Pune's Environment Survey Report 2008

Pune can cheer about its growing green cover but faces rising noise pollution, huge disparity in water supply and worsening traffic and transportation situation.The Environment Survey Report (ESR) 2008 for Pune city tabled by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) administration has found noise levels to have reached unacceptable levels, half the city receiving an excessive water supply and the other reeling under a severe shortage.The report finds the city growing in green cover (2,500 acres of land available for plantation) but concludes that increasing vehicular traffic, improper water and solid waste management was undoing the ecological balance the growing number of trees were trying to restore. The 74th amendment of the Constitution requires all civic bodies to table their ESR before the general body latest by July 31 of every year. The ESR had listed eight parameters - development, demography, water, wastewater, traffic and transportation, environment, garden and solid water - to survey the city but the 53-page report miserably fails in giving any face to the huge pile of data that it collected on these parameters throughout the last one year.
Some of the findings on development, demography, water supply, traffic and transport and environment are as follows:
1.Development: The report evaluates development on the indices of electricity, tax dues, storm line and household density. Bhavanipeth and Vishrambaugh have been found to be overdeveloped, while Warje, Sangamwadi and Dhankawadi were found to be comparatively lesser developed. The report recommends urgent need to out-migrate resources to the lesser developed areas.
2.Demography: Population density and ward population ratio were the two criteria on which the ESR evaluated the demography of the wards.Most densely populated areas are Bhavanipeth and Sahakar Nagar. In Bhavanipeth, the slums are contributing most to high density, a problem that the PMC will need to address immediately, the report says.
3.Water: Water distribution is not uniform. Fifty per cent of the wards are oversupplied.
Fifty per cent short supplied.Eastern side over supplied.Over supply of water supply is in Dhankawadi, Dhole Patil, Yerwada, Bibvewadi and Sahakarnagar Moderate water supply is in Sangamwadi, Warje, Karve Road, Hadapsar. Intervention needed to improve supply in Aundh, Tilak Road, Ghole Road. Water supply situation cause of concern in Vishrambaugh
4.Traffic and Transportation: Indicators - a) Vehicle to road length, b) footpath to road ratio. The criteria adopted to evaluate traffic and transportation is that more the vehicles per km, worse is the resulting traffic chaos in the area. Better-placed wards are those that have a good footpath to road ratio. So, Bhavani Peth, Karve Road, Dhankawadi are the better ones with more than adequate footpaths and comparatively lesser vehicles.Hadapsar, Ghole Road and Vishrambaugh have about 60 per cent of footpath in comparision to road length that cross their area. Dhole Patil, Bibewadi and Tilak road are the worst with less than 20 per cent area covered by footpath. The report recommends immediate investments in these areas for construction of footpath.
5.Environment: The quality of environment in each of the wards has been evaluated on the basis of (a) air quality, (b) noise levels and (c) gardens in the area.
Air quality: Measured in respirable particulate matter (RPM), it is three times of acceptable levels. While the standard recommended RPM is 50 Ug/m3, it was recorded to be consistently around 150 or more throughout the previous year, the only exception being the monsoon when it came down to 55 Ug/m3
Noise levels: Major cause for concern in all the wards. On an average, 70,000 vehicles pass around each ward every day.Noise levels in all the wards are unacceptably high, except in Sangamwadi, but the report states it is unable to pinpoint any particular reason why Sangawadi has been lucky in this aspect.
Gardens: Most deficit area: Warje Asamgamwadi, wards covered with rich green cover is Sahakar Nagar which has double than the recommended green cover of 0.2 ha/1000 individuals. The report estimates that PMC has about 2,500 acres of land available for plantation.