POLICY PLANNING FOR RESILIENT URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

Alpa Sheth

India-Japan Workshop onDisaster Risk Reduction,

March 19-20 2018

The making and unmaking of Policies?

• Policy Maker – Government

• Policy violator– Private stakeholders

• Policy exempt– Government?

Policy Framework and Implementation

a) Aprimarylegislativeframework EnablingMechanism

b) Asystemfor framingdevelopment regulations, PolicyandStandardsreferencedtonational /international standards

1. Anagencyforenforcingdevelopmentregulations EnforcementAgency2. Amechanismforverifyingandapprovingdesigns

forcompliancetodevelopmentregulations3. Amechanismforgrantingvariances4. Amechanismfortestingandmonitoringconstruction EnforcementProtocol

forcompliancetoapproveddesigns5. Amechanismforgrantingpermissiontouse6. Asystemfordealingwithunauthorizedconstruction7. Asystemforlicensingprofessionals8. Asystemforattributingresponsibilityfor AccreditationSystem

misconductandbuildingfailures

STATS…

Source: Disaster Management Bureau Cabinet Office, Government of Japan

JAPAN

Number of Deaths in Disasters - India 1972-

2014

TsunamiEarthquakeCycloneFlood

Orissa Supercyclone

UK/Himachal Floods +Landslides

Source: National Disaster Management Authority

Andhra Cyclone

Fatalities for Different Disasters

Number of Fatalities in Natural Disasters since 1947

Number of Fatalities in Naural Disasters since 1947

Drought: 1,500,000Total Fatalities excluding drought : 222,806

Moneycontrol.com – International Disaster Database

Moneycontrol.com – International Disaster Database

Tale of Two Cities

• Srinagar – Violations by citizens with a complicit system– Urban Migration - large urban sprawl of informal

housing- slums – Political and empowered – development of real

estate on illegal marshlands and nulla/river landfills.

• Sabarmati River Ahmedabad – Government– State Sponsored land fill of river bed– Development of new corporation (SPV) with self-

drafted independent planning policies

Srinagar Growth Story…

Srinagar

TISS, Mumbai

Population Density

Figure 1: Srinagar 2014 Floods

Possible Way Ahead

• Problem not restricted to Srinagar. Chennai….

• NDMA/UDD to formulate rules at national level for construction on marshlands, saltpans and fills over water bodies and waterways.

• Model Building Byelaws disallowed construction. Now?

• Area on a plot that may be hard paved?

Ahmedabad Growth Story

SRFDCL

SRFDCL/EPC

https://tod.niua.org/todfisc/book.php?book=1&section=4

• Environment Impact Study

• NIH AND IITR report - capacity calculations

• Floods in 2006, 2011, 2015, 2017

• NDMA may consider coming out with a white paper on Riverfront developments- – Parameters to be considered in design of

riverfront developments – Design return period flood level to be

considered for maximum credible high flood level

– Max reduction in cross section area of the river

– Whether New construction to be allowed on reclaimed land- and if so how much?

Possible Approach for Riverfronts

THINKING,

FAST AND SLOW

FOR DISASTER RESPONSE

FOR POLICY PLANNING + DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

RISKS

AWARE OF, UNDERSTANDAWARE OF, UNDERSTAND

KNOWN KNOWN

KNOWN UNKNOWN

UNKNOWN KNOWN

UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

AWARE OF, DON’T UNDERSTAND

NOT AWARE OF, BUT UNDERSTAND NOT AWARE OF, DON’T UNDERSTAND

APPROACH TO RISKS NEEDS TO..

–Be robust but flexible to unknown and uncertain risks rather than “fixed, optimal engineering approach”

–Avoid being locked in financing large-scale investments that might prove obsolete with change in future risks

UTTARAKHAND 2013

LANDSLIDES

10M

SRINAGAR 2

014 FLOODS

1.2 M

CHENNAI 2015 F

LOODS

7

M

AHMEDABAD 2001 EQ.

5.5 M

NAGAPATTINAM 2004

TSUNAMI 1.6 M

KUKK?

UU

KUKK?

KUKK?

KU

KU

AHMEDABAD 2017 FLOODS.

5.5 M

BY 2050, 60% INDIANS IN CITIES.

• HAZARDOUS LOCATIONS

• POOR CONSTRUCTION

• RECKLESS FILL OF WATER BODIES +MARSHLANDS

• UNCHECKED GROWTH

DISCONNECT BETWEEN POLICY AND OPERATIONS

For Disaster Risk Reduction

• Reduce exemptions involving safety issues to special authorities – Riverfront developments, slum rehab authorities, smart cities, special economic zones….

• They must be subject to greater, not lesser, safety rigour.

GROWTH

SAFETYDEVELOPMENT