delhi recorded the highest incidence. (1,70,111) of kidnapping and abduction. A part from above Delhi has been reported as most unsafe city of the country for women. Highest number of rape cases or murders (305) have been reported. Delhi is only next to Bombay and Bangalore in robbery and burglary.
The cities, which witnessed high incidence of robberies were Bombay (757), Bangalore (524), Delhi (491) and Nagpur (267).
Environment development and disasters
Ecological imbalance created due to abuse and overuse of environmental services in the city has left very thin line between natural and man made disasters. The city is subjected to congestion and high density of population living in poor sanitary conditions. Poverty has mad ea large population live as squatters on the flood plains of the Yamuna, which are vulnerable to hazards like fires, floods and earthquakes. Apart from these, risks of violence, crime and road accidents take a big toll of life in the capital city of the country.
The topography of the city has two main features - the Ridge and the river Yamuna. Although Delhi was built many times, these two natural boundaries were never transgressed. The Ridge was perceived (incorrectly) as an impenetrable area inhabited by extraordinary plants and fierce animals. The people of Delhi were fortunate to have both river as well as lush green forest. They coexisted with a vast number of beings from wolves to leopards to minute insect in perfect harmony. With the transfer of capital of India from Calcutta to Delhi during British times, developmental activities started in the city. The Ridge and the river started losing their natural state. The degradation of these two worsened when the city started developing across its natural two boundaries.
Today the development continues defying city planning logics. Areas west of the Ridge have been colonized and the natural drainage pattern ate disturbed. Areas East of Yamuna which have been developed despite being low tying and prone to water logging and inundation, a re toady totally flood prone. The Ridge as lost its topographical continuity, having been blasted in many placed to build new colonies. Today only four small broken patches are left, one near Delhi University, a large one near Dhaula Kuan and two in South Delhi, one of which Sanjay Van is probably still the most pristine lost to artificial gardens and recreational parks, such as Buddha Jayanti Park and Mahavir Jayanti Park. The perfect balance and harmony of nature had been disturbed. Undergrowth which was home to many life-forms has been rampantly cleared.
However, amazingly, despite all sorts of pressures like tree-falling, urbanization, industrialization, pollution, mining etc, the Ridge forest still services in those small patches. Equally surprising, it still sustains a myriad of life forms. The river Yamuna has turned more or less into a drain and does not carry clear fresh water any more. Why have we destroyed our natural heritage, the ridge and the river, and what are we leaving behind for future generations?
Nature cannot take more abuse hence the degradation caused to the environment of the city has to respond in terms of its wrath. Floods in Delhi are not natures wrong doing, it is invariably the irresponsibility of the authorities and those who are totally insensitive to human life blinded by the haves and have-nots of economics. This is very clear from the recurring phenomenon of floods in the mighty river Yamuna and flash floods caused by rains due to chocked drains in Delhi.