PLANNED sustainable development in Chandigarh

Chandigarh, March 29, 2013: Green is in, or so we have heard. Green living or eco-friendly living has been the norm for quite some time now and sustainability isn’t just fashionable anymore. It is the need of the hour and the same can be witnessed in how every product we use claims to be environment-friendly.

The real estate sector too isn’t far behind. Developers across the board are realising the impact that urbanisation has on nature and there is an increasing demand for processes that are green.

The real estate sector has understood the role it can play to help man live in harmony with nature. Over the last couple of years, realtors have started acknowledging the importance of sustainable development. This is based on environmental considerations which, if go unobserved, will prove detrimental in the very near future.

The industry has developed a concept of ‘sustainable design', wherein an integrated approach is adopted, in order to deliver holistic projects to consumers. Developers are beginning to have an increased commitment to environmental stewardship and conservation.

Cities like Chandigarh too are witnessing this trend as more and more developers now begin to comprehend how much carbon footprints the industry leaves and what role can industry leaders play in reducing this.

Chandigarh serves as an administrative capital to both Punjab and Haryana, and its close proximity to Panchkula, Mohali and Delhi make it an exciting commercial/residential hub.

Data suggests that by 2016, Chandigarh’s population is expected to go up by 25 per cent roughly touching 20 lakh by 2021.

The UT’s very own Master Plan 2031 has been in the news lately, with numerous approvals and additions, in place.

When French architect, Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier, designed Chandigarh, he did so keeping in mind a population of 1.5 lakh and the fact that the city is land-locked. This population was not expected to go beyond 5 lakh, according to the original architectural plan of the great architect.

“Chandigarh was envisaged as a low-density and low-rise city free of the slums and encroachments, with a regular traffic system, but unfortunately the planners mentally insulated themselves against two major aspects of Indian reality: escalating numbers and migrations of large swarms of the unemployed sons of the soil from the countryside to the cities,” says Prof, Nirmal Datt, academician.

However, with the incoming population from neighboring areas of Patiala, Ambala, Delhi, Panchkula and Mohali, there has been an unimaginable kind of pressure on the city’s infrastructure which can be witnessed in the encroachments sprawling up across the city.

Given this, that Master Plan is depending heavily on developers to build integrated sustainable townships that will not only provide solution to the housing shortage of the city, but will also be eco-friendly in the long term. The practice of sustainable development suggests that some buildings are pre-certified based on conformity to requisite design specifications and best practices, several organisations also approve buildings only after rigorously documenting the occupancy phase.

The building phase is monitored closely to ensure there is minimal damage to the surroundings and people living in the adjoining areas. These include mandates like net-zero energy and water use, which must be maintained over the full trial year of occupancy; monitoring the use of banned material including halogenated flame retardants, PVC plastics, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Projects must prove their exclusion of these materials through supplier audits for every product used in construction.

All environmental conscious SSOs and SDOs like LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) and IGBC (Indian Green Building Council)  aid in developing sustainable technical and safety standards.

Given that Chandigarh and its periphery have many biological spots, the right kind of development is needed. Chandigarh’s booming working class population is awaiting the construction of mass group housing that is expected to solve the housing shortage the UT is facing. The city’s planners too are not leaving any stone unturned, in their endeavor to renovate a city that has been known for its architectural standards.

The city is also awaiting approval on a project for increasing water supply, which will further go in encouraging rain water harvesting and ground water charging.

“The botanical Garden has been developed on 178 acres in village Sarangpur to promote eco-tourism, and as a part of environmental-related initiatives, three lakes two along Patiala ki Rao and one along Sukhna Choe are being undertaken,” says Subash Chawla, Public Administrator.

Given these locations, Chandigarh’s planners will have to look for guidance to seasoned and well-known developers who will bring about development in harmony with the city’s natural biosphere, rather than go against it.

Many big developers, especially those known for their sustainable building practices, need to take the initiative to further the cause of eco-friendly development in Chandigarh.

The developers are recognised for their green development – whether it includes judicious use of water, water conservation, afforestation, repletion of other natural resources post-construction, continuous monitoring of the project throughout construction and post as well, use of natural materials like straw and bamboo – and these practices need to be inculcated, especially given Chandigarh’s ecosphere.

While these are small steps, taken together, with the real estate sector as a partner, Chandigarh will soon be the benchmark for green development.