TERI
Environmental
Survey
2013
The Energy and Resources Institute
TERI
Environmental
Survey
2013
The Energy and Resources Institute
©The Energy and Resources Institute, 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, without prior permission in writing to The Energy and Resources Institute, New
Delhi, India, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate organizations.
Enquiries concerning reproduction should be sent to the address
The Energy and Resources Institute
Darbari Seth Block,
India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road
New Delhi – 110003, India
This material has been funded by UK aid from the UK Government. However, the views expressed do not
necessarily reflect the UK Government’s official policies.
Advisors:
Dr R K Pachauri, Director-General, The Energy and Resources Institute
Dr Ligia Noronha, Executive Director (Research Co-ordination), The Energy and Resources Institute
Mr R K Batra, Distinguished Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute
Dr J V Sharma, Senior Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute
Dr Suneel Pandey, Senior Fellow, Thew Energy and Resources Institute
Dr Arabinda Mishra, Director, Earth Science and Climate Change Division, The Energy and Resources Institute
Mr Anshuman, Associate Director, Water Resources Division, The Energy and Resources Institute
Project Team:
Ms Ipsita Kumar, Research Associate, The Energy and Resources Institute
Mr Rahul Singh, Research Assistant, The Energy and Resources Institute
Mr Souvik Bhattacharjya, Associate Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute
Ms C Sita Lakshmi, Research Associate, The Energy and Resources Institute
Mr Saswata Chaudhury, Associate Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute
Dr Shilpi Kapur Bakshi, Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute
Ms Nidhi Srivastava, Associate Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute
Dr Bibhu Prasad Nayak, Associate Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute
Dr Kavita Sardana, Assistant Professor, TERI University
Editorial Team:
Ms Hemambika Varma, Editor, The Energy and Resources Institute
Ms Harsha Meenawat, Associate Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute
Ms Nandini Mathur, Assistant Editor, The Energy and Resources Institute
Ms Arpita Dasgupta, Assistant Editor, The Energy and Resources Institute
Mr R K Joshi, Graphic Designer, The Energy and Resources Institute
Mr Rajiv Sharma, Graphic Designer, The Energy and Resources Institute
Mr Santosh Kumar Singh, Graphic Designer, The Energy and Resources Institute
Published by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Website: www.teriin.org
Contents
Foreword....................................................................................................................................................................v
Acknowledgement......................................................................................................................................................vii
Executive Summary....................................................................................................................................................ix
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................1
2. Methodology ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
3. Environmental Domains....................................................................................................................................... 5
4. Results from Bangalore....................................................................................................................................... 15
5. Results from Chennai . ........................................................................................................................................ 25
6. Results from Delhi............................................................................................................................................... 37
7. Results from Hyderabad...................................................................................................................................... 51
8. Results from Kolkata .......................................................................................................................................... 61
9. Results from Mumbai . ........................................................................................................................................ 71
10. Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................................... 83
11. Annexure ............................................................................................................................................................ 87
iii
Foreword
I
n recent months and years there has been considerable debate on what is seen as the conflict between
environment and development. There are, in particular, some serious problems associated with
environmental clearance for a number of activities in areas which would involve encroachment
on forest land and tree cover of various kinds. Fortunately, in a democratic system of government,
it is the will of the people that will prevail, and often if transgressions take place in violating the
environmental space that we have inherited, the public would retaliate by demanding very strict
and stringent measures. To some extent, this is already happening in some parts of the country as a
symptom of a much larger problem, which unfortunately has reached serious proportions.
The issue assumes much greater significance and a somewhat different meaning when we consider
some of our large metropolitan areas. Our towns and cities, particularly the largest ones, are often
populated by people who have lost their linkages with nature, and are often seen to be generally
opposed to any legislation or action to protect the environment. It is also a fact that often towns
and cities possess disproportionately large power in influencing public opinion, resource allocation
decisions, and policies. In order to generate knowledge on the perceptions that people carry in our
largest cities, TERI carried out this very valuable survey of perceptions related to the environment,
the results of which are very revealing. It is intended that this very first survey will become a regular
annual exercise, so that we not only capture public attitudes on the issue of environment versus
development, but also the changes that take place over time. Also, it would be useful to focus on
some specific themes or subjects to define public perceptions and how they are measured from time
to time. While releasing this very first survey, I would like to congratulate my colleagues who have
worked very hard to put the conceptual framework for this study together and to implement it with
enormous effort and diligence. We hope through the completion of this very first project we would
be able to contribute, at least in a modest way, to understanding the realities underlying what people
feel about the environment in the major metropolitan areas of India.
R K Pachauri, Ph.D
Director-General, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
v
Acknowledgements
A
t the outset, we are grateful to the Department for International Development (DFID),
Government of United Kingdom, for supporting this project. We thank all the individuals
from six different cities who have spent their valuable time in responding to our survey
questionnaire patiently. We take this opportunity to thank Dr R K Pachauri, Director-General, TERI,
for his overall mentoring as well as his invaluable support and encouragement throughout the project.
We express our sincere thanks to Dr Ligia Noronha, Executive Director (Research Coordination), TERI,
for her guidance throughout the research process. We are thankful to Mr R K Batra (Distinguished
Fellow), Dr J V Sharma (Senior Fellow), Dr Suneel Pandey (Senior Fellow), Dr Arabinda Mishra
(Director), and Mr Anshuman (Associate Director) for sharing their valuable comments in shaping
this report. We also thank our colleagues Mr Aditya Ramji, Ms Ritika Sehjpal, Dr G Mini, and
Mr Vivek Jha for their research inputs. We acknowledge the support of the Ralibha Design Management
Studio for conducting the extensive field survey in six major cities of India. We acknowledge the
support of Language No Bar for translating the survey questionnaires into various regional languages.
We sincerely acknowledge the support of Ms Hemambika Varma, Ms Harsha
Meenawat, Ms Nandini Mathur, Ms Arpita Dasgupta, Mr R K Joshi, Mr Rajiv Sharma, and
Mr Santosh Kumar Singh for editing and designing this final report. Finally, we thank Ms Kiran
Shivpuri for her efficient secretarial assistance.
vii
I
Executive Summary
ndia has been growing at an average GDP
growth rate of 8.025 per cent for the last eight
years (Ministry of Finance, 2013). The cities, in
particular, have grown at rapid rates according to
the Census of India 2011. The urban population
increased from 286.1 million in 2001 to 377.1
million in 2011, at an average annual growth rate
of 2.76 per cent. Rapid urbanization has resulted in
environmental degradation caused by increased
pressures on the limited land available, leading
to reduced open spaces, increased air and water
pollution, and problems of waste disposal and
its management. Various climate related changes
pose additional stresses.
The survey was conducted in the six most
populous cities in India with a total sample
of 4,039, distributed as a proportion of the
total population of these six cities. The cities of
Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad,
Kolkata, and Mumbai were chosen and the
sample was spread across the cities to capture
diversities of localities, age groups, occupation,
education, income, and so on.
The 2013 Human Development Report
highlights that “unless people can participate
meaningfully in events and processes that shape
their lives, national human development paths will
neither be desirable nor sustainable.” Keeping this
view in mind, the 2013 TERI Environmental
Survey sought to assess people’s perceptions,
behaviour, awareness, and opinions towards the
environment. The findings of this survey, it is
hoped, will feed into policy and implementation
measures
in
the
context
of
moving
towards sustainable metros (and if possible,
sustainable cities).
Overall Environment
Six themes were selected for the study: overall
environment, air quality, water quality, forest/
green cover, climate change, and waste and
waste management.
ix
The key findings for each city are highlighted
below.
Results from different environmental
domains
The views on the overall environment were
assessed in terms of perceptions of the state of
the environment over time in the different cities,
awareness and perception towards government
policies for different environmental domains,
the role of various actors in environmental
protection, and its interplay with development.
The responses have been varied for the
aforementioned parameters.
Air quality for the respondents in the six cities
over time has either become worse or has seen
no change. In terms of drinking water quality
and availability, there is a perception that it has
improved in all cities barring Hyderabad, where
the respondents felt it has worsened. Surface
Executive Summary
water quality is seen to have worsened in all
cities apart from Mumbai (no change). Five cities
have seen worsening of ground water availability
(excluding Chennai) and tree and forest cover
(excluding Mumbai), and all six cities have seen
a decline in the number and species of birds and
animals. Respondents from Bangalore, Chennai,
Delhi, and Hyderabad have seen deterioration of
waste and waste management in their city, while
respondents from Kolkata and Mumbai have
seen an improvement.
business. Respondents from Kolkata stated that
the government should take the lead, following
which consumers/citizens should be proactive.
In Hyderabad, however, respondents felt that
academic and research organizations should take
the lead while the government came second.
A global debate exists on whether protecting
the environment hinders the imperative of
development. Respondents were asked for their
opinions on this debate and varied responses were
received from the different cities. Nearly equal
numbers of respondents from Chennai felt that
the two go hand in hand or that environmental
protection should be prioritized (approximately
30 per cent each). Delhi was the only city where
nearly 59 per cent felt that environmental
protection and development could go hand in
hand. Nearly 85 per cent of the respondents in
Hyderabad felt that environmental protection
and development should be treated differently,
with a majority of respondents amongst this 85
per cent responding that development should be
prioritized. Only 1 per cent of the respondents in
Kolkata felt that environmental protection and
development go hand in hand, with nearly 65 per
cent of the respondents stating that environmental
protection should be given priority. Equal numbers
of respondents from Mumbai stated that the two
go hand in hand and development should be
prioritized (approximately 34 per cent each). The
majority of respondents from Bangalore could not
say or did not know.
Assessments of how aware people are
of government policies relating to different
environmental domains provided a mixed picture.
Respondents from Hyderabad, Kolkata, and
Mumbai felt that policies on air quality existed,
but were inadequate or not well implemented.
Respondents from Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata,
and Mumbai felt that the policies on water
pollution were well implemented, while
respondents from Hyderabad felt the policies were
inadequate or not well implemented. Respondents
from Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai
perceived that policies on water availability
existed and were well implemented. Respondents
from Hyderabad felt that the policies were not
well implemented or were inadequate. Waste and
waste management policies in Bangalore, Chennai,
and Hyderabad were perceived to be inadequate
or not well implemented. Kolkata respondents
were equally divided in their perceptions that
policies were well implemented and not well
implemented/inadequate. Delhi respondents
indicated a significant lack of awareness of policies
on all environmental domains. Respondents
from Chennai also showed a lack of awareness
on policies related to air pollution and climate
change. The majority of the respondents from
other cities were aware of policies related to forest
conservation and climate change, but felt that they
were inadequate or not well implemented.
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Chennai
Bangalore
Mumbai
Delhi
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Yes, they should be treated differently and the government should prioritize
development
Yes, they should be treated differently and the government should prioritize
environmental protection
No, environment protection and development go hand in hand
Can’t say
Don’t know
The respondents’ opinions on groups, which
should take the lead in protecting the environment,
varied across the cities. The respondents from
Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai felt that
the government should take the lead, followed by
Figure I: Views on Environment Protection and
Development in the Six Cities
x
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
Air
The views of respondents on air quality was
obtained through their perceptions of the
sources of air pollution in their cities, impacts of
air pollution on human health, usage of public
transport as an action to reduce air pollution, and
their perceptions of the strategies adopted by the
government to improve air quality in the cities.
Amongst the various causes of air pollution, the
respondents were asked for their opinions on
the top two causes pertaining to their city. The
transport sector was ranked the highest followed
by factories in and around the city as the second
highest contributor towards air pollution in
Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai. The
respondents from Bangalore rated factories as the
highest contributor followed by transport, and
those in Hyderabad rated construction activities
in the city as the worst offender followed by the
transport sector.
Given that the transport sector was seen as a
major contributor to air pollution in all cities, the
respondents were asked whether they use public
transport more than three times a week. More
than 50 per cent respondents in all cities and as
many as 90 per cent respondents in Bangalore
used public transport more than three times
a week.
The respondents were asked for their reasons
for using or not using public transport. The
respondents from Hyderabad used public
transport because they felt it is good for the
environment. Respondents from Chennai and
Mumbai used public transport to save time and
the majority of the respondents from Delhi cited
all of the above as their reason for choosing public
transport. For those who did not use public
transport in Chennai, Delhi, and Hyderabad,
the main reason was that they do not find it
convenient. Respondents from Bangalore and
Mumbai felt that the time spent travelling on
public transport is more than when using private
vehicles. The respondents in Kolkata cited the
low frequency of public transport as the main
deterrent. Safety concerns were also relatively
high for respondents from Bangalore, Chennai,
Delhi, and Mumbai.
In order to improve air quality in their city,
respondents from Hyderabad felt that there is a
need to improve the public transport infrastructure
in the city. A need to tax private vehicles in
Bangalore and Chennai (followed very closely
in Chennai by setting up of industrial clusters
for industries to enjoy common environment
friendly technological facilities) was highlighted
to reduce air pollution. Respondents from Delhi,
Kolkata, and Mumbai felt that there is a need to
convert all polluting industries into environment
friendly ones.
Water
Since water availability is seen as a big concern
in all cities, the survey asked the respondents to
choose the major causes of water wastage in their
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Chennai
Hyderabad
Bangalore
Kolkata
Mumbai
Chennai
Delhi
Bangalore
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Enhance public transport infrastructure
Levy heavier congestion tax and other taxes to discourage private vehicles
(taxes on cars)
Convert all polluting industries into environment friendly industries
Set up local industrial clusters to enjoy common environment friendly
facilities to reduce pollution
Stringent monitoring and ensuring environmental standards are met
Mumbai
Delhi
0%
20%
Transport sector
Construction activities
40%
60%
80%
100%
Factories in and around the city
Domestic fuel burning
Garbage burning
Figure III: Strategies Government Should Adopt to Improve
Air Quality in the Six Cities
Figure II: Sectors Contributing the Most to Air Pollution in
the Six Cities
xi
Executive Summary
cities. The survey asked for the respondents’ views
on the cost of water supply and whether there is
willingness to pay the actual cost of water supply
and the relevant billing mechanisms to change
current practices (as households in Indian cities
do not pay the actual cost of water supply). The
respondents were asked for reasons for wastage
of water in their city. Respondents from Chennai,
Hyderabad, and Mumbai felt that water is being
wasted during its distribution to the households.
Most respondents from Bangalore felt that water
is being wasted due to leakages in taps and faucets
in the household, while respondents from Delhi
and Kolkata felt that water is being wasted due to
overconsumption by consumers.
while Chennai respondents preferred a flat charge
on water delivery.
Forest/Green Cover
The forests and green cover in every city is
important for recreational and social activities, to
reduce air pollution, as well as for the beautification
of cities. The survey asked respondents about the
frequency of their interface with the green cover
in their city and how it can be improved. They
were asked for their opinions on the strategies
they feel the government should adopt to improve
the forest/green cover in the cities. Declaration of
protected areas was the best strategy according
to the respondents from Bangalore, Delhi, and
Kolkata. According to the respondents from
Chennai, reclamation of wasteland for parks and
other such green zones was considered the best
policy; the respondents from Hyderabad and
Mumbai felt that the government needs new and
improved policies to improve its forest/green
cover.
The respondents were asked whether citizens
should pay the actual cost of water supply.
Respondents from Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, and
Kolkata said that citizens should not pay the actual
cost of water, while respondents from Hyderabad
and Mumbai felt that citizens should. Quite a large
number of respondents from Chennai, Bangalore,
Delhi, and Hyderabad stated that they did not
know whether they should pay the actual cost
of water.
Climate Change
The survey asked respondents for their opinions
towards climate change and any observed changes
in climatic variables like temperature, precipitation,
wind pattern, and incidence of extreme events.
The respondents were given a broad definition of
climate change and were asked whether they felt
that the climate was changing. Those respondents
who felt that climate was changing were then asked
about their perception of changes in the climatic
The respondents were asked what their
preferred billing mechanism for water delivery to
households was, that is, whether they preferred
metered or consumption based pricing, fixed
or a flat charge for water, or other mechanisms.
Most respondents in all cities apart from Chennai
preferred metered or consumption based pricing
Hyderabad
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Kolkata
Chennai
Chennai
Bangalore
Mumbai
Bangalore
Delhi
Mumbai
Delhi
0%
50%
100%
Improved/new government policies
Declaration of protected areas
Reclamation of wasteland
Public-private partnership
Voluntary activities
Intervention by civil society
organizations
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Leakages from taps/faucets in your house
Leakages during distribution (from municipalities, tankers, etc. to your house)
Too much water used where less is required by us as consumers
I don’t know
Water is not being wasted
Figure V: Strategies Government Should Adopt to Improve
Forest/Green Cover in the Six Cities
Figure IV: Major Causes of Wastage of Water in the Six
Cities
xii
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
factors in their cities over time. Most respondents
in all cities felt that climate change was occurring,
except in Chennai, where a very large number
of respondents felt that climate change was
not occurring.
Respondents from all cities apart from
Mumbai perceived that there has been a lot of
change in temperature over time in the cities and
precipitation or rainfall pattern has also seen some
change. In Mumbai, the respondents felt that there
has been some change in the temperature, but
rainfall/precipitation has seen a lot of change in
the city. In terms of wind patterns, all cities saw
some change other than Chennai, which was
equally divided between a lot of change and no
change in wind patterns. Respondents from Delhi,
Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai perceived some
changes in terms of extreme events in the city
while respondents from Chennai and Bangalore
perceived changes to be very high.
The respondents were asked for their opinion
on a government strategy they thought was best
suited to manage the problem of solid waste.
Respondents from Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi,
and Mumbai felt that the best way to manage
the problem of solid waste would be to segregate
waste at source, that is, it should be segregated by
the households. Respondents from Hyderabad
and Kolkata felt that the consumers should
generate a smaller amount of waste to manage
the problem of solid waste.
Following their opinion on the best strategy to
manage solid waste in the city, the respondents
were asked whether they were willing to
segregate their waste at home. Respondents from
all cities apart from Kolkata said that they were
not willing or not at all willing to segregate their
waste. Respondents were also asked the reasons
Hyderabad
Waste and Waste Management
Kolkata
On the subject of waste and waste management,
the respondents were asked for their opinions
on the negative impacts of improper waste
management on human health. In Bangalore,
Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai, the respondents’
opinion was that the impacts of improper waste
and waste management on health are very severe.
The respondents from Hyderabad thought the
impacts were severe, and equal numbers of
respondents from Chennai felt that the impacts
were moderate or severe.
The respondents were asked about the waste
collection practices in their locality. The majority
of the respondents from Delhi said that the waste
from their households is collected by private
entities, followed closely by public entities. In
Bangalore, Kolkata, and Mumbai, waste is being
collected by public entities while the majority of
the respondents from Chennai and Hyderabad
said that waste is being collected through publicprivate-partnership. A significant number of
respondents in Chennai were not aware of who
collected the waste from their city.
xiii
Chennai
Bangalore
Mumbai
Delhi
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Segregate waste at source
Generate less amount of waste
I don’t know
Enhance waste recycling capacity
User charges
Figure VI: Best Strategies to Improve Waste Management
in the Six Cities
Total
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Chennai
Bangalore
Mumbai
Delhi
0%
20%
Not willing at all
40%
60%
Not very willing
80%
100%
Very willing
Willing
Figure VII: Willingness to Segregate Waste into
Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Components in the
Six Cities
Executive Summary
for their willingness or unwillingness. The
respondents who were unwilling from Chennai,
Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai stated that
having two dustbins requires more space in the
house. Respondents from Delhi felt that it was
the job of the local authority and the respondents
from Bangalore felt that it is cumbersome to
segregate the waste. Amongst the respondents
who were willing to segregate the waste, those
from Bangalore, Kolkata, and Mumbai stated
that it was good for the environment while
those from Chennai, Delhi, and Hyderabad said
that they could use the biodegradable waste for
compost making.
xiv
T
INTRODUCTION
oday, one in two people in the world live
in cities, and another 3 billion are likely to
join them by 2050. Majority of this growth
will be seen in Africa, Asia, and Latin America,
which sees an increase of approximately 5 million
inhabitants every month (Barbier, Renard, Jozan,
& Sundar, 2010). Although the cities around the
world only occupy 2 per cent of the earth’s land, it
accounts for 60–80 per cent of energy consumption
and 75 per cent of carbon emissions.1
India is an emerging economy and has been
growing with an average GDP growth rate of
8.025 per cent for the last eight years (Ministry of
Finance, 2013). The real income in India has been
rising for a long period of time and will continue
to rise given the accelerated growth rate in the
country. The cities, in particular, would expand
at rapid rates. According to the Census 2011, the
urban population increased from 286.1 million in
2001 to 377.1 million in 2011, at an average annual
growth rate of 2.76 per cent. India has the second
largest urban system in the world with more than
350 million people living in more than 5,000 cities
and it is predicted that close to 600 million will be
living in cities by 2030 (Gopal n.d.).
Rapid urbanization has caused environmental
degradation due to increasing pressure on the
limited amount of land available. This has also led
to receding open spaces, increasing air and water
1
http://www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/cities.shtml
1
pollution, problems with the disposal of waste and
its management, and various climate related issues.
Figure 1.1 shows the performance of Indian cities
across these key indicators of quality of life. None
of these indicators meet even the basic standards
of service and with a growing population and
increasing urbanization; these pressures will
continue to rise and may lead to greater strain on
the environment.
The citizens or residents of the metro cities are
very much responsible through their behaviour
and actions in promoting sustainable standard
of living. Their responses and perceptions about
issues relating to the physical environment they
live in is extremely relevant for local policy-makers
and for reforming existing policies and designing
new policies. The citizens views on different
issues related to the environment and the daily
problems they may face would give an in-depth
knowledge of the situation in the cities. Given
that the government at the national and local level
have been designing and formulating new and
improved policies, it is important to understand
the citizens’ behaviour, perception, awareness,
and opinion towards their local environment. The
findings of this survey will therefore feed directly
into policy and implementation measures in the
context of moving towards sustainable cities. The
2013 Human Development Report highlights
Introduction
220
150
105
100 100
82
100 100
72
50
30
2.7 9
Water supply
quantity (litres
per capita per
day)
Share of Public
transport (%
total trips)
Current level
16
30
Parks and open Sewage treated
Solid waste
spaces (square
(% sewage
collected (% solid
meters per
generated)
waste generation)
capital)
Basic service standard
Best in class
Figure 1.1: Performance of Indian Cities across Key Indicators of Quality of Life
Source: (McKinsey Global Institute, 2010)
that “unless people can participate meaningfully in
events and processes that shape their lives, national
human development paths will neither be desirable nor
sustainable” (UNDP 2013).
Keeping the above view in mind, the objective
of this study is to assess people’s perceptions,
behaviour, awareness, and opinions towards the
environment. Six themes were selected, namely: (i)
Overall Environment, (ii) Air Quality, (iii) Water
Quality, (iv) Forest/Green Cover, (v) Climate
Change, and (vi) Waste and Waste Management.
The survey was conducted in the six most
populous cities in India, i.e., Bangalore, Chennai,
Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai
and a total of 4,039 responses were collected,
divided according to the population of each city.
Prior to this exercise, TERI also conducted an
online survey to assess perception, behaviour,
awareness, and opinion of people in Delhi and
Karnataka towards the environment. The online
nature of that survey limited the responses only
to people who have internet access. This survey
seeks to overcome that limitation as it has been
administered as a face-to-face interview exercise.
There is a need to understand that almost
all the issues addressed in the survey are in
fact multi-dimensional and have implications
for other environmental domains. While the
key pressing issues highlighted in the city-level
survey are based on secondary literature, they
may not highlight all the environmental issues
the cities face. The key pressing issues also do not
form any bias towards the survey results.
This report highlights some of the key findings
from the survey on the different environmental
domains and city level analysis. This report only
intends to capture the responses and does not look
into the actual state of the environment in the cities.
The following chapters describe the methodology
for the survey and report on the main findings
from the survey on the larger environmental
domain followed by a city-wise analysis.
References
Barbier, Carine; Renard, Vincent; Jozan, Raphael; and Sundar,
Sanjivi. “Cities: Steering Towards Sustainability.” In
Cities: Steering Towards Sustainability, by Pierre Jacquet,
Rajendra K Pachauri, and Laurence Tubiana, pp. 17-23.
Delhi: TERI Press, 2010.
Gopal, Karuna. “Sustainable Cities for India - Can the Goal
be Achieved?” www.futurecities.org. n.d. http://www.
futurecities.org/images/media/pdf/Sustainable%20
Cities%20-%20Karuna%20Gopal.pdf (accessed April
11, 2013).
McKinsey Global Institute. India’s Urban Awakening: Building
inclusive cities, sustaining economic growth. McKinsey &
Company, 2010.
Ministry of Finance. Economic Survey 2011–12. New Delhi:
Ministry of Finance, Government of India, 2012.
UNDP. Human Development Report 2013, The Rise of the South:
Human Progress in a Diverse World. New York: United
Nations Development Programme, 2013.
2
T
METHODOLOGY
his study is based on the survey conducted
by TERI with a sample of 4039 households
spread across six cities of India. The survey
was conducted between December, 2012 and
February, 2013, through face-to-face interviews
in each city using a standardized questionnaire.
The questionnaire made use of the 5-point rating
scale and rank order tools to assess the perception
of the respondent towards the environment and
its various aspects; and the awareness of the
respondent towards causes of environmental
issues in their cities and the relevant actions being
taken to address them.
2.1. Site Selection
The study was conducted in the six most
populous cities in India, as they represent the
rapidly changing urban scenario of the country.
According to the Census 2011 of the Government
of India1, these cities are Delhi NCR, Mumbai,
Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad.
The table below provides a glimpse of the urban
Table 1: Sample Cities, Population, and Number of Samples Collected from Each City
Sample Cities
Extended UA Population in 2011*
Percentage of Total Population of the Six Cities**
Sample Size
Delhi NCR
21,753,486
27.58
1,114
Mumbai
20,748,395
25.01
1,010
Kolkata
14,617,882
17.43
704
Chennai
8,917,749
10.67
431
Bangalore
8,728,906
9.93
401
Hyderabad
7,749,334
9.38
379
Total Population of the Six
Cities
82,515,752
100.00
4,039
Source: Census 2011
*Note: Urban Agglomeration (UA): An urban agglomeration is a continuous urban spread constituting a town and its adjoining outgrowths (OGs), or two or more
physically contiguous towns together with or without outgrowths of such towns. An Urban Agglomeration must consist of at least a statutory town, and its total
population, i.e., all the constituents put together, should not be less than 20,000 as per the 2001 Census. In varying local conditions, there were other similar
combinations which have been treated as urban agglomerations satisfying the basic condition of contiguity. Examples: Greater Mumbai UA, Delhi UA, etc. (as per
Census 2011, available at: http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/1.%20Data%20Highlight.pdf)
** Percentage of the Total Population of the Six Cities = (Extended UA Population of the City/Total Population of the Six Cities)*100
1
Available at: http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_results_paper1_india.html
3
Methodology
agglomeration and the sample size for each city
with Delhi emerging as the most populous city
and Hyderabad the least populous amongst the
six. A sample number of 0.005 per cent of the
total population of the six cities was considered
ideal for this survey and the survey collected
4,039 responses spread across the study cities.
The sample in each city was proportionate to
the ratio of population of each city with the total
population of all cities combined.
the Town and Country Planning Organization
(TCPO 2006) was taken as a reference to look at
the market value of land in all the localities in
Chennai. For Hyderabad, a consultation with
the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation
was undertaken to divide the localities into the
economic zones, and therefore, the selection of
sites was more subjective. Within the property tax
zones, localities were selected randomly. These
localities were further divided into high property
tax, medium property tax, and low property tax
categories. Since the selection was from urban
agglomerations, the sites also included satellite
cities with population of more than 20,000.
2.2. Sample Selection in the Cities
The objective of the study was to survey
citizens of the six cities representative of diverse
segments of society. Property tax zones were
taken as a proxy for economic classification after
consultation with the Municipal Corporations of
the cities. Property tax zones or categories divide
all the areas or colonies in each city according to
the price of land in the area. The price of land also
determines the rental value of the area; and this
was used as a proxy to help divide the city into
economic sections. For Hyderabad and Chennai,
the property tax zones were not available, and
therefore, an alternative methodology was
applied to ensure representation from each
economic category. For Chennai, a study by
The survey was conducted in 6 languages to elicit
responses from all groups of the cities. Apart
from English, the survey was translated into
Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, and Bengali. It
was ensured that the surveyors were well versed
in the local language of the cities to capture all
aspects of the interaction during the survey.
References
TCPO. Trends in Land Prices of Chennai. Available at: http://
www.tcpomud.gov.in/Divisions/IEP/Study.html,
Chennai: Town and Country Planning Organization,
Ministry of Urban Development, Government of
India, 2006.
4
ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAINS
3.1. Overall Environment
S
ignificant changes are observed in different
environmental domains over time in all
cities. The views on ‘overall environment’
were obtained through questions on perception
towards the state of the environment over time in
the different cities, perception and awareness of
government policies for different environmental
domains, the role of various actors in
environmental protection, and the environmentdevelopment interface.
The respondents in each city were asked to state
their perceptions of these changes. In terms of
air quality, the cities of Bangalore, Chennai,
and Mumbai cited no change while Delhi,
Hyderabad, and Kolkata perceived it as having
become worse. In terms of drinking water quality
and availability, there is a perception that it has
improved in all cities barring Hyderabad, where
the respondents felt it has worsened. Surface
water quality and availability has been perceived
to have worsened in all cities barring Mumbai
where the majority felt there was no change.
Groundwater availability, according to the
respondents in all cities, has worsened. In Chennai,
however, the number of respondents who felt
that groundwater availability has worsened was
equal to the number of respondents who felt that
it has improved. The respondents in all cities
apart from Mumbai felt that tree and forest cover
has decreased. In Mumbai, the respondents felt
that there has been no change in the forest/green
cover in the city. The respondents perceived
a decrease in the number of birds and animal
species in all cities. The majority of the Chennai
respondents had no direct experience when it
came to birds and animal species. Respondents
from Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, and Hyderabad
perceived that waste and waste management
Hyderabad
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Kolkata
Chennai
Chennai
Bangalore
Bangalore
Mumbai
Mumbai
Delhi
Delhi
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No change
Better
Worse
No direct experience
Don’t know
Figure 3.1: Changes in the State of Air Quality in the Past
Five Years
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No change
Better
Worse
No direct experience
Don’t know
Figure 3.2: Changes in the State of Drinking Water Quality
and Availability in the Past Five Years
Results from different environmental domains
Hyderabad
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Kolkata
Chennai
Chennai
Bangalore
Bangalore
Mumbai
Mumbai
Delhi
Delhi
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No change
Better
Worse
No direct experience
Don’t know
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No change
Better
Worse
No direct experience
Don’t know
Figure 3.6: Changes in the Number of Birds and Animal
Species in the Past Five Years
Figure 3.3: Changes in the State of Surface Water Quality
and Availability in the Past Five Years
Hyderabad
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Kolkata
Chennai
Chennai
Bangalore
Bangalore
Mumbai
Mumbai
Delhi
Delhi
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No change
Better
Worse
No direct experience
Don’t know
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No change
Better
Worse
No direct experience
Don’t know
Figure 3.7: Changes in the State of Waste and Waste
Management in the Past Five Years
Figure 3.4: Changes in the State of Ground Water
Availability in the Past Five Years
whether policies existed, did not exist or they
did not know of any policy. If policies existed,
respondents were asked to state whether they
perceived the policy to be well implemented,
not implemented or inadequate. It should be
noted that environmental policies exist in all the
environmental domains that were asked about
and, therefore, if the respondents stated that
policies did not exist, they were in fact, not aware
of these policies.
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Chennai
Bangalore
Mumbai
Delhi
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No change
Better
Worse
No direct experience
Don’t know
Figure 3.5: Changes in the State of Tree/Forest Cover and
Plant Species in the Past Five Years
In terms of policies on air pollution, the majority
of the respondents in Chennai and Bangalore felt
that no policies existed, showing their lack of
awareness about this. Nearly 70 per cent of the
respondents in Delhi were unaware of policies
on air pollution. The majority of the respondents
in Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai felt that
policies on air pollution existed, but were either
inadequate or not well implemented.
had worsened in their city. In Chennai, most
respondents did not know whether there has
been any noticeable change. On the other hand,
respondents from Kolkata and Mumbai felt that
the waste and waste management has in fact
improved.
The survey asked for people’s perception and
awareness of government policies related to
the environment. The respondents were asked
For water pollution, the majority of the
respondents in Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata,
6
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
Hyderabad
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Kolkata
Chennai
Chennai
Bangalore
Bangalore
Mumbai
Mumbai
Delhi
Delhi
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No government policies exist
Policies exist and are well implemented
Policies exist, but are inadequate
Policies exist, but not implemented
Don’t know
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No government policies exist
Policies exist and are well implemented
Policies exist, but are inadequate
Policies exist, but not implemented
Don’t know
Figure 3.8: Awareness and Perception of Government
Policies on Air Pollution
Figure 3.10: Awareness and Perception of Government
Policies on Water Availability
and Mumbai stated that policies existed and are
well implemented. In Hyderabad, respondents
answered that policies existed, but are either
inadequate or not well implemented. In Delhi,
again, nearly 70 per cent of the respondents
were not aware of policies on water pollution. It
is interesting to compare this with the previous
question where the respondents of all cities other
than Mumbai perceived that surface water quality
had worsened, which shows conflicting results.
water quality and availability has improved in
all cities apart from Hyderabad.
Government policies on water availability show
results similar to water pollution, where the
respondents from Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata,
and Mumbai felt that policies existed and are well
implemented. Respondents from Hyderabad felt
that policies existed, but are either inadequate
or not well implemented. In Delhi, nearly 75 per
cent of the respondents were not aware of policies
on water availability. Comparing this with the
previous question shows similar results, where
the respondents of all cities felt that drinking
Respondents from Bangalore, Chennai, and
Hyderabad felt that policies on waste management
existed, but were not well implemented. The
Kolkata respondents were equally divided, with
some feeling that waste management policies
were well implemented and others saying
that they were not well implemented or were
inadequate. The majority of the respondents in
Mumbai felt that waste management policies
were in place and well implemented. Again,
Delhi shows a low level of awareness, with over
70 per cent of the respondents not aware of waste
management policies. This again is similar to the
perception of the respondents on the state of waste
management over time, where the respondents
from Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, and Hyderabad
perceived waste and waste management to have
worsened over time.
Hyderabad
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Kolkata
Chennai
Chennai
Bangalore
Bangalore
Mumbai
Mumbai
Delhi
Delhi
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No government policies exist
Policies exist and are well implemented
Policies exist, but are inadequate
Policies exist, but not implemented
Don’t know
Figure 3.9: Awareness and Perception of Government
Policies on Water Pollution
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No government policies exist
Policies exist and are well implemented
Policies exist, but are inadequate
Policies exist, but not implemented
Don’t know
Figure 3.11: Awareness and Perception of Government
Policies on Waste Management
7
Results from different environmental domains
The majority of the respondents in all cities apart
from Delhi perceived that policies on forest
conservation are either inadequate or not well
implemented. In Delhi, again, more than 75 per
cent of the respondents were not aware of policies
related to forest conservation. In the previous
question, all cities felt that the forest/green cover
had worsened over time (barring Mumbai, where
respondents perceived no change).
protection and development could go hand
in hand or whether they should be treated
differently, with one being given preference
over the other. The respondents were asked
whether environmental protection was against
the objectives of development, and if it is, which
of these should the government prioritize. Every
city had different opinions about this.
The majority of the respondents from Bangalore
could not decide or did not know the answer to
this question. Among those who did respond, the
majority felt that the government should prioritize
development. Chennai had nearly equal numbers
of respondents saying environment protection
should be prioritized over development; and
environment protection and development go
hand in hand. Delhi was the only city where
nearly 59 per cent felt that the two could go hand
in hand. Nearly 85 per cent of the respondents
in Hyderabad felt that environmental protection
and development should be treated differently,
with the majority of respondents amongst this
85 per cent feeling that development should be
prioritized. Only 1 per cent of the respondents in
Kolkata felt that environmental protection and
development go hand in hand, with nearly 65 per
cent of the respondents stating that environmental
protection should be given priority, with the rest
prioritizing development. An equal number of
respondents from Mumbai said that the two go
hand in hand and that development should be
prioritized over environmental protection.
The respondents from Bangalore, Hyderabad,
Kolkata, and Mumbai felt that policies on
climate change are either inadequate or not well
implemented. Respondents from Chennai and
Delhi differed on this. In Delhi, nearly 80 per
cent and in Chennai, nearly 42 per cent of the
respondents were not aware of policies related to
climate change.
There has been a lot of debate the world over
regarding the interface between environmental
protection and development. The debate
mainly revolves around whether environmental
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Chennai
Bangalore
Mumbai
Delhi
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No government policies exist
Policies exist and are well implemented
Policies exist, but are inadequate
Policies exist, but not implemented
Don’t know
Figure 3.12: Awareness and Perception of Government
Policies on Forest Conservation
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Chennai
Hyderabad
Bangalore
Kolkata
Mumbai
Chennai
Delhi
Bangalore
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Yes, they should be treated differently and the government should prioritize
development
Yes, they should be treated differently and the government should prioritize
environmental protection
No, environment protection and development go hand in hand
Can’t say
Don’t know
Mumbai
Delhi
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No government policies exist
Policies exist and are well implemented
Policies exist, but are inadequate
Policies exist, but not implemented
Don’t know
Figure 3.14: Interplay between Environment Protection
and Development
Figure 3.13: Awareness and Perception of Government
Policies on Climate Change
8
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
3.2. Air
Respondents were asked to rank the two sectors
which cause the highest level of air pollution
in their city. The transport sector, followed by
factories in and around the city received the
highest and second highest scores in Chennai,
Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai. The respondents
from Bangalore rated factories as the highest
contributor to air pollution followed by transport,
and those in Hyderabad rated construction
activities in the city followed by the transport
sector as the top two causes of air pollution.
The respondents were asked whether air pollution
in cities cause diseases, such as asthma, lung cancer,
other respiratory diseases, skin diseases, and so on.
Respondents in all cities said that they completely
agree with the statement, while most respondents
in Chennai felt that air pollution is one of the major
contributing factors to these diseases.
Given that the transport sector majorly contributed
to air pollution in all cities, the respondents were
asked whether they use public transport more
than three times a week. More than 50 per cent
respondents in all cities and as many as 90 per
cent respondents in Bangalore said that they used
public transport more than three times a week.
The respondents were asked to give reasons for
choosing or avoiding the use of public transport.
For those who use public transport in Bangalore
and Kolkata, cost saving was the most important
factor. The respondents from Hyderabad used
public transport because they felt it is good for
the environment. Respondents from Chennai
and Mumbai used public transport to save time,
and the majority of Delhi’s respondents cited all
of the above as their reasons for choosing public
transport. Amongst those who do not use public
transport in Chennai, Delhi, and Hyderabad,
the main reason was that they do not find it
convenient to use. Respondents from Bangalore
and Mumbai felt that the time spent travelling on
public transport is more than when using private
vehicles. In Mumbai, convenience and frequency
of public transport was more of a reason than
time spent. The respondents in Kolkata cited
the frequency of public transport as their main
deterrent. Safety concerns were also relatively
high for respondents from Bangalore, Chennai,
Delhi, and Mumbai.
Hyderabad
800
Kolkata
600
400
Chennai
Bangalore
200
Mumbai
0
Delhi
Delhi
Mumbai
Bangalore
Transport sector
Construction activities
Garbage burning
Chennai
Kolkata
Hyderabad
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
To reduce cost
To reduce contribution towards vehicular pollution
To save time
All three
Factories in and around the city
Domestic fuel burning
Figure 3.17: Reasons for Using Public Transport
Figure 3.15: Sectors Contributing the Most to Air Pollution
Hyderabad
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Kolkata
Chennai
Chennai
Bangalore
Bangalore
Mumbai
Mumbai
Delhi
Delhi
0%
20%
40%
Yes
60%
No
80%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Unsafe to use
Not convenient to use
The time spent is more
It is not very frequent
Expensive to use
100%
Figure 3.16: Usage of Public Transport
Figure 3.18: Reasons for Not Using Public Transport
9
Results from different environmental domains
Hyderabad
Visit a park in your
neighbourhood
Visit a forest or
adjoining area
Kolkata
Chennai
Bangalore
Participate in
management of parks
Mumbai
Delhi
Plant a tree
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Leakages from taps/faucets in your house
Leakages during distribution (from municipalities, tankers, etc. to your house)
Too much water used where less is required by us as consumers
I don’t know
Water is not being wasted
Gardening at home
Involved in cutting/
chopping of a tree
0%
Never
Once a year
More than once a week
20%
40%
Once in a month
60%
80%
100%
More than onace a month
Figure 3.20: Major Causes of Wastage of Water
Figure 3.19: Strategies Government Should Adopt to
Improve Air Quality
Hyderabad
Kolkata
The respondents were asked for their opinions
on the best strategy the government could
adopt in order to improve air quality in their
city. Respondents from Hyderabad felt that
there is a need to improve the public transport
infrastructure in the city. Bangalore and Chennai
respondents felt that private vehicles should be
taxed followed very closely in Chennai by the
suggestion to set up clusters for industries to enjoy
common environment-friendly technological
facilities. Respondents from Delhi, Kolkata,
and Mumbai felt that there is a need to convert
all polluting industries into environmentfriendly units.
3.3. Water
Chennai
Bangalore
Mumbai
Delhi
0%
20%
Yes
40%
No
60%
Don't know
80%
100%
Figure 3.21: Should we pay the actual cost of water?
whether citizens should pay the actual cost of
supply of water. Respondents from Bangalore,
Chennai, Delhi, and Kolkata said citizens
should not pay the actual cost of water, while
respondents from Hyderabad and Mumbai felt
that citizens should. Quite a large number of
respondents from Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi,
and Hyderabad stated that they did not know
whether they should pay the actual cost of water.
Water availability is a big concern in all cities and
the respondents were asked for the perceived
reasons for wastage of water in their cities.
Respondents from Chennai, Hyderabad, and
Mumbai felt that water is being wasted during
its distribution to households. Most respondents
from Bangalore felt that water is being wasted due
to leakages in taps and faucets in the household,
while respondents from Delhi and Kolkata felt
that water is wasted due to overconsumption
by consumers.
The respondents were asked what their preferred
billing mechanism for water delivery to their
households was — whether they preferred
metered or consumption-based pricing, fixed or
a flat charge for water, or some other method.
Most respondents in all cities apart from Chennai
preferred metered or consumption-based pricing,
while Chennai respondents preferred a flat charge
on water delivery.
Water is currently highly subsidized in India
and urban Indian households do not pay the
actual cost of water. The respondents were asked
The forest and green cover in every city is
important as it is needed for social activities, to
reduce air pollution as well as for the beautification
3.4. Forest/Green Cover
10
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Chennai
Bangalore
Mumbai
Delhi
20%
40%
0%
Improved/new government policies
Reclamation of wasteland
Voluntary activities
60%
80%
100%
Declaration of protected areas
Public-private partnership
Intervention by civil society
organizations
Figure 3.22: Strategies Government Should Adopt to
Improve Forest/Green Cover
of urban landscapes. The respondents were asked
for their opinions on the strategies they feel the
government should adopt to improve the forest/
green cover in cities. Declaration of protected
areas was the best strategy that the government
could adopt according to the respondents from
Bangalore, Delhi, and Kolkata. According to
respondents from Chennai, reclamation of
wastelands for laying out parks was considered
the best policy. The respondents from Hyderabad
and Mumbai felt that the government needs
new and improved policies to increase forest/
green cover.
3.5. Climate Change
the respondents, in all cities apart from Mumbai,
where the respondents felt that rainfall/
precipitation has undergone a lot of change in their
city. In terms of wind patterns, all cities saw some
change other than Chennai, which was equally
divided between a lot of change and no change in
wind patterns. Respondents from Delhi, Kolkata,
Hyderabad, and Mumbai perceived some
changes in terms of extreme events in their cities,
while respondents from Chennai and Bangalore
perceived it to be of a very high degree.
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Chennai
Bangalore
Mumbai
Delhi
0%
20%
40%
A lot of change
Some change
60%
80%
100%
No change at all
Don’t know
Figure 3.23: Changes in Temperature over Time
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Chennai
The respondents were given the basic definition
of climate change and were asked whether they
perceived that climate change was occurring.
Most respondents in all cities felt that climate
change was indeed occurring. In Chennai, a very
large number of respondents also felt that climate
change was not occurring. In all the cities, those
respondents who felt that climate change was
occurring were asked about their perceptions of
changes in the different climatic factors in their
cities over time.
Respondents from all cities except those from
Mumbai perceived that there has been a lot of
change in temperature over time in the cities. In
Mumbai, the respondents felt that there has been
some change in the temperature. Precipitation or
rainfall patterns saw some change, according to
11
Bangalore
Mumbai
Delhi
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
A lot of change
Some change
No change at all
Don’t know
Figure 3.24: Changes in Precipitation/Rainfall over Time
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Chennai
Bangalore
Mumbai
Delhi
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
A lot of change
Some change
No change at all
Don’t know
Figure 3.25: Changes in Wind Patterns over Time
Results from different environmental domains
The respondents were asked about who collected
the waste from their households. The majority of
respondents from Delhi said that the waste from
their households is collected by private entities
followed closely by public entities. In Bangalore,
Kolkata, and Mumbai, waste is being collected
by public entities, while the majority of the
respondents from Chennai and Hyderabad said
that the waste is being collected through publicprivate partnership. A significant number of
respondents in Chennai were not aware of who
collected waste in their city.
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Chennai
Bangalore
Mumbai
Delhi
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
A lot of change
Some change
No change at all
Don’t know
Figure 3.26: Changes in Extreme Events over Time
3.6. Waste and Waste Management
Improper waste disposal and waste management
may lead to negative impacts on health, and the
respondents were asked for their opinions on
the severity of the health impacts. In Bangalore,
Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai, the respondents’
opinion was that the impacts are very severe.
The respondents from Hyderabad thought the
impacts were severe and an equal number of
respondents from Chennai felt the impacts were
moderate to severe.
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Chennai
Bangalore
Mumbai
Delhi
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Public entities
Private entities
Public-private partnership
Not aware
Not collected at all
The respondents were asked for their opinions
on the government strategy they think would
be best to manage the problem of solid waste.
Respondents from Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi,
and Mumbai felt that the best way to manage
the problem of solid waste would be to segregate
waste at source, that is, in the households.
Respondents from Hyderabad and Kolkata felt
that the consumers should generate a smaller
amount of waste to manage the problem of
solid waste.
Following their opinions on the best strategy to
manage solid waste in the city, the respondents
were asked whether they were willing to segregate
the waste generated at home. Respondents from
all cities apart from Kolkata said that they were
not very willing or not willing at all to segregate
the waste themselves. The respondents were
also asked for the reasons for their willingness
or unwillingness. Respondents from Chennai,
Figure 3.27: Collection of Waste from Households
Hyderabad
Total
Kolkata
Hyderabad
Chennai
Kolkata
Bangalore
Chennai
Mumbai
Bangalore
Delhi
Mumbai
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Segregate waste at source
Generate less amount of waste
I don’t know
Enhance waste recycling capacity
User charges
Figure 3.28: Best Strategies to Improve Waste
Management
Delhi
0%
20%
Not willing at all
40%
60%
Not very willing
80%
100%
Very willing
Willing
Figure 3.29: Willingness to Segregate Waste into
Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Components
12
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
Hyderabad
Hyderabad
Kolkata
Kolkata
Chennai
Chennai
Bangalore
Bangalore
Mumbai
Mumbai
Delhi
Delhi
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Requires more space
Cumbersome task
Wastes are not collected separately
Local authority’s responsibility
0%
20%
40%
Good for the environment
Already segregate wastes
60%
80%
Compost making
Others
100%
Figure 3.30: Reasons for Unwillingness to Segregate
Waste into Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable
Components
Figure 3.31: Reasons for Willingness to Segregate Waste
into Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Components
Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai who were
unwilling stated that having two dustbins
requires more space in the house. Respondents
from Delhi believed that it was the job of the local
authority, and the respondents from Bangalore
felt that it is cumbersome to segregate household
waste. The respondents from Bangalore, Kolkata,
and Mumbai who were willing to segregate the
waste stated that doing so would be good for
the environment. Respondents from Chennai,
Delhi, and Hyderabad said that they could use
the biodegradable waste to make compost.
13
Results from Bangalore
Results from Bangalore
4.1. Demographics of Bangalore
L
ocated in the southern state of Karnataka,
Bangalore is the fifth most populated
urban agglomeration in India, surpassing
Hyderabad. It has a population of nearly 8.5
million with a sex ratio of 914. While the sex ratio
is better than most other metropolises, it is still
lower than the national average of 940 females per
1,000 males. A total of 92.6 per cent of Bangalore’s
males and 86.2 per cent of the females are literate.
4.2. Demographics of the Sample
The sample from Bangalore constituted 10 per
cent of the total selected sample for the survey.
In this sample, the age distribution is represented
35–44 (25%)
45–54 (14%)
55–64 (6%)
Above 65 (2%)
in Figure 4.1a. As can be seen from the sample,
the age group 25–34 years had the maximum
representation of 31 per cent and the minimum
representation in the sample was that of the age
group 65 years and above. Figure 4.1b represents
the occupational distribution in the sample.
The respondents are spread across a variety of
occupations ranging from the regular salaried
within the private sector (38%) to those selfemployed or running their own business (31%),
to government sector (6%) and even housewives
(15%).
Twenty three per cent of the respondents from
Bangalore are female. The educational distribution
of the city is seen in Figure 4.2, which shows 41
per cent of the sample to be of graduate level and
Regular salaried (private)
(38%)
Regular salaried (government)
(6%)
Casual / daily wage (1%)
Student (9%)
18–24 (24%)
Housewife (15%)
25–34 (31%)
Figure 4.1a: Age Distribution of Respondents in
Bangalore
Self-employed/Business
(31%)
Figure 4.1b: Occupation of Respondents in
Bangalore
Results from Bangalore
likely to grow due to increasing population, it will
present a formidable challenge for the authorities
to carry out efficient waste management in the
city.
Undergraduate
and above (41%)
Upto Primary
School (till class V)
(6%)
Middle and
Secondary (Class X)
(24%)
Higher Secondary
(Class XII) and Diploma
(30%)
Figure 4.2: Educational Distribution of
Respondents in Bangalore
above, 30 per cent at higher secondary (grade
XII) and diploma level, 24 per cent at middle and
secondary (up to grade X) level, and up to 6 per
cent up to primary school (till grade V) level.
4.3. Key Pressing Issues
Bangalore, a city hailed as a centre for science
and technology, faces one of the biggest waste
management problems. In August 2012, more
than 7,000 tonnes of garbage piled up and the city’s
civic body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara
Palike (BBMP), was unable to manage the garbage
content. The civic body continues to be constantly
censured for its inability to deal with the crisis
pertaining to waste management (Reddy 2013,
The Hindu News Bureau 2012, The Hindu News
Bureau 2012, The Hindu News Bureau 2012).
As per the BBMP, Bangalore generates, on
average, 3,000 tonnes of waste per day with per
capita waste of 350 grams per day (domestic
waste). Households, markets, and commercial
establishments contribute 54 per cent, 20 per cent,
and 17 per cent of the total waste, respectively. The
city has 198 wards for management of sanitation
functions. The waste collection is mostly carried
out by assigned private agencies on contract
basis and by the BBMP. About 70 per cent of the
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) activity, starting
from primary collection to disposal, has been
outsourced and 30 per cent is managed by BBMP.
Considering the fact that the amount of waste is
The primary (door to door) collection in the
city is performed using pushcarts and auto
tippers. However, only 10 per cent of waste is
segregated at source. The secondary collection
and transportation is done using 600 MSW
transportation vehicles by both BBMP and
contractors. The waste is then shifted to the
treatment sites through compactors and tipper
lorries. Since very little segregation of waste
happens at source, a lot of unsegregated waste
reaches the processing plants (Bruhat Bangalore
Mahanagar Palika 2013). This poses a problem
at the processing units and has thus, led to
the amendment of the Karnataka Municipal
Corporations Act, 1976 by the Cabinet (The Hindu
News Bureau, 2013). As per the amendment,
BBMP can penalize citizens for spitting, littering,
urinating, and defecating, besides failing to
segregate garbage. Some of the Resident Welfare
Associations are also performing door-to-door
collection wherein the waste is segregated at
source and the organic waste is composted in the
community.
Interestingly, MSW from residential areas
is characterized as having a high degree
of fermentable component (72% of overall
MSW)
(Chanakya,
Ramachandra
and
Vijayachamundeeswari 2006, Rajabapaiah 1998).
On a household scale, the size of fermentable
MSW is quite small and is, thus, suited only
for composting and vermicomposting at the
household level (Aus-AID 2002). However,
in practice, community-scale options, as
mentioned above, have been more successful
in Bangalore as the household units for
composting and vermicomposting either turn
malodorous or have problems associated with
worm predation or worm migration (TIDE
2000, TIDE 2003, Sathishkumar, Chanakya and
Ramachandra 2001, Chanakya, Ramachandra
and Vijayachamundeeswari 2006).
18
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
Measures, such as minimizing production
of waste, disaggregation of waste at source,
maximizing waste recycling and reuse,
encouraging composting and biogasification of
organic waste (comprising 72 per cent of the total
waste), and encouraging safe disposal of wastes,
while ensuring adequate sanitary measures,
will certainly help in stopping the transition of
Bangalore from being the ‘garden city’ to the
‘garbage city’ of India.
4.4. Results for Bangalore
4.4.1. Overall environment
In order to assess how the residents of Bangalore
perceive the state of the environment around
them, responses were collected about the state
of different environmental dimensions, such as
air quality (in terms of clean air, smog, particles,
smell), drinking water quality and availability,
surface water quality and availability (from lakes,
rivers, ponds, etc.), ground water availability, tree
cover/green cover and plant species in the area
(forest cover, parks, open spaces, etc.), the number
of birds and/or animal species in the city (such
as sparrows, butterflies, and so on), and those
related to waste and waste management (garbage
collection, dumping, and so on). The responses
indicated that a majority of respondents perceived
the quality of the environment to have deteriorated
over the last five years, except for surface water
and drinking water quality and availability, which
have been perceived to have become better over
this period of time (Figure 4.3). The majority of
respondents feel that there has been no change in
the quality of air in the city. Moreover, looking at
the gender differentiated responses, it is noticed
that for all dimensions of the environment, except
that of waste and waste management, a higher
percentage of women perceive deterioration in
environmental quality compared to men. Also,
there were differences seen in the responses across
different types of localities.
The perception and awareness of respondents
about existing government policies that address
19
environmental concerns varies a lot with
respect to different dimensions. Most of the
respondents perceive an existence of policies for
climate change, forest conservation, and waste
management, but feel that these are inadequate.
In the context of water availability and water
pollution, policies are perceived to be existing
and being well implemented. However, in the
context of air pollution, respondents feel that
there are no government policies in place.
The main source of information for respondents
about
environment-related
activities
is
television and national newspapers, followed
by local/regional newspapers, and seminars
and programmes. The responses received
indicate that 57 per cent respondents consider
national newspapers to be the most important,
and 59 per cent of these respondents felt that
the information they received on environmentrelated activities was adequate. On the other
hand, 87 per cent of the respondents indicated
that they did not feel informal conversation was
providing them with adequate information.
A total of 55 per cent of respondents ranked
government and 25 per cent ranked business
as the top groups who should work to
help improve the state of the environment
(Figure 4.4).
When asked if they believe that environmental
protection and development have contradicting
objectives, majority of the respondents were not
able to tell if the contradiction exists, 22 per cent
of the respondents indicated that environment
protection and development should be treated
differently and the government should
prioritize development, whereas 19 per cent
indicated that the government should prioritize
environmental protection. A higher percentage
of women compared to men preferred to
prioritize development over environment.
Only 10 per cent of the respondents felt that
environment protection and development go
hand in hand.
The results of the survey have been further
analysed by grouping them under five
Results from Bangalore
11%
9%
Waste and waste management
(garbage collection, dumping, etc)
Number of birds and/or animal
species in your city (ex. Sparrows,
butterflies, etc.)
53%
14%
13%
17%
24%
51%
9%
0%
6%
Tree cover/green cover and
plant species in your area
(forest cover, parks,
open spaces, etc.)
19%
47%
17%
12%
2%
3%
77%
Ground water availability
18%
1%
4%
9%
Surface water quality and availability
(lakes, rivers, ponds, etc.)
28%
50%
10%
7%
2%
13%
Drinking water quality
and availability
68%
11%
10%
Air quality (clean air,
smog, particles, smell)
2%
17%
26%
46%
0%
10%
Don’t know
20%
30%
40%
50%
No direct experience
60%
Worse
70%
Better
80%
90%
No change
Figure 4.3: Changes in the State of the Environment in the Past Five Years in Bangalore
Businesses (25%)
Consumers (like you and me) (9%)
Non-Profit Organizations (4%)
Academic institutions/
Research organizations (7%)
Government (55%)
Figure 4.4: Opinions on the Top Groups that
Should Work towards Improving the State of the
Environment in Bangalore
environmental dimensions — air, water, forest/
green cover, climate change, and waste/waste
management.
4.4.2. Air
The respondents were asked about their
perception of the sectors that contribute most to
air pollution. Thirty-nine per cent of respondents
consider factories in and around the cities to be
contributing the most to air pollution, followed
by 32 per cent pointing to the transport sector. A
total of 31 per cent of the surveyed population in
the city has also ranked construction activities as
the second most polluting sector. The resulting
20
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
air pollution can lead to many diseases, such as
asthma, lung cancer, and other respiratory and
skin diseases. When the respondents were asked
if they think that air pollution is the cause of these
diseases, the responses show that 31 per cent of
them consider air pollution to be the cause of
these diseases, whereas 39 per cent perceive it to
be only one of the major contributing factors. A
significant proportion of the respondents (25 per
cent) consider air pollution to be a very minor
contributing factor.
Since the transport sector has been shown by
many studies to be a major contributor to air
pollution, the survey also tried to understand
the behaviour of the respondents with respect to
their use of public transport. A total 90 per cent
of the respondents use public transport more
than three times a week, with 61 per cent of them
indicating cost reduction as the reason for this,
36 per cent use public transport for reducing
vehicular pollution, 56 per cent using it to save
time, and 4 per cent of the respondents use it for
all these factors.
As per the survey, regarding the strategy that
should be adopted by the government to improve
air quality, 39 per cent respondents support
levying of heavier congestion tax and other
taxes to discourage private vehicles and 25 per
cent consider enhancement of public transport
infrastructure to be another important strategy.
Conversion of all polluting industries into
environment-friendly industries is perceived by
20 per cent respondents to be the strategy that
the government should adopt. Setting up of local
industrial clusters to enjoy common environmentfriendly facilities to reduce pollution, and the
option of stringent monitoring and ensuring
that environmental standards are met received
11 per cent and 6 per cent supportive responses,
respectively (Figure 4.5).
50%
39%
40%
30%
20%
25%
20%
11%
10%
6%
0
0%
Public Heavier Green Industrial Stirct
Others
transport taxes industries clusters monitoring
21
Don't
know
Figure 4.5: Strategies Government should Adopt to Improve
Air Quality in Bangalore
is followed by 25 per cent of the respondents
perceiving leakages during distribution to
households (from municipalities, tankers, etc.),
and 17 per cent considering over-use of water by
consumers as being the cause of water wastage
in the city. When asked for their views on paying
the actual cost of water supply, it was found that
a very large percentage of the population (74 per
cent) do not support this idea (Figure 4.6).
Similarly, when asked if either fixed/flat charges or
metered consumption-based billing mechanisms
should be used to price water delivery at home,
more than 99 per cent respondents favour the
latter option where they want to pay their water
bill on the basis of their consumption.
4.4.4. Forest/Green Cover
In order to understand the perception, behaviour,
and awareness of the respondents about the
Don't Know (24.25%)
Yes (1.25%)
No (74.50%)
4.4.3. Water
The main cause of wastage of water in the city has
been identified as leakages from taps and faucets
in houses by 38 per cent of the respondents. This
0
Figure 4.6: Should We Pay the Actual Cost of Water in
Bangalore?
Results from Bangalore
forest/green cover in the city, they were asked
about the different environment-related activities
that they were involved in. When asked about
their visits to neighbourhood parks, 88 per cent
indicated that they go to a park more than once
a week and 12 per cent go more than once a
month. Visits to forests or adjoining areas more
than once a week were indicated by 53 per cent
of the population, whereas 17 per cent also
indicated that they have never visited a forest.
With regard to the behaviour of people in terms
of participating in the management of the parks
in their neighbourhood, 33 per cent engage in this
more than once a week and another 33 per cent
participate more than once a month. Planting of a
tree is done by about 19 per cent of the population
once a year, but 45 per cent of the respondents
have never planted a tree. Gardening at home is
practiced on a regular basis by only 10 per cent of
the respondents (more than once a week), while
70 per cent of the respondents say they have
never engaged in this activity. A total 80 per cent
of the respondents have never been involved in
the cutting/chopping of a tree, but 5 per cent of
the respondents have been involved in cutting a
tree more than once a week (Figure 4.7).
The respondents’ opinion on ways to improve the
green cover in the city (32 per cent) supported
the strategy of declaration of protected areas
where no commercial activity can take place,
Involved in cutting/
chopping of a tree
80%
16%
Plant a tree
Visit a forest or adjoining area
(not necessarily in your city)
Visit a park in your
neighbourhood
Never
Once a year
45%
21%
19%
2% 12%
4.4.5. Climate Change
Perceptions about climate change, when analysed
through this survey, depict that 64 per cent of
the respondents think that climate change is
occurring, while 35 per cent believe that it is not.
Results regarding the perceptions of the various
parameters of climate change are depicted in
Figure 4.8. Respondents perceive a lot of change
in temperature and occurrence of extreme events
like floods and droughts (53 per cent for the
former and 42 per cent for the latter). Sixy nine
per cent of the respondents perceived some
change in precipitation, while 65 per cent of the
respondents notice some change in wind pattern.
4.4.6. Waste and Waste Management
The problem of waste and its management is
extremely significant in Bangalore. The negative
impacts of improper solid waste management on
human health are considered to be very severe
by 69 per cent of the respondents, severe by 24
per cent of the respondents, and less than 10 per
cent consider the impact to be moderate or low.
The responses show that the age group 25–34
years has the highest percentage of respondents
who perceive deterioration in the quality of
12% 3%1%5%
Gardening at home
Participate in management of
parks in your neighbourhood
and a nearly equal percentage of respondents
perceived reclamation of wastelands for parks to
be another such important step.
13%
7%
33%
Extreme events (floods,
drought, storms, etc.)
3% 2% 10%
17%
42%
Wind pattern
26%
12%
5% 2%
20%
65%
4%
7% 2%
33%
Precipitation/rainfall
17%
34%
24%
19%
69%
8% 4%
53%
Temperature
88%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Once in a month More than once a month More than once a Week
0%
A lot of change
Figure 4.7: Behaviour Towards and Frequency
of Usage of Surrounding Forest/Green Cover in
Bangalore
53%
20%
Some change
40%
40%
60%
No change at all
4%3%
80%
100%
Don’t know
Figure 4.8: Changes in Climatic Factors over
Time in Bangalore
22
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
waste management, followed by the age group
35–44 years.
Collection of garbage/waste from households
is extremely important in managing the waste.
When asked about the entity responsible for
collecting waste from households, 44 per cent
reported public entities, 30 per cent reported
private entities, and 24 per cent indicated public
private partnerships.
Perceptions of respondents were also collected to
gauge the best strategy to manage the problem of
solid waste. Figure 4.9 depicts the preference of
the different strategies, out of which segregation
of waste at the source is perceived to be the best
strategy for managing solid waste, followed by
reducing the generation of waste itself.
The respondents were also asked about their
willingness to segregate their waste into
biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste
before disposing it. The responses show that 44
per cent of the respondents are not willing to
segregate waste at all and only 11 per cent of the
respondents in the city showed high willingness
to segregate. A total 34 per cent of the respondents
were not very willing and 12 per cent were willing
to segregate. The large number of respondents
from the age group of 35–44 years (almost 50 per
cent) have answered that they are unwilling to
segregate their waste at all.
As for the reasons for their unwillingness to
segregate waste, 34 per cent consider separating
the wastes to be a cumbersome task, 31 per cent
feel that they will need more space to keep the
two separate bins, and 23 per cent consider
segregation to be the responsibility of the local
authority. There is also a small percentage of
respondents (11 per cent) which feels that even
if they segregate the wastes, it is not collected
separately by the civic authorities. However,
amongst those respondents who have regular
salaried jobs in the private sector, a very small
percentage (less than 5 per cent) consider it
to be a cumbersome task. They mostly think
that the space constraint for segregation is the
limiting factor. Gender differentiated responses
show that men are less willing to segregate
as compared to women and they identify
segregation to be more cumbersome.
Of those respondents who showed willingness to
segregate wastes, 50 per cent consider segregation
to be good for the environment and 27 per cent
stated that they can use the biodegradable wastes
to make compost.
References
Aus-AID. “Overview Report on Environmental Sanitation,
Vol 1. Solid Waste.” 2002.
Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palika. Details of Solid Waste
Management.
2013.
http://bbmp.gov.in/web/swm.
(accessed March 28, 2013).
Chanakya,
H
N,
Ramachandra,
T
V,
and
Vijayachamundeeswari, M. Anaerobic Digestion and Reuse
of Digested Products of Selected Components of Urban Solid
Waste. Bangalore: Centre for Ecological Sciences, 2006.
Don’t know
Rajabapaiah, P. Energy from Bangalore Garbage — A
Preliminary Study. ASTRA Technicap Report. Bangalore:
Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Indian Institute of
Science, 1998.
0
User charges
3%
Recycling
Reddy, Y Maheswara. “Waste of Management in Bangalore.”
Bangalore: Daily News & Analysis, February 2013.
9%
Segregation
Sathishkumar, R; Chanakya, H N; and Ramachandra, T V.
Feasible Solid Waste Management. Bangalore: Centre for
Ecological Sciences, 2001.
52%
Less waste
35%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
The Hindu News Bureau. “Soon You Will Be Fined If You
Don’t Segregate Garbage.” March 21, 2013.
—. “Garbage Issues Raise a Stink.” The Hindu , August 1,
2012.
Figure 4.9: Best Strategies to Improve Waste
Management in Bangalore
23
Results from Bangalore
—. “Garbage Not a Nano Issue.” The Hindu, August 29, 2012.
—. “Vox Pop on Bangalore’s Garbage.” The Hindu, August
25, 2012.
TIDE. Energy Recovery from Municipal Solid Wastes in
Around Bangalore. Malleswaram, Bangalore: Technology
Informatics Design Endeavour, 2000.
TIDE. Municipal Solid Waste in Small Towns. Malleswarm,
Bangalore: Technology Informatics Design Endeavour,
2003.
24
Results from Chennai
25
Results from CHENNAI
5.1. Demographics of Chennai
C
hennai is the fourth largest urban
agglomeration in India with a population
of 8.7 million inhabitants. Chennai’s
sex ratio and the literacy rate are higher than
the national average at 981 and 90.35 per cent,
respectively. A total 87 per cent of the female
population of Chennai is literate, which is
second only to Greater Mumbai UA amongst the
cities surveyed.
5.2. Demographics of the Sample
The majority of the respondents in Chennai
were from the age group 18–24 years (48 per
cent), followed by the age group 25–34 years (40
per cent) (Figure 5.1). The gender classification
was skewed towards males, with more than
90 per cent responses coming from them. In
terms of educational qualifications, most of
the respondents had an undergraduate degree
or above (60 per cent), while 25 per cent were
educated up to higher secondary level or had
a diploma degree (Figure 5.2). In terms of the
occupations of the respondents, the maximum
response was received from the student
population (42 per cent), followed by regular
salaried employees of the private sector (21 per
cent), and self-employed persons in business and
related activities (14 per cent) (Figure 5.3).
25–34 (40%)
Undergraduate
and above (60%)
35–44 (10%)
Up to primary school
(till class V) (3%)
45–54 (1%)
55–64 (1%)
Middle and
secondary
(class X) (12%)
18–24 (48%)
Higher secondary
(class XII) and
diploma (25%)
Figure 5.1: Age Group-wise Distribution of
Respondents in Chennai
Figure 5.2: Educational Distribution of
Respondents in Chennai
Results from Chennai
the metro’s water treatment plants. According
to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, all
these water bodies in the city are polluted and
not suitable for any of their designated uses, viz.,
drinking, bathing, propagation of wildlife, such
as animal husbandry and fisheries, industrial
uses, cooking and washing, and agriculture.
Also, the contamination level is relatively high in
Buckingham Canal, followed by Otteri Nallah and
Cooum River (Chennai Metropolitan Development
Authority 2013).
Housewife (2%)
Unemployed (5%)
Self-employed/
business (14%)
Regular salaried
(private) (21%)
Regular salaried
(government) (13%)
Casual/daily wage (3%)
Student (42%)
Figure 5.3: Occupational Distribution of
Respondents in Chennai
5.3. Key Pressing Issues
Known as the Gateway to South India, Chennai
is located on the south-eastern coast of India and
has the world’s second largest beach. Two major
rivers, Cooum and Adyar, carve picturesque
meandering paths through the centre and south
of the city, respectively. River Kortalaiyar flows
through the northern fringes of Chennai at
Ennore. However, the resemblance in all the
three major rivers is the pervasive dark, blackish
tinge of colour.
The level of hydrological pollution is a major
concern in the Chennai coastal zone on account of
uncontrolled disposal of wastewater and pollutants
due to anthropogenic factors. This is primarily due
to the increase in development activities of small-,
medium-, and large-scale industries, disposal
of municipal waste, expansion of harbours, and
numerous other commercial and recreational
activities. These factors pose an imminent threat
to the quality of water and marine biotas, and are
health hazards (Shanmugam 2007, Tran, Euan and
Isla 2002, Beiras, et al. 2003). The sewage carried
by the six major waterways and drains — Adyar,
Cooum, Captain Cotton Canal, Buckingham
Canal, Otteri Nallah, and Mambalam drain — is
more than the quantity of sewage collected by
In practice, it is advisable to discharge
wastewater at a depth greater than 20 metres
in the ocean for better dispersion and diffusion
(Beder 1989). Discharge at this depth ensures
and facilitates the maintenance of the organic
and inorganic material’s concentration level
below the threshold limit. Contrary to this,
most of the wastewater is disposed on the
Chennai coast.
In a recent study of the Chennai coast in the Bay
of Bengal, it was reported that the highest levels
of petroleum hydrocarbons are found in areas
where shipping activities and land-based waste
waters are disposed into the sea through rivers
like Cooum and Adyar (Venkatachalapathy,
Veerasingam and Ramkumar 2010). There
have even been reports of certain types of
dermatological problems due to coastal
pollution in the north Chennai zone (Gowri
and Ramachandran 2001). Moreover, there are a
number of studies highlighting the accumulation
of toxic heavy metals in the biota present in the
water bodies in and around Chennai, particularly
in crabs and shrimp (Vasanthi, et al. 2012, Prabhu
Dass Batvari, et al. 2013, Santhiya, et al. 2011).
All these issues bring out the need to ensure that
the waste discharged into Chennai’s water bodies
is below the threshold levels of parameters, such
as biochemical oxygen demand, concentrations
of dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand,
nutrients (nitrites, nitrates, and phosphates),
maximum probable number of bacteria,
and turbidity.
28
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
5.4. Results for Chennai
Occupation-wise, almost 67 per cent of selfemployed respondents and 47 per cent of
government employees and students felt that
drinking water quality and availability had
improved over the past five years, whereas 67 per
cent of daily wage labourers and 57 per cent of
housewives felt that it had worsened.
5.4.1. Overall Environment
The survey respondents were asked whether
they perceived a change in the state of the
different environmental domains over the last
five years (2007 onwards). A total of 47 per cent
of the respondents felt that surface water quality
and availability had worsened in Chennai, and
23 per cent felt that the condition of waste and
waste management had also exacerbated. On the
contrary, a sizeable number (47 per cent) perceived
the drinking water quality and availability to have
improved in the current scenario as compared to
pre-2007 conditions. Fairly mixed responses were
obtained for ground water quality and availability,
with almost an equal number of respondents
perceiving it as having improved and worsened.
In terms of air pollution, a significant number
of respondents (45 per cent) felt that there was
not much change in the air quality since 2007,
whereas 26 per cent felt that it has deteriorated in
this timespan (Figure 5.4).
In terms of awareness and perception about
government policies for various environmentrelated issues, more than half of the respondents
felt that no policies exist for combating air
pollution, and even if they exist, 20 per cent felt
they were either inadequate or not well
implemented. A total 42 per cent of the
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
Almost 67 per cent of the respondents in the age
group of 45–54 years felt that the state of surface
water quality and availability had worsened
since 2007 while 29 per cent in the age group of
18–24 years perceived it to have become better in
comparison to the situation since then.
Waste and waste
management
21%
8%
Figure 5.5: Changes in the State of Drinking
Water Quality and Availability in the Past Five
Years for Different Age Groups in Chennai
29%
23%
17%
Number of birds and
animal species
26%
25%
19%
12%
16%
Tree cover/
green cover
25%
20%
12%
Ground water
availability
5%
Surface water quality
and availability
5%
Drinking water quality
and availability
18%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
No change Better
Don't know
Worse
No direct experience
26%
27%
28%
15%
14%
40%
25%
16%
1%
28%
3%
31%
47%
18%
1%
Air quality
0%
3%
26%
25%
5%
10%
Don’t know
15%
20%
25%
No direct experience
45%
30%
Worse
35%
Better
40%
45%
50%
No change
Figure 5.4: Changes in the State of the Environment in the Past Five Years in Chennai
29
Results from Chennai
respondents stated that policies on climate
change did not exist. Both these statistics show
a lack of awareness on air quality and climate
change related policies. About 35 per cent and 45
per cent of the respondents felt that policies exist
and are well implemented for water availability
and pollution, respectively. However, 30 per cent
also felt that even though policies exist, they are
inadequate when it comes to water availability
issues, while for water pollution, about 29 per
cent said that government policies do not exist
at all. Twenty nine per cent of the respondents
felt that government policies do exist for forest
conservation while another 25 per cent perceived
them as existent, but inadequate to address the
issue of forest conservation suitably (Figure 5.6).
Rank 2
Rank 1
0%
Forest conservation
25%
19%
7%
12%
7%
6%
Business (10%)
Consumers
(like you and me)
(14%)
Non-profit
organizations (1%)
Academic
institutions/research
organizations (1%)
Water availability
30%
20%
Water pollution
2%
5%
Government (74%)
Figure 5.8: Top Groups that Should Work
Towards Improving the Environment in Chennai
32%
26%
10%
35%
18%
45%
29%
Air pollution
2%
4%
0%
17%
10%
20%
100%
government as first and consumers as second
with about 14 per cent of responses, closely
followed by business with 10 per cent of responses
(Figure 5.8).
29%
24%
Waste management
80%
School/college curriculum
42%
19%
15% 18%
19%
60%
Figure 5.7: Means of Getting Information on
Environment-related Activities in Chennai
The respondents were also asked to rank different
groups, according to their preferences, that they
deemed as having a major role to play in working
towards improving the state of the environment.
More than 70 per cent of the respondents ranked
6%
40%
Research publications
Informal conversations
The respondents were asked to rank, according to
their preferences, the sources that they generally
use to get information about the environment.
Almost 50 per cent of the respondents chose
national newspapers as their first choice, followed
closely by television, which was also the first
choice for 40 per cent of the respondents (Figure
5.7). On the other hand, 51 per cent of the people
surveyed stated that informal conversations were
the second most popular choice for information
on the environment.
Climate change
20%
National newspapers
Local/regional newspapers
Television
Magazines
Internet
Seminars and programmes
22%
55%
30%
40%
Don’t know
Exist, but not implemented
Exist and are well implemented
No government policies exist
50%
60%
Exist, but are inadequate
Figure 5.6: Awareness and Perception of Government Policies in Chennai
30
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
In terms of the debate between environment and
development, respondents were asked whether
they felt that protecting the environment was
against the objectives of development. Almost 30
per cent of the respondents felt that these two go
hand in hand, while another 30 per cent felt that
the government should prioritize environment
protection. Another 13 per cent of the respondents
were of the opinion that the government should
prioritize the objectives of development over
environment protection (Figure 5.9).
stated that they do so to reduce their contribution
towards vehicular pollution (Figure 5.12).
Respondents were asked for their opinions on the
best strategies to tackle air pollution and improve
26%
38%
23%
5%
9%
5.4.2. Air
When asked about the link between air pollution
and the occurrence of different diseases (such
as asthma, lung cancer, and other respiratory
diseases), 38 per cent of the respondents said that
air pollution is just one of the major contributing
factors and not the sole cause. Only 5 per cent
respondents stated that air pollution is not a
causal factor at all for the occurrence of these
respiratory diseases (Figure 5.10).
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Yes, I totally agree
Yes, but it is just one of the major contributing factors
Yes, but it is a very minor contributing factor
No, I don’t think air pollution causes any of these diseases
I don’t know
Figure 5.10: Does Air Pollution Cause Diseases,
such as asthma, lung cancer, etc., in Chennai?
6%
About 57 per cent of the Chennai respondents
claimed that they use public transport more than
three times a week and of those almost 34 per cent
respondents do so to save time, while 32 per cent
18%
25%
25%
19%
0
No, environment
protection and
development fo hand
in hand (29%)
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
The time spent is more on public transport
It is expensive for me to use
It is not very frequent
It is not convenient for me to use
I do not find it safe to use
Figure 5.11: Reasons for Not Using Public
Transport in Chennai
Can’t say (18%)
Don’t know (10%)
Yes, government should
prioritize development
(13%)
0
Yes, government should
prioritize environmental
protection (30%)
10%
20%
30%
To save time
All of the above
To reduce my contribution towards vehicular pollution
To save on cost
40%
Figure 5.12: Reasons for Using Public Transport
in Chennai
Figure 5.9: Interplay between Environment
Protection and Development in Chennai
31
Results from Chennai
air quality in cities. Almost 25 per cent of them felt
that levying a heavier congestion tax and other
taxes to discourage the use of private vehicles
would help this cause. Converting all polluting
industries into environment-friendly industries
and setting up local industrial clusters were also
seen as feasible options to tackle air pollution in
cities by Chennai respondents (Figure 5.13).
5.4.3. Water
With regard to people’s perception of the major
causes of wastage of water in their city, about 39 per
cent of them termed leakages during distribution
(from municipalities, tankers, etc., to houses) as the
primary cause, while a significant percentage (32
per cent) of the respondents felt that it was being
wasted owing to leakage from taps and faucets in
their homes. About 17 per cent of them felt that
water is not being wasted at all (Figure 5.14).
In terms of the pricing structure of water, almost
42 per cent of the respondents were of the opinion
that consumers should not pay the actual cost
of water, rather, they should continue with the
current subsidized structure, while only 22 per
cent felt that consumers should pay the true
cost of water (Figure 5.15). When asked about a
feasible billing mechanism for water, only 32 per
cent of the respondents said that billing must be
based on metered consumption and not on flat
rates (Figure 5.16).
When classified by the educational qualifications
of the respondents, 23 per cent of the respondents
with undergraduate degrees and above felt that
consumers must pay the true cost of water, while
63 per cent of the respondents with education
up to middle and secondary schooling felt that
Don't Know (36%)
Yes (22%)
15%
25%
0%
Public transport
Strict monitoring
25%
23%
4% 9%
50%
Heavier taxes
Green industries
Don't know
Others
Figure
5.13: Strategies Government Should
100%
90%
Adopt
80% to Improve Air Quality in Chennai
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
No (42%)
100%
Industrial clusters
Figure 5.15: Should we pay the actual cost of
water in Chennai?
45%
31%
Fixed charges/
flat rates (68%)
15%
7%
Transport
sector
3%
Factories in Construction Domestic
Garbage
and around activities fuel burning burning
cities
activities
(cow-dung
cake, wood
and charcoal
burning for
cooking,
heating, etc.)
Figure 5.14: Major Causes of Wastage of Water
in Chennai
Metered/
consumption
based (32%)
Figure 5.16: Preferred Billing Mechanism for
Water Delivery to Households in Chennai
32
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
consumers should continue paying the subsidized
rate of water (Figure 5.17).
Out of all the groups, 42 per cent self-employed
persons and 38 per cent students were in favour
of metered consumption, while 77 per cent each
of regular salaried respondents in private and
government organizations favoured flat rates for
billing water consumption (Figure 5.18).
5.4.4. Forest/Green Cover
Regarding the behavioural aspect of the Chennai
respondents in relation to the surrounding green
cover, they were asked about the frequency of
the environmental activities that they undertook.
About 38 per cent of the respondents were
Undergraduate
and above
23%
35%
42%
Higher secondary
(Class XII) and Diploma
22%
45%
32%
Middle and
secondary (class X)
17%
Up to primary
school (till class V)
63%
27%
0%
20%
40%
Yes
No
The Chennai respondents were asked, which
strategy, according to them, is the best to improve
their city’s green cover. A significant number
(36 per cent) felt that reclaiming barren land and
wastelands would be a good strategy. About 21
per cent also felt that public–private partnerships
could play an important role in improving
Chennai’s green cover, while 11 per cent of the
respondents gave weight to the voluntary actions
of citizens to address this issue (Figure 5.20).
5.4.5. Climate Change
A majority of Chennai respondents (41 per cent)
feel that climate change is actually occurring,
while 38 per cent feel it is not (Figure 5.21).
20%
45%
involved in the cutting of a tree, while 17 per
cent were engaged in some form of gardening
more than once a week. Moreover, 31 per cent
participated in the management of parks in their
neighbourhood more than once a month. Almost
39 per cent visited a forest or adjoining area (not
necessarily within Chennai) once a month, and 34
per cent of them said that they planted a tree once
a year (Figure 5.19).
27%
60%
80%
Don’t know
100%
Figure 5.17: Opinions of Different Educational
Groups on Paying the Actual Cost of Water in
Chennai
When climate change was further disaggregated,
almost 62 per cent respondents stated that they felt
that temperature had undergone a lot of change
and 67 per cent felt there was some change in the
Visit a park in your
neighbourhood
Visit a forest or
adjoining area
Retired
Unemployed
Participate in
management of parks
Housewife
Student
Plant a tree
Casual/daily wage
Regular salaried
(government)
Regular salaried (private)
Gardening at home
Involved in cutting/
chopping of a tree
Self employed/Business0%
20%
Fixed charges/flat rates
40%
60%
80%
100%
Metered/consumption based
0%
Never
Once a year
More than once a week
20%
40%
Once in a month
60%
80%
100%
More than onace a month
Figure 5.19: Behaviour Towards and Frequency
of Use of Surrounding Forest/Green Cover in
Chennai
Figure 5.18: Preferred Billing Mechanism for
Water Delivery to Households in Chennai for
Different Occupations
33
Results from Chennai
40%
36%
Extreme events
29%
Wind pattern
32%
24%
18%
28%
35%
30%
28%
31%
9%
25%
21%
20%
18%
Precipitation/rainfall
22%
67%
8% 2%
15%
10%
5%
10%
11%
Temperature
62%
28%
9%
1%
7%
0%
0
Percentage
Improved/ new government policies
Declaration of protected areas
Public-private partnership
Reclamation of wasteland for parks, etc.
Voluntary activities by citizens
Intervention by civil society organizations
Others
A lot of change
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
No change at all
Don’t know
Some change
Figure 5.22: Changes in Climatic Factors over
Time in Chennai
be severe, while 18 per cent term them to be very
severe. Only 7 per cent of the respondents felt that
improper solid waste management has no impact
on adverse health effects (Figure 5.23), showing a
relatively sound level of awareness amongst the
Chennai citizens in terms of solid waste handling.
Figure 5.20: Strategies Government Should
Adopt to Improve Forest/Green Cover in Chennai
No (38%)
The respondents were asked to select the
best strategy to tackle the issue of solid waste
May be (11%)
Can’t say (10%)
I don’t Know
100%
Yes (41%)
90%
9%
7%
No Impact
80%
20%
Figure 5.21: Is climate change occurring in
Chennai?
70%
60%
pattern of rainfall. In terms of the wind pattern,
almost 31 per cent reported that they did not feel
any change at all. About 24 per cent respondents
were of the opinion that there was some degree of
change in terms of occurrence of extreme events,
such as flood, drought, etc. (Figure 5.22).
23%
50%
Moderate
40%
30%
23%
Severe
20%
10%
5.4.6. Waste/Waste Management
To assess the perception of the respondents in
terms of the link between improper solid waste
management and adverse health impacts, they
were asked to rate them. Results showed that almost
23 per cent respondents reckon these impacts to
Low
18%
Very Severe
0%
Figure 5.23: Negative Impacts of Improper
Solid Waste Management on Human Health in
Chennai
34
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
constraints as the primary reason (Figure 5.27).
This was closely followed by other reasons, such
as the activity of segregation being cumbersome
and considered to be primarily the responsibility
of the local authority. Out of those who expressed
their willingness to segregate wastes in their
houses, almost 37 per cent were willing in order
to make compost out of the biodegradable wastes,
while 25 per cent agreed to segregate wastes since
they consider it to be an environment-friendly
step (Figure 5.28).
Public-private partnership
(29%)
Not aware (23%)
Other (1%)
Not collected at all
(5%)
Public entities (13%)
Private-private (29%)
Figure 5.24: Who collects garbage from your
household in Chennai?
management. Almost 28 per cent of them felt that
waste segregation at the source itself is the best
strategy while 25 per cent thought waste recycling
was likewise an effective strategy. Only 12 per
cent were of the opinion that charging the users
as per their waste generation is a good strategy
to deal with the issue of solid waste management
(Figure 5.25).
Though the majority of respondents felt that
waste segregation is the best strategy to manage
solid waste properly in a city; almost 49 per cent
of the total respondents are not willing at all
to segregate waste themselves in their homes
(Figure 5.26). Only 33 per cent of them showed
some level of willingness to segregate their solid
waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable
components. When asked about the reasons
for their stated unwillingness, a majority of
the respondents (36 per cent) identified space
Not willing at all (49%)
Very willing (6%)
Willing (27%)
Not very willing (18%)
Figure 5.26: Willingness to Segregate Waste
into Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable
Components in Chennai
40%
36%
35%
30%
25%
16%
20%
18%
10%
25%
5%
28%
0%
20%
User charges
23%
15%
12%
Don't know
23%
Recycling
Segregation
Cumbersome
Local authority's responsibility
Less waste
Space constraint
Waste not collected separately
Figure 5.27: Reasons for Unwillingness to
Segregate Waste into Biodegradable and NonBiodegradable Components in Chennai
Figure 5.25: Best Strategies to Improve Waste
Management in Chennai
35
Results from Chennai
40%
Gowri, V S, and Ramachandran, S. Coastal Pollution of
Chennai City, Coastal Geomorphology of India. Chennai:
Anna University, 2001.
37%
35%
33%
30%
25%
Prabhu Dass Batvari, B, et al. “Heavy Metals Accumulation
in Crab and Shrimps from Pulicat Lake, North Chennai
Coastal Region, Southeast Coast of India.” Toxicology and
Industrial Health, 2013.
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
5%
0
Environment friendly
Compost making
Already segregating
Santhiya, G; Lakshumanan, C; Selvin, J; and Asha, D.
“Microbiological Analysis of Seawater and Sediments in
Urban Shorelines: Occurrence of Heavy Metals Resistance
Bacteria on Chennai Beaches, Bay of Bengal.” Microchemical
Journal 99, no. 2 (2011): 197-202.
Others
Figure 5.28: Reasons for Willingness to
Segregate Waste into Biodegradable and NonBiodegradable Components in Chennai
Shanmugam, Palanisamy; Neelamani, S; Ahn, Yu-Hwan;
Philip, Ligy; and Hong, Gi-Hoon. “Assessment of the
Levels of Coastal Marine Pollution of Chennai City,
Southern India.” Water Resources Management 21, no. 7
(2007): 1187-1206.
References
Beder, S. Curr Aff Bull. “Engineering Sydney’s Sewerage
Pollution: Public Relations Assisted Technology.” Curr Aff
Bull 66 (1989): 27-31.
Beiras, R; Bellas, J; Fernández, N; Lorenzo, J I; and CobeloGarcı́a, A. “Assessment of Coastal Marine Pollution in
Galicia (NW Iberian Peninsula); Metal Concentrations
in Seawater, Sediments and Mussels (Mytilus
Galloprovincialis) Versus Embryo–larval Bioassays
Using Paracentrotus Lividus and Ciona Intestinalis.” Marine
Environmental Research 56, no. 4 (2003): 531-553.
Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority. Chennai:
Environment. 2013. http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/
Volume1_English_PDF/Vol1_Chapter11_Environment.
pdf. (accessed March 28, 2013).
Tran, K C; Euan, J; and Isla, M L. “Public Perception of
Development Issues: Impact of Water Pollution on a Small
Coastal Community.” Ocean & Coastal Management 45, no.
6-7 (2002): 405-420.
Vasanthi, L A; Revathi, P; Arulvasu, C; and Munuswamy,
N. “Biomarkers of Metal Toxicity and Histology of Perna
Viridis from Ennore Estuary, Chennai, South East Coast
of India.” Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 84 (2012):
92-98.
Venkatachalapathy, R; Veerasingam, S; and Ramkumar,
T. “Petroleum Hydrocarbon Concentrations in Marine
Sediments Along Chennai Coast, Bay of Bengal, India.”
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 85,
no. 4 (2010): 397-401.
36
Results from Delhi
37
Results from delhi
6.1. Demographics of Delhi
D
elhi or the NCT of Delhi is the second
largest urban agglomeration in the
country. It has a population of 16.3
million inhabitants. Delhi’s population growth
rate has witnessed a decline from 52.24 per cent
to 26.69 per cent between 2001 and 2011. The
sex ratio of 867 is more than 70 points below the
national average. The literacy rate in Delhi is
86.43 per cent.
6.2. Demographics of the Sample
A total of 1,114 respondents were interviewed
in NCR Delhi for the survey, of which 44 per
cent were females and 56 per cent were males
(Figure 6.1). The majority of the respondents (24
per cent) were in the age group of 18–24 years,
followed by 25–34 and 35–44 years (22 per cent
for both) (Figure 6.2). In terms of education, 42
per cent of the respondents had studied up to the
undergraduate degree level and above, followed
by middle and secondary education (class X) (25
per cent). Around 23 per cent of the respondents
had studied up to higher secondary (class XII)/
diploma and the remaining 10 per cent were only
up to primary school (class V) (Figure 6.3).
The occupational pattern of the sample varies
considerably, with housewives constituting the
largest share (34 per cent), followed by regular
salaried employees in the private sector (21
35–44 (22%)
45–54 (16%)
55–64 (8%)
Male (56%)
Above 65 (8%)
Female (44%)
18–24 (24%)
25–34 (22%)
Figure 6.1: Distribution of Sex of Respondents in
Delhi
Figure 6.2: Age of Distribution of Respondents in
Delhi
Results from Delhi
6.3. Key Pressing Issues
Undergraduate and
above (42%)
Up to Primary School
(till Class V) (10%)
Middle and Secondary
(Class X) (25%)
Higher Secondary (Class XII)
and Diploma (23%)
Figure 6.3: Education Distribution of
Respondents in Delhi
per cent). Students constitute the third largest
respondent group (17 per cent) with around 12
per cent of the sample population reported to be
self-employed (Figure 6.4). (Figure 6.5).
Unemployed (3%)
Retired (7%)
Self-employed/Business (12%)
Regular salaried (private) (21%)
Regular salaried (government) (5%)
Casual / daily wage (1%)
Student (17%)
Housewife (34%)
Figure 6.4: Occupational Distribution of
Respondents in Delhi
No response (36%)
Upto 1 L (12%)
1 to 3 L (21%)
3 to 5 L (17%)
5 to 10 (13%)
10 to 20 L (1%)
Figure 6.5: Annual Household Income
Distribution of Respondents in Delhi
Delhi, the capital of India, holds the distinction
of being one of the greenest capitals in the world.
Ironically, problems pertaining to air pollution have
always been at the forefront in the National Capital
Region (NCR). With growth across all sectors —
housing, transport, and industry — there has been
an increase in the air pollution levels. Interestingly,
the sector-wise contribution to air pollution has
changed drastically over the years. According to
the Planning Department, Government of NCT of
Delhi (Economic Survey of Delhi 2001-02 2003), in
1970–71, the industrial sector made the maximum
contribution to air pollution (56 per cent air
pollution by sector of origin in Delhi), which had
reduced to 20 per cent in 2000–01. Also, the share of
the transport sector increased from 23 per cent in
1970–71 to 72 per cent in 2000–01. While initiatives
like phasing out 2-stroke engine two- and threewheelers; introduction of low sulphur content
diesel; encouraging, implementing, and increasing
the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fuel
for vehicles; metro rail system; and relocation of
industrial units away from the city have certainly
helped in improving the existing quality of air; the
rate of growing air pollution has surpassed these
efforts made by the government (Siddique, et al.
2010, Chhabra, et al. 2001, Delhi Urban Environment
and Infrastructure Improvement Project 2001).
The annual average of all nine air quality
monitoring stations in Delhi reveals that in the
last 10 years, the level of sulphur dioxide has
reduced from 14 micrograms per cubic meter
(µg/m3) in 2001 to 5 µg/m3 in 2010. However,
the levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate
matter with aerodynamic diameter less than
10 µm have increased substantially from 29
and 120 µg/m3, respectively, in 2001 to 55 and
261 µg/m3, respectively, in 2010. The levels of
sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are below
the national ambient air standards (80 µg/
m3 for sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide)
(Government of India 2012). All the same, the
figures for particulate matter with aerodynamic
diameter less than 10 µm are indeed alarming
when compared to 100 µg/m3 as the national
40
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
ambient air standards (Economic Survey of Delhi
2001-02 2003).
In order to tackle the issue of air pollution in
the urban environment, the government must
formulate robust air quality management
strategies related to transport, industrial sources,
indoor pollution, and open burning of waste
emanating from natural sources. In the transport
sector, this may be achieved by regular vehicle
inspection and maintenance, improving fuel
quality, introducing new vehicle technologies,
and managing travel demand and improving
transportation supply. For the industrial sector,
physical planning and zoning, promoting
pollution control in factories, and promoting
cleaner production (prevention solutions rather
than end-of-pipe remedies) must be ensured.
Similarly, indoor air pollution can be tackled
by improving coal quality (importing better
quality coal) and by adding a sulphur dioxide
absorbing agent, shifting to cleaner fuels,
encouraging the use of cleaner stoves, and
introducing smoke control zones. There is a need
to assess the extent of the problem as far as open
burning of waste is concerned. Sensitization of
various stakeholders involved will definitely
help in reducing the problem (United Nations
Environment Programme, and United Nations
Human Settlements Programme 2005).
Considering the fact that air pollution is a major
environmental risk to health, and by taking
measures to reduce air pollution levels, we
can help countries reduce the global burden
of diseases from respiratory infections, heart
disease, and lung cancer; there is a compelling
need to address various issues pertaining to
air pollution.
6.4. Results for Delhi
6.4.1. Overall Environment
The perception concerning different aspects of
the environment in the city depicts very clear
trends. A significant share (80 per cent and
more) of the respondents thinks that the state
of surface water quality and availability, ground
41
water availability, tree cover, biodiversity, and
waste and waste management has become worse,
whereas a very small percentage (6 to 16 per
cent) of the population perceives that conditions
have become better, in the last five years. The
perceptions on air quality and drinking water
quality and availability are found to be divided
with more or less similar percentages stating
contrary views. Around 40 per cent stated that
the air quality in the city is getting worse with
39 per cent stating otherwise (getting better).
Similarly, 41 per cent were of the opinion that
the situation of drinking water quality and
availability in the city was getting better, and
39 per cent stated the same to be getting worse.
Around 15 per cent of the respondents (both
for drinking water and air quality) think that
there is not much change. The perception of
these environmental indicators varies across the
localities, age groups, education, and income
levels. A greater percentage of respondents from
slums and upper middle-class localities feel that
the air quality in the city is getting worse whereas
the majority opinion in posh and lower middleclass localities reported otherwise. On birds and
animal species diversity, respondents in slums,
lower-middle class, and upper-middle class
localities feel that it is getting worse. Though
the majority of respondents from posh localities
also share this opinion, some of them reported
that they think it is getting better. Similarly, the
respondents with lower levels of income and
education stated that the bird and animal species
diversity is getting worse in the city. When it
comes to surface water quality and availability,
older people stated that it is getting worse and
respondents from lower income groups also
shared the same view. The respondents from
slums and middle-class localities feel that it is
getting worse whereas some respondents from
posh localities feel otherwise. Interestingly, the
number of respondents stating don’t know and
no direct experience responses for all aspects of
overall city environment are significantly low,
showing the general awareness of the population
on these issues (Figure 6.6).
Results from Delhi
Waste and waste management
(garbage collection, dumping, etc)
Number of birds and/or animal species in
your city (ex. Sparrows, butterflies, etc.)
Tree cover/green cover and plant species in your
area (forest cover, parks, open spaces, etc.)
Ground water availability
2%
1%
3%
2%
1%
Drinking water quality and availability
87%
6%
3%
1%
1%
79%
16%
3%
2%
1%
4%
Surface water quality and
availability(lakes, rivers, ponds, etc.)
80%
14%
83%
11%
3%
1%
85%
6%
5%
2%
2%
39%
41%
15%
Air quality (clean air, smog, particles,
smell)
Don’t know
4%
1%
40%
39%
16%
0%
20%
No direct experience
40%
Worse
60%
Better
80%
100%
No change
Figure 6.6: Changes in the State of the Environment in the Past Five Years in Delhi
awareness level varies across education, income
groups, and residential localities. For example,
the level of awareness on climate policy is higher
among respondents from middle class and posh
localities and respondents with higher education
and income levels are found to be more aware of
these polices.
Posh localities
Upper middle class locality
Lower middle class locality
Television (69 per cent) and national newspapers
(20 per cent) are found to be the main sources of
information on environmental issues for the city
population and the majority of respondents hold
the view that information from these two sources
is adequate. Internet, local/regional newspapers,
and informal conversation are other sources,
but these do not provide the respondents with
adequate information (Figure 6.9).
Slums/ villages/jhuggi-jhopri
cluster/unauthorized colonies
No change
Better
0%
20%
40%
60%
80% 100%
No direct experience
Worse
Don’t know
Figure 6.7: Changes in the State of the Air
Quality in the Past Five Years in Delhi for
Different Localities
The general awareness and perception about
the government policies on various aspects
of the environment is found to be low, with a
significant percentage of the respondents stating
their ignorance about the existence of different
policies (Figure 6.8). Among those aware of
the policies, a significant share of them found
them to be inadequate or not implemented. The
The majority of the respondents in the city have
ranked the government (60 per cent) as the
top agency that should work to improve the
environment, followed by the business sector (14
per cent). Only 13 per cent of the respondents
ranked consumers and 12 per cent ranked nonprofit organizations as important agencies to
help improve the environment. Only 1 per cent
42
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
80%
3%
Climate change
10%
7%
1%
76%
4%
Forest conservation
8%
11%
1%
81%
3%
Waste management
9%
3%
4%
76%
4%
Water availability
8%
11%
1%
67%
2%
Water pollution
19%
9%
3%
68%
3%
Air pollution
17%
11%
2%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Don’t know
Policies exist, but not implemented
Policies exist, but are inadequate
Policies exist and are well implemented
No government policies exist
Figure 6.8: Awareness and Perception of Government Policies in Delhi
80%
69%
60%
45%
40%
25%
20%
14%
s
he
r
or
cu
rr i
1% 1%
Ot
1%
cu
lum
ma
lc
on
ve
rsa
tio
ns
ns
Sc
ho
o
l/c
oll
e
rch
ea
0% 1%
Inf
og
pr
an
d
mi
na
rs
Rank 1
ca
tio
ra
mm
es
ga
zin
es
et
Ma
Se
er
n
Int
ion
vis
Te
le
Na
tio
na
ln
Lo
ew
ca
l/r
sp
eg
ap
ion
er
al
ne
ws
pa
pe
r
0%
1% 0%
0% 0%
ge
1% 2%
pu
bli
6% 7%
3% 6%
Re
s
20%
Rank 2
Figure 6.9: Means of Getting Information on Environment Related Activities in Delhi
43
Results from Delhi
of the responses are found to consider academic/
research organizations as the leading agencies to
improve environment (Figure 6.10).
On the issue of environment and development,
the majority opinion (59 per cent) was that
environment protection and development go
hand in hand. Only 14 per cent feel that the
environment and development goals should be
treated separately and government should give
priority to developmental goals. In contrast, 22
per cent of the respondents stated the need for
the government to prioritize environmental
conservation over development. Only 5 per
cent of the respondents have been found to be
undecided or ignorant on this issue (Figure 6.11).
Business (14%)
Consumer
(like you and me) (13%)
Non-profit
organizations (12%)
Academic institutions/
Research organizations (1%)
Government (60%)
Figure 6.10: Top Groups that Should Work
Towards Improving the Environment in Delhi
No, environment protection
and development go hand
in hand (59%)
Can’t say (4%)
Don’t know (1%)
Yes, they should be treated
differently and the
government should
prioritize development (14%)
Yes, they should be treated
differently and the
government should
prioritize environmental
protection (22%)
Figure 6.11: Interplay between Environment
Protection and Development in Delhi
6.4.2. Air
According to the respondents in Delhi, the
transport sector is viewed as the largest source of
air pollution (45 per cent) followed by industries
in and around the city (31 per cent). Garbage
burning is perceived to be another major cause
of air pollution by 15 per cent of the respondents.
Construction activities and domestic fuel
burning are stated as the sources of air pollution
by 7 per cent and 3 per cent of the respondents,
respectively (Figure 6.12).
A total 80 per cent of the respondents agreed
with the hypothesis that air pollution is the cause
of diseases like asthma, lung cancer, and other
respiratory diseases as well as other diseases in
the city, while another 18 per cent agreed partially,
stating the view that air pollution is one of the
contributing factors for such diseases (Figure 6.12).
Transport being perceived as a major source of
air pollution by a large number of respondents,
the views of the citizens on the use of public
transport was also considered. Around 54 per
cent of the respondents are found to be using
public transport in the city at least three times a
week, while the remaining 46 per cent did not use
public transport (Figure 6.13a). The use of public
transport also varies across gender and age
groups. A higher percentage of male respondents
reported using public transport more frequently.
Furthermore, the use of public transport is more
prominent amongst the younger age group of
18–24 years (Figures 6.13b and 6.13c).
The preference for public transport over other
mediums, as viewed by the users of public
transport, reflects cost and time saving as the
primary reasons stated by 12 and 15 per cent
of the respondents, respectively, whereas only
6 per cent respondents were found to be using
public transport because of their concern towards
pollution. Around 32 per cent of the respondents
view all these reasons as the factors influencing
their decision. Those who do not use public
transport cite reasons like inconvenience to use
(27 per cent), lack of good frequency (25 per
cent), and safety (22 per cent) of the city’s public
44
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
45%
31%
15%
Transport
sector
Factories in
and around
cities
7%
3%
Construction
activities
Domestic fuel
burning
activities (cowdung cake,
wood and
charcoal
burning for
cooking,
heating, etc.)
Garbage
burning
Figure 6.12: Sectors Contributing the Most to Air Pollution in Delhi
No (45.60%)
Yes (54.40%)
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
18–24
Figure 6.13a: Usage of Public Transport in Delhi
25–34
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Male
No
Yes
Figure 6.13c: Usage of Public Transport in Delhi for Different Sexes
45
45–54
Yes
55–64 Above 65
Figure 6.13b: Usage of Public Transport in Delhi
by Different Age Groups
100%
Female
35–44
No
Results from Delhi
transport system as the major deterrents. Around
6 per cent of the respondents viewed public
transport as expensive and for another 1 per cent,
public transport is more time consuming (Figure
6.14).
The opinions of the citizens about measures
to improve air quality reveal that the majority
favours measures like provision of public
transport (26 per cent), greening the industries (28
per cent), a heavier taxation regime to discourage
private vehicles (24 per cent), and setting up
industrial clusters with common environmental
facilities (18 per cent). The remaining 4 per
cent of the respondents feel that stringent
monitoring and enforcing compliance of the
specified environmental standards would help in
improving the air quality in the city (Figure 6.15).
It is not very frequent
It is not convenient
for me to use
I do not find it
safe to use
Others
0%
Industrial clusters
4%
18%
Green industries
28%
Heavier taxes
24%
Public transport
26%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Figure 6.15: Strategies Government Should
Adopt to Improve Air Quality in Delhi
100%
A large majority of the citizens surveyed (94 per
cent) perceive that water is being wasted in the
city. Excessive consumption (58 per cent) along
with leakage in distribution (49 per cent), as well
as leakages in taps and faucets in the house (27 per
cent) are considered as the major causes of wastage
of water by the respondents. Only 7 per cent of
the respondents feel otherwise, that is, water
is not being wasted, and 1 per cent stated they
did not know whether water is being wasted
(Figure 6.16).
It is expensive
for me to use
0%
Strict monitoring
6.4.3. Water
The time spent is more
on public transport
Don't know
1%
6%
25%
27%
22%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Figure 6.14: Reasons for Not Using Public
Transport in Delhi
90%
80%
70%
58%
60%
49%
50%
40%
30%
27%
20%
10%
7%
1%
00%
Leakage
in house
Leakage during
distribution
Excessive
consumption
Not being
wasted
Don’t know
Figure 6.16: Major Causes of Wastage of Water
in Delhi
On the issue of water pricing, 61 per cent of the
respondents expressed the view that water should
not be subsidized and that citizens should pay
the actual cost of water. Around 11 per cent felt
otherwise and responded that the government
should bear part of the cost, whereas 28 per cent
of the respondents admitted to having no opinion
on this issue (Figure 6.17).
When asked about the billing mechanism for water
delivery at home, 89 per cent of the respondents
favoured metered/consumption-based billing
mechanism for water charges with only 10 per
cent favouring fixed charges/flat rates (Figure
6.17).
46
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
Don’t know (28.55%)
Yes (10.77%)
No (60.68%)
Figure 6.17: Should we pay the actual cost of
water in Delhi?
6.4.4. Forest/Green Cover
The pattern for demand and use of green
cover shows mixed trends amongst the city’s
respondents. Though around 48 per cent of the
respondents visit the park in their neighbourhood
more than once a week, only 10 per cent stated
that they visit a forest in the city or in an adjoining
area once a year. The survey also revealed the low
level of participation of people in the management
of parks in their neighbourhoods. Around 89
per cent of the respondents never participated
whereas only 1 per cent reported participating
more than once in a week or month. The study
also reveals that 82 per cent of the respondents
reported that they have never planted a tree.
When asked about their gardening habits, 71 per
cent have reported not doing it at all. Around 93
per cent of the respondents affirmed that they
were not involved in the felling of trees (Figure
6.18).
When asked about measures to improve forest/
green cover in the city, a majority of the respondents
favoured measures such as declaration of protected
areas (33 per cent), reclamation of wasteland for
green cover (31 per cent), and improved new
government policies (23 per cent). Around 8 per
cent see the role of public–private partnership to be
of great importance and 4 per cent view voluntary
activities by citizens as a vital mode to achieve the
desired results (Figure 6.19).
6.4.5. Climate Change
The survey revealed high levels of awareness
about climate change among the citizens. Around
79 per cent respondents think that climate change
is occurring and only 18 per cent view it to be
otherwise. The remaining 3 per cent are either not
sure of such trends or do not have any knowledge
about this.
When asked about further details on climatic
variables like temperature, rainfall, wind pattern,
and so on, the perceptions of citizens revealed
Visit a park in your
neighbourhood
Visit a forest or adjoining area
(not necessarily in your city)
Participate in management of
parks in your neighbourhood
Plant a tree
Gardening at home
Involved in cutting/
chopping of a tree
0%
10%
20%
Never
30%
40%
Once a year
50%
60%
Once in a month
70%
80%
90%
More than once a month
100%
Figure 6.18: Behaviour Towards and Frequency of Usage of Surrounding Forest/Green Cover
in Delhi
47
Results from Delhi
100.0%
90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
33.2%
31.3%
23.2%
20.0%
7.9%
10.0%
3.9%
0.5%
0.0%
Intervention by civil
society organizations
Others
0.0%
Improved/ new
government policies
Declaration of
Reclamation of
protected areas (where wasteland for parks,
etc.
no commercial activities
can take place) / ‘no-go’
areas (where no one is
allowed)
Public-private
partnership
Voluntary activities by
citizens
Figure 6.19: Strategies Government Should Adopt to Improve Forest/Green Cover in Delhi
interesting trends. Temperature (99 per cent) and
rainfall (97 per cent) are the two climatic variables
perceived to have gone through some or a lot of
change. However, there is a divided opinion when
it comes to wind pattern and extreme events in the
city. Approximately 85 per cent of the respondents
viewed some or a lot of change in wind pattern,
whereas 62 per cent of the respondents feel the same
in case of other extreme events. Very insignificant
percentages (1 per cent each for temperature and
rainfall, 3 per cent for wind pattern, and 5 per cent
for extreme events) of respondents have stated
their ignorance on the trends of the changes in
climatic variables (Figure 6.20).
Extreme events (floods,
drought, storms, etc.)
5%
33%
50%
12%
3%
13%
Wind pattern
73%
12%
Precipitation/rainfall
1%
3%
60%
37%
Temperature
Don’t know
1%
0%
48%
51%
0%
20%
40%
60%
No change at all
Some change
80%
100%
A lot of change
Figure 6.20: Changes in Different Climatic
Factors over Time in Delhi
6.4.6. Waste/Waste Management
There seems to be unanimity apropos the
problem of solid waste in the city. The impacts
of its improper management on health in the city
are perceived to be very severe by 69 per cent of
the respondents and severe by 26 per cent, with
only 4 per cent considering the same as moderate.
None of the respondents felt that solid waste
management had a low or no impact on health.
When asked about the agency responsible for
the collection of household garbage, about 13 per
cent reported it to be public entities, 29 per cent
each reported private entities and public–private
partnership, and about 23 per cent indicated that
that they are not aware of the same.
The survey also asked the citizens about their
opinions on the best possible way to deal with
the problem of solid waste. Around 28 per cent
supported segregation at source, 25 per cent
indicated improved recycling, and 20 per cent
thought that generation of less waste in the house is
the necessary strategy to manage waste in the city
(Figure 6.21a). When asked about their willingness
to segregate, only 6 per cent respondents expressed
strong willingness to do so, and 27 per cent
showed moderate willingness. Around 49 per cent
expressed strong unwillingness and the remaining
18 per cent reported to be unwilling towards the
idea of waste segregation at source (Figure 6.21b).
Amongst those who expressed their unwillingness
to segregate waste at source, 36 per cent cited
48
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
Don't know
16%
User charges
12%
Recycling
25%
Segregation
28%
Less waste
0%
20%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Figure 6.21a: Strategies Government Should Adopt to Improve Waste Management in Delhi
Not willing at all (49%)
100%
90%
80%
Not very willing (18%)
70%
60%
50%
Willing (27%)
40%
30%
36%
23%
23%
18%
20%
10%
0%
Cumbersome
Space constraint
Very Willing (6%)
Figure 6.21b: Willingness to Segregate Waste
into Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable
Components in Delhi
Local
authority's
responsibility
Waste not
collected
separately
Figure 6.21c: Reasons for Unwillingness to
Segregate Waste into Biodegradable and NonBiodegradable Components in Delhi
reasons like space constraints, 23 per cent found
the task to be cumbersome, and around 23 per
cent feel that it is the responsibility of the local
authorities to do so (Figure 6.21c). Interestingly,
18 per cent of the respondents perceive that since
waste is not collected separately by the agencies,
segregation at source does not make much sense.
Furthermore, amongst those who expressed their
willingness to segregate waste at source, around
33 per cent are already segregating the waste, 37
per cent would be willing to make compost out of
the household waste, and 25 per cent consider it to
be good for the environment (Figure 6.21d).
49
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
37%
33%
25%
5%
Environmentfriendly
Compost
making
Already
segregating
Others
Figure 6.21d: Reasons for Willingness to
Segregate Waste into Biodegradable and NonBiodegradable Components in Delhi
Results from Delhi
References
Delhi Urban Environment and Infrastructure Improvement
Project. Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of
India and Govt. of NCT of Delhi. 2001.
Chhabra, S K; Chhabra, P; Rajpal, S; and Gupta, R K. “Ambient
Air Pollution and Chronic Respiratory Morbidity in
Delhi.” Archives of Environmental Health: An International
Journal 56, no. 1 (January 2001): 58-64.
Economic Survey of Delhi 2001-02. Planning Department,
Government of NCT of Delhi, 2003.
Government of India. “Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No.
1417.” March 27, 2012.
Siddique, S; Banerjee, M; Ray, M; and Lahiri, T. “Air Pollution
and Its Impact on Lung Function of Children in Delhi, the
Capital City of India.” Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 212, no.
1-4 (2010): 89-100.
United Nations Environment Programme, and United
Nations Human Settlements Programme. “Urban Air
Quality Management Toolbook.” 2005.
50
Results from Hyderabad
51
Results from hyderabad
7.1. Demographics of Hyderabad
H
yderabad is the sixth largest metropolitan
city in India with a population of 7.7
million. Its population comprises 3.06
million males and 2.6 million females; making the
city’s sex ratio is a little higher than the national
average. However, it scores poorly on the literacy
front, as its literacy rate, at a mere 82.92 per cent,
is much lower than the national average for urban
literacy rate.
7.2. Demographics of the Sample
The total sample size used for analysis of data for
the city of Hyderabad was 379, out of which 71
per cent respondents were male and 29 per cent
were female. The majority of respondents (almost
31 per cent) were in the age group of 25–34 years,
followed by the age group 18–24 with a share of 29
per cent. The detailed sample distribution across
different age groups is presented in Figure 7.1.
The sample size of 379 comprised of respondents
working in the private sector (38 per cent),
followed by students (17.41 per cent), housewives
(17.15 per cent), and those who are self-employed
(16 per cent) (Figure 7.2).
The education profiles of the respondents
reveal that the majority of them were either
undergraduates or above, followed by
35-44 (19%)
Regular salaried (private) (37.99)
45-54 (15%)
Regular salaried (government)
(3.96%)
Casual/daily wage (3.96%)
55-64 (4%)
Above 65 (2%)
Student (17.41%)
18-24 (29%)
Housewife (17.15%)
Unemployed (2.11%)
Retired (1.32%)
25-34 (31%)
Figure 7.1: Age of Distribution of Respondents in
Hyderabad
Self-employed/Business
(16.09%)
Figure 7.2: Occupational Distribution of
Respondents in Hyderabad
Results from Hyderabad
respondents having education till the tenth
standard, those who had cleared the twelfth
standard, and finally people who have received
only primary education (Figure 7.3).
7.3. Key Pressing Issues
The city of Hyderabad, with its history dating
back to as far as 1591, is one of the fastest growing
megacities in central south India. The city has
witnessed three drought years between 2000 and
2007, severe floods in 2002, and strong heat waves
in 2003 (Walk and Schröder 2009). Recent climate
phenomena in the city and its surrounding areas
deeply reflect the city’s vulnerability to climate
change in terms of its impact on human life, and
social and economic development (Parry, et al.
2007).
The impacts of climate change on Hyderabad
would be serious. In the report ‘Hyderabad as a
Megacity of Tomorrow: Climate and Energy in
a Complex Transition towards Sustainability’
(Reckien, Lüdeke, et al. 2009), Hyderabad’s future
climate analyses was done using outputs from the
atmospheric and oceanic global climate models
(AOGCMs) for the central south Indian region.
The study revealed that Hyderabad may witness
more intensive rainfall in the second half of the 21st
century. Also, the cases of extreme precipitation
events greater than 160 mm/day (as in the case
of August, 2000) will increase proportionally.
The frequency of occurrence of heat waves longer
Undergraduate
and above (63%)
Up to primary school
(till class V) (2%)
Middle and
secondary
(class X) (20%)
Higher secondary
(class XII) and
diploma (15%)
Figure 7.3: Educational Distribution of
Respondents in Hyderabad
than one week will double to triple until 2050 and
increase further until 2100. Under high emission
scenarios, the city may witness a rise in the mean
annual temperature by 5° Celsius, even under
(very uncertain) conditions of an increase in the
total rainfall, thereby altering the natural water
balance towards increased dryness.
Climate change is interlinked with a number of
other issues, such as air pollution, green cover,
water availability, waste and waste management
among others; it cannot be isolated from these.
Extreme drought and flood events will affect
the availability of good quality water by either
generating severe ground and surface water
scarcity or contaminating the existing resources
with wider implications for the population and
the agricultural and industrial sectors. Similarly,
climate extremes will impact the communication
and transport infrastructure of the city, making
them dysfunctional, damaged, inaccessible,
unreliable or uncomfortable to use (Shukla, et
al. 2003). In case of serious precipitation events,
there is an increased probability of freshwater
contamination from municipal and toxic waste
that may result in diarrheal diseases, cholera,
and intoxication. It may also increase the cases
of climate sensitive diseases like dengue, malaria,
and chikungunya (Young, Balluz and Malilay
2004, Reckien, Hofmann and Kit 2009).
There is an urgent need to integrate disaster
and climate change mitigation concerns into
urban planning and development. Capacity
building and training of bureaucrats and public
functionaries in climate change risk assessment
and adaptation will be an important human
resource investment. An important first step
will be to address alleviation of poverty and the
vulnerability associated with it in the city with
interventions in housing markets and public
service delivery, real estate, and a supportive
policy and institutional atmosphere at the state
level. Moreover, there is a need to re-examine
the city’s development plans in terms of poverty
reduction, infrastructure upgrades, and better
governance (Revi 2008).
In comparison to global carbon dioxide emissions,
54
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
the contribution of Hyderabad as a city is
relatively small; yet Hyderabad has to prepare
for climate change apropos influence networks,
namely transport and other infrastructure, water
provision, food security, and health (Reckien,
Hofmann and Kit 2009). There is also a need
for sensitization of all stakeholders about the
linkage of climate change to various problems of
livelihood and social equity.
8%
Waste and waste management
(garbage collection, dumping, etc)
25%
20%
7%
Number of birds and/or animal
species in your city
(ex. Sparrows, butterflies, etc.)
Tree cover/green cover and plant
species in your area
(forest cover, parks, open spaces, etc.)
Respondents were asked to share their perception
of the changes in environment quality in their
surroundings over the last five years. Around
68 per cent of them felt that air quality has
deteriorated over the last five years, while 15 per
cent responses revealed that there has been no
change. Almost 60 per cent felt that drinking water
quality and availability has deteriorated, although
21 per cent of them perceived an improvement.
As for the availability and quality of surface and
ground water, 59 per cent and 47 per cent of the
respondents, respectively, reported impairment
over the last five years. Figure 7.4 presents the
summary of responses reflecting the state of the
environment in Hyderabad.
In order to understand the awareness and
perception of the respondents regarding the
existence of policies that can address the above
mentioned environmental concerns, they were
asked for their opinions on the matter. The
results showed that most of them felt that either
policies exist, but are not implemented; or that
the current policies are inadequate to address
environmental issues (Figure 7.5). At the same
time, many respondents believe that there are no
government policies to address the problems of
environmental degradation and thus, along with
those respondents who did not know that these
policies exist, show a lack of awareness.
There are various means by which people get
to know about the state of the environment
and the policies of the government by which
environmental problems can be addressed. The
major sources, as shared by the respondents,
55
18%
7%
50%
22%
46%
11%
13%
3%
25%
Ground water availability
47%
13%
11%
4%
18%
6%
1%
7.4.1. Overall Environment
33%
14%
11%
Surface water quality and availability
(lakes, rivers, ponds, etc.)
7.4. Results for Hyderabad
15%
Drinking water quality
and availability
59%
12%
6%
12%
60%
21%
8%
Air quality (clean air, smog,
particles, smell)
9%
68%
15%
0 10 20 30
No direct experience
No change
Don’t know
Better
40
50 60
Worse
70
Figure 7.4: Changes in the State of the
Environment in the Past Five Years in
Hyderabad
13%
Climate change
15%
26%
27%
19%
10%
Forest conservation
13%
29%
16%
8%
32%
24%
Waste management
34%
23%
11%
5%
27%
Water availability
35%
22%
10%
2%
Water pollution
30%
22%
12%
2%
Air pollution
0
5
10
Don’t know
Policies exist, but are inadequate
No government policies exist
15%
33%
36%
19%
27%
15
20
25
30
35
40
Policies exist, but not implemented
Policies exist and are well implemented
Figure 7.5: Awareness and Perception of
Government Policies in Hyderabad
include television (72 per cent), school and college
curriculum (53 per cent), Internet (45 per cent),
and national newspapers (38 per cent).
When asked who can take the primary lead in
improving the environment quality in the city
Results from Hyderabad
of Hyderabad, 61 per cent felt that research
and related organizations should be taking the
lead, while 58 per cent of the total respondents
felt that the government must take the primary
responsibility. Quite a significant share of the
respondents (54 per cent) also felt that consumers
should be the key agents in improving the
situation.
adopt to reduce air pollution, 67 per cent felt that
the government should enhance and promote
public transport, 50 per cent believed that it
should levy heavier congestion charges, while 40
per cent thought that there exists a need to have
local industrial clusters which can enjoy common
environment-friendly facilities (Figure 7.7).
Regarding respondents’ perceptions on the
interplay between environment and development,
53 per cent felt that the two should be treated
differently and government should give more
emphasis to development. Around 32 per cent felt
that both environment and development should
be treated differently and environment should
receive prior attention. A meagre 11 per cent felt
that both environment and development go hand
in hand (Figure 7.6).
7.4.3. Water
No, environment protection and
development go hand in hand (11%)
Can’t say (2%)
Don’t know (2%)
Yes, they should be treated differently
and the government should prioritize
development (53%)
Figure 7.6: Interplay between Environment
Protection and Development in Hyderabad
40%
17%
4%
1%
I don’t know
Yes, they should be treated differently
and the government should prioritize
environmental protection (32%)
50%
Others
When the respondents were asked about the
possible strategies which the government could
67%
Stringent monitoring and ensuring
environmental standards are met
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Set up local industrial clusters to
enjoy common environmental
friendly facilities to reduce pollution
Approximately 70 per cent respondents felt that
air pollution is a major cause of various diseases,
followed by 20 per cent who felt that air pollution
is indeed one of the many causes of modern day
health problems.
Levy heavier congestion tax, and
other taxes to discourage private
vehicles (taxes on cars)
The major sources of air pollution in the city of
Hyderabad (respondents could choose multiple
options) are construction activities (reported by
62 per cent of the respondents), emissions caused
by private and public transport (61 per cent), and
emissions from nearby factories (44 per cent).
When asked whether citizens should pay the actual
cost of water, which is considerably higher than
the current subsidized rates, with the difference
being borne by the civic authorities, almost 50 per
cent respondents said that people need to pay
the actual cost of water supply, and that this can
significantly reduce water wastage. Interestingly,
29 per cent respondents felt that they should not
be paying the true cost of water as this high cost is
Enhance public
transport
infrastructure
7.4.2. Air
Wastage of water is a cause for concern in most
parts of India. When the respondents were asked
to share the reasons for this wastage, 77 per cent
stated that the leakages mostly take place during
the distribution of water. Around 64 per cent
shared that people consumed more water than
they required while 48 per cent revealed that
wastage took place due to leakages from taps,
household water pipelines, etc. (Figure 7.8).
Figure 7.7: Strategies Government Should Adopt
to Improve Air Quality in Hyderabad
56
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
100%
77%
64%
90%
48%
80%
70%
60%
5%
Leakages
from taps
Leakages
Too much Water is not
during
water used
wasted
distribution where less is
(from
required
municipalities, by us as
tankers, etc. consumers
to your house)
1%
50%
I dont’
know
40%
30%
20%
10%
Analysing the respondents by education
categories on their awareness of climate change
shows that the majority of them under each
category accept the fact that climate change is
occurring. It was interesting to learn that 64
per cent of the respondents within the primary
schooling group are aware of climate change.
This is followed by undergraduates and above
57
Yes
Figure 7.9: Is climate change occurring in
Hyderabad?
(61 per cent), and respondents who have either
passed senior secondary school or are diploma
holders (Figure 7.10).
Male respondents are found to be relatively
more aware about climate change (64.5 per cent)
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Un
de
r
an grad
d a ua
bo te
ve
An analysis of the responses, when categorized by
occupation, reveals that the majority under each
category felt that climate change is happening.
Almost 93 per cent of the daily wage earners
felt that climate change is taking place, followed
by the unemployed (75 per cent) and regular
salaried persons (69 per cent). About 34 per cent
of the housewives from the respondent group
perceived the onset of climate change, the least
among all the occupation categories (Figure 7.9).
No
nd M
ar idd
y ( le
Cl a
as nd
sX
)
(C
las Hi
s X ghe
II) r S
an ec
d D on
ipl dar
om y
a
A significant share of the respondents (60 per
cent) from Hyderabad felt that climate change
is occurring, while 15 per cent perceived that
climate change may be occurring.
May be
Se
co
7.4.4. Climate Change
Can't Say
ho Up
ol to
(ti P
ll C rim
las ar
sV y
)
the responsibility of parastatal agencies. As far as
the billing mechanism is concerned, the majority
of the respondents (56 per cent) felt that the
best way of monitoring consumption is through
metering water usage.
Sc
Figure 7.8: Major Causes of Wastage of Water
in Hyderabad
Se
lfem
plo
Re
ye
gu
d/
lar
Re
bu
gu
sin
sa
lar
lar
es
ied
s
sa
lar
ied (priv
at
(g
e)
ov
er
n
Ca
me
su
nt
al/
)
da
ily
wa
ge
St
ud
e
Ho nt
us
ew
ife
Un
em
plo
ye
d
Re
tir
ed
0%
Can't Say
May be
No
Yes
Figure 7.10: Awareness and Perception of
Government Policy on Climate Change in
Hyderabad for Different Educational Groups
Results from Hyderabad
than female respondents (47 per cent). When
the responses are further analysed on the basis
of perceptions about change in temperature,
precipitation, wind, and extreme events, the
awareness ratio of males and females does not vary
much across these climate change characteristics.
The respondents were asked about changes
in different climatic factors like temperature,
precipitation, wind pattern, and extreme events
(like floods, droughts, and so on). More than 67 per
cent respondents reported that they experienced
a lot of change in temperature, followed by that
of precipitation and extreme events (16 per cent),
and then wind pattern (14 per cent). Moderate
changes were reported by 69 per cent, 62 per
cent, and 57 per cent of the total respondents
with regard to precipitation, wind pattern, and
extreme events, respectively. Finally, a very small
number of respondents felt that there has been
no change in any of the indicators representing
climate change (Figure 7.11).
With regard to awareness about the existence of
policies addressing climate change, 46 per cent
of the salaried respondents (the highest across
all occupation categories) working in the public
sector felt that either policies exist, but are not
well implemented; or are inadequate in tackling
the issue (Figure 7.12).
Furthermore, 33 per cent of the respondents
having completed primary education felt that
there are policies in place to tackle climate change,
but these are not implemented effectively.
Approximately 32 per cent of the respondents
who have either passed the higher secondary
level or are diploma holders felt that current
climate change policies are not adequate. Finally,
20 per cent of the most educated (undergraduate
and above) amongst all the categories reported
that there is no existing policy on climate change.
The results are presented in Figure 7.13.
Moreover, in terms of perception amongst the two
genders, 20 per cent of the female respondents and
17 per cent of the male respondents feel that there
is no existing climate change policy. Around 27
per cent of both male and female respondents feel
that there is an existence of policies pertaining
to climate change, but these are inadequate for
handling the issue. That the policies are poorly
Retired
9%
Extreme events
(floods, drought
storms, etc.),
Unemployed
18%
57%
16%
Housewife
Student
7%
18%
Wind pattern
62%
Casual / daily wage
14%
Regular salaried (government)
1%
13%
Precipitation/rainfall
Regular salaried (private
69%
16%
Temperature
Self-employed/business
0%
6%
27%
67%
Don’t know
No change at all
Some change
A lot of change
Figure 7.11: Changes in Different Climatic
Factors over Time in Hyderabad
20%
40%
60%
80% 100%
No government policies exist
Policies exist and are well implemented
Policies exist, but are inadequate
Policies exist, but not implemented
Don’t know
Figure 7.12: Awareness and Perception on
Climate Change Policies among Different
Occupational Groups in Hyderabad
58
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
Severe (39%)
Undergraduate
and above
Moderate (26%)
Higher Secondary
(Class XII) and Diploma
Low (1%)
No Impact (1%)
Middle and
Secondary (Class X)
I don’t Know (1%)
Very Severe (32%)
Up to Primary School
(till Class V)
0%
No government policies exist
Policies exist, but are inadequate
Don’t know
50%
100%
Policies exist and are well implemented
Policies exist, but not implemented
Figure 7.13: Awareness and Perception of
Different Educational Groups about Climate
Change Policies in Hyderabad
implemented is the opinion held by 19 per cent
of the female respondents and 28 per cent of the
male respondents.
7.4.5. Waste and Waste Management
Solid waste is a growing problem in urban areas,
and when the respondents were asked about
the negative impacts of improper solid waste
management on health, 39 per cent of them
felt that it would have a severe health impact
while 32 per cent believed that it would have a
very severe health impact. Around 26 per cent
shared that improper waste management will
have a moderate impact on health (Figure 7.14).
About 48 per cent of the respondents reported
that collection of garbage in their localities is
conducted using a public-private partnership
(PPP) model. Waste management being carried
out by public and private entities was reported
by 31 per cent each. Only 1 per cent reported that
there was no collection of garbage.
In order to address the growing problems of
waste generation, its transportation and scientific
disposal, 50 per cent said that there should be
reduction at source, followed by segregation at
source, as brought out by 48 per cent respondents.
Finally, 31 per cent feel that recycling is an
59
Figure 7.14: Degree of Negative Impact of
Improper Solid Waste Management on Human
Health in Hyderabad
important way to reduce waste generation.
When asked about their willingness to segregate
waste at source, 45 per cent reported that they
are not willing to do so since it is cumbersome
and also requires space. Moreover, they felt that
even if they did segregate waste at the household
level, the garbage is mixed once it is taken out of
the house.
Thirty per cent of the respondents are still willing
to segregate waste, with 4 per cent even extremely
willing to undertake segregation owing to
their belief that such practices result in readily
generated inputs for composting and improving
overall environment quality.
References
Parry, M L; Canziani, O F; Palutikof, J P; van der Linden,
P J; and Hanson, C E. Working Group II Contribution to
the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report Climate Change 2007:
Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007.
Reckien, D, et al. Sustainable Climate Change Adaptation and
Mitigation Options in the Future Megacity of Hyderabad/India:
Scenario Development and Leverage Points. Bonn: United
Nations University, 2009.
Reckien, D; Hofmann, S; and O Kit. Qualitative climate change
impact networks for Hyderabad. Project Report Supplement
WP1/2009, Sustainable Hyderabad Project, 2009.
Revi, A. “Climate Change Risk: An Adaptation and
Mitigation Agenda for Indian Cities.” Environment and
Results from Hyderabad
Urbanization 20, no. 1 (April 2008): 207–229.
Shukla, P R; Sharma, S K; Ravindranath, N H; Garg, A; and
Bhattacharya, S. Climate Change and India, Vulnerability
Assessment and Adaptation. Hyderabad, India: Universities
Press, 2003.
Walk, H, and Schröder, S. Low Emission Lifestyles in Megacities:
Communication and Participation Strategies in Hyderabad.
Institute of European Studies, UC Berkeley, Institute of
European Studies, 2009.
Young, S; Balluz, L; and Malilay, J. “Natural and Technologic
Hazardous Material Releases During and After Natural
Disasters: a Review.” Science of the Total Environment 322
(2004): 3-20.
60
Results from Kolkata
61
Results from kolkata
8.1. Demographics of Kolkata
W
ith a population of 14,112,536, Kolkata
is the third largest urban agglomeration
in India. Kolkata’s sex ratio, as in other
Indian mega cities, is 899, much lower than the
national average of 940. However, it is two points
above the average urban sex ratio in the country,
that is, 926. More than 88 per cent of the city’s
population is literate.
8.2. Demographics of the Sample
The sample from Kolkata constituted 17 per cent
of the total selected sample for the survey. In
this sample, the age group 25–34 years had the
maximum representation of 27 per cent, followed
by 25 per cent responses from the 35–44 age
group, while the minimum representation in the
sample was of the age group 65 years and above
(4 per cent) (Figure 8.1). In terms of the sex of the
respondents, 58 per cent of the respondents were
male and 42 per cent were female.
The respondents were spread across a variety
of occupations, with highest representation
from housewives (28 per cent) followed by selfemployed respondents or those running their own
businesses (24 per cent), and the regular salaried in
the private sector (18 per cent) (Figure 8.2).
Retired (6%)
35-44 (25%)
45-54 (16%)
55-64 (9%)
Above 65 (4%)
Self-employed/
Business (24%)
Regular salaried
(private)
(18%)
Regular salaried
(government)
(5%)
Casual/daily wage
(6%)
Student (8%)
18-24 (19%)
Housewife (28%)
25-34 (27%)
Figure 8.1: Age Distribution of Respondents in
Kolkata
Unemployed (5%)
Figure 8.2: Occupational Distribution of
Respondents in Kolkata
Re sults from Kolkata
In part, the problem stems from the antiquated
supply infrastructure. For example, as the
Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) points
out, the Palta waterworks was built in 1865
with a capacity of supplying 6 million gallons of
water per day. It is now supplying a gigantic 190
million gallons per day with hardly any change
in the infrastructure. Additionally, the city lacks
accurate maps of the complex network of water
pipes (that also happens to date back to the British
period) (The Times of India News Bureau 2003).
Middle and secondary
(class X) (31.49%)
Higher secondary
(class XII) and
diploma (21.42%)
Undergraduate
and above (21.28%)
Up to Primary school
(till class V) (25.82%)
Figure 8.3: Educational Distribution of
Respondents in Kolkata
Figure 8.3 represents the education distribution
in the sample. Respondents are spread
across educational groups with the category
undergraduate and above constituting more than
31 per cent of the sample.
8.3. Key Pressing Issues
The city of Kolkata is situated within the lower
Ganges delta along the east bank of the River
Hoogly in the eastern part of India. Despite an
abundance of water in its vicinity, the city faces
a grave problem of quality of water supply. A
2003 survey of 1,000 locations in Kolkata revealed
that there was high faecal contamination in 87
per cent of water reservoirs serving residential
buildings and 63 per cent of taps (Bhaumik 2003).
Moreover, 20 per cent of the water samples taken
from the city’s hospitals also turned out to be
polluted. With augmenting water consuming
economic activities and population growth,
there has been a decline in the per capita water
availability. According to a study by Shaban and
Sharma (2007), overuse of groundwater has led to
an increase in the arsenic concentration in many
wards of the city. Also, there are mounting reports
of a water crisis, especially in South Kolkata (The
Times of India News Bureau, 2010; The Times of
India News Bureau, 2010; The Statesman News
Bureau, 2011; Ganguly, 2010).
Interestingly, the city also happens to be one of
the few places where the domestic water supply
is not billed. The KMC, which administers an area
of about 185 sq km, states that it supplies about
300 million gallons per day (mgd), considering
the water demand (290 mgd) of the city. With
94 per cent of the city being supplied piped
water, there are hardly any meters installed at
the residences, thereby rendering an absence
of a proper monitoring mechanism for water
distribution in its command area (Ghoshal 2009).
In the absence of water meters, water pricing in
Kolkata is based on an annual property tax and
the size of the ferrule, which controls the flow of
water from the supply line (Majumdar and Gupta
2007).
The general opinion about the KMC water
supply is that the water availability is better than
other sources, yet it is not satisfactory. There are
numerous complaints regarding the low pressure,
irregular supply, and unsatisfactory water
quality in households (Majumdar and Gupta
2007). In terms of willingness to pay, the World
Bank conducted a study (Project Preparation
Studies for Calcutta Water Supply, Sewerage
and Drainage Projects 2001) among residents in
Kolkata and found that in general, households
were willing to pay for improved drinking water
supply.
In a city with one third of its population living in
slums, about 78 per cent of the slum households
utilize no water purification method (Shaban
and Sharma 2007). Slum dwellers generally
complained about the few sources available for
64
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
water supply, inconvenient timings and nonadherence even to that timing, low pressure,
overcrowding of sources, and the resultant loss of
time while fetching water (Majumdar and Gupta
2007).
in the past five years, the majority felt that the
domains of number of birds and animal species
(55 per cent), tree and green cover (40 per cent),
ground water availability (39 per cent), surface
water availability (37 per cent), and air quality
(48 per cent) had worsened. Waste and waste
management (52 per cent), and drinking water
quality and availability (61 per cent), according
to the respondents, have improved over time.
Thirty one per cent of the respondents also felt
that there was no change in the surface water
quality and availability (lakes, rivers, ponds, etc.)
in their area (Figure 8.4).
Considering the widespread inefficiencies in the
water sector of the city, there is a lot of scope
for improvement and reform. The immediate
areas of focus include pricing and fiscal reform,
infrastructure, participation of the private sector
in urban water delivery, and political-economic
reform (McKenzie and Ray 2009). These reforms
will not only ensure a consistent and non-erratic
water supply for the populace, but will also
ascertain that the levels of water quality meet the
national standard uniformly in the city.
When assessing the awareness and perception of
different environmental policies, a large number
of the respondents from Kolkata felt that policies
on water availability (42 per cent) and waste
management (52 per cent) existed and were well
implemented. Many respondents felt that policies
existed, but were not well implemented or were
inadequate in the domain of climate change (41
per cent), forest conservation (54 per cent), water
availability (47 per cent), water pollution (55 per
8.4. Results For Kolkata
8.4.1. Overall Environment
When the respondents were asked about their
perceptions of the changes in the different
domains of the environment around their area
6%
Waste and waste management
(garbage collection, dumping, etc)
17%
0
10%
Number of birds and/or animal
species in your city
(ex. Sparrows, butterflies, etc.)
15%
0
40%
27%
26%
7%
Ground water availability
19%
39%
16%
19%
1%
10%
37%
22%
31%
0
2%
Drinking water quality
and availability
27%
61%
10%
0
Air quality (clean air, smog,
particles, smell)
55%
20%
7%
Tree cover/green cover and plant
species in your area (forest cover,
parks, open spaces, etc.)
Surface water qualityand
availability (lakes,
rivers, ponds, etc.)
52%
25%
3%
22%
48%
27%
0%
10%
20%
30%
Don’t know
No direct experience
40%
50%
60%
70%
Better
No change
Worse
Figure 8.4: Changes in the State of the Environment in the Past Five Years in Kolkata
65
Re sults from Kolkata
cent), and air pollution (54 per cent). A very large
number of respondents were not aware of policies
on climate change (23 per cent) or felt that they did
not exist (20 per cent), which also shows their lack
of awareness on policies. Thirty three per cent of
the respondents in the domain of air pollution also
showed a similar lack of awareness (Figure 8.5).
According to 75 per cent of the respondents,
government is the most important group that
should work towards improving the environment,
while 11 per cent of the respondents felt that it
was consumers like us who should, in fact, work
towards improving the environment.
To understand the interplay between
environment and development, the survey
asked whether these two domains work together
or should be treated differently. Only 1 per
cent of the respondents felt that environment
and development go hand in hand. Ninety
nine per cent of the respondents felt that they
should be treated differently and development
should be prioritized (37 per cent) or
environment should be prioritized (62 per cent)
(Figure 8.6).
The main sources of information for the
respondents about environment related activities
were television (71 per cent), followed by local and
regional newspapers (35 per cent), and national
newspapers (10 per cent). Most respondents (78
per cent) felt that the information they receive
on environment-related issues is adequate. From
other sources of information, the majority of
respondents felt that they did not receive adequate
information about environment-related activities.
23%
20%
21%
Climate change
16%
20%
13%
26%
28%
Forest conservation
24%
9%
6%
17%
Waste management
52%
25%
3%
13%
34%
Water availability
42%
8%
9%
23%
32%
33%
Water pollution
3%
16%
22%
Air pollution
32%
13%
17%
0%
Don’t know
10%
20%
30%
Policies exist, but not implemented
Policies exist and are well implemented
40%
50%
60%
Policies exist, but are inadequate
No government policies exist
Figure 8.5: Awareness and Perception of Government Policies in Kolkata
66
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
Yes, they should be treated differently
and the government should prioritize
environmental protection (62%)
Yes (79.55%)
No, environment protection and
development go hand in hand (1%)
No (20.45%)
Yes, they should be treated differently
and the government should prioritize
development (37%)
Can’t say (0%)
Figure 8.7 : Usage of Public Transport in Kolkata
Figure 8.6: Interplay between Environment
Protection and Development in Kolkata
To reduce my
contribution towards
vehicular pollution (14%)
8.4.2. Air
The respondents were asked which sector
contributes the most to air pollution in Kolkata
and 60 per cent of the respondents felt that the
transport sector was the biggest contributor,
followed by 30 per cent of the respondents citing
factories in and around the city. While assessing
the respondents’ perception on whether air
pollution causes respiratory problems, such as
asthma, lung cancer, and skin diseases, 60 per
cent of the population thought it was the main
contributor to such health problems. Thirty per
cent of the population thought it was one of
the major contributors to these problems. Not a
single respondent felt that air pollution did not
cause any health-related problems.
As seen by the results above, according to the
respondents, the transport sector contributed
the highest to air pollution in the city. The
respondents were then asked about their usage
of public transport and nearly 80 per cent did,
in fact, use public transport more than three
times a week (Figure 8.7). The primary reason
for using public transport for the respondents
(53 per cent) was to save on cost (Figure 8.8).
Sixty six per cent of the respondents did not
use public transport owing to their belief that
it would require more time than using private
vehicles (Figure 8.9).
67
To save time (29%)
All of the above (4%)
To save on cost (53%)
Figure 8.8: Reasons for Use of Public Transport
in Kolkata
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
66%
17%
8%
10%
I do not find
it safe to use
It is not
convenient
for me to
use
0%
It is not very
frequent
It is
expensive
for me to
use
The time
spent is
more on
public
transport
Figure 8.9: Reasons for Not Using Public
Transport in Kolkata
8.4.3. Water
When asked about the causes of wastage of
water in the households, 73 per cent of the
respondents felt that water was being wasted
due to excessive consumption. Fifty four per cent
Re sults from Kolkata
of the respondents also felt that water is being
wasted due to leakage during its distribution.
When asked whether residents should pay the
actual cost of water, given that water is highly
subsidized for households, nearly 57 per cent of
the respondents felt that they should not pay the
actual cost of water (Figure 8.10).
Undergraduate
and above
59.06%
40.27%
0.67%
Higher Secondary
(Class XII) and
Diploma
50.99%
48.34%
0.66%
Middle and
Secondary (Class X)
37.84%
62.61%
The percentage of respondents who agree that
consumers should pay the actual cost of water
Primary
70.33%
29.67%
supply is indicative of an increasing trend with SchoolUp(tillto Class
V)
increasing levels of education. Only 30 per cent
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
of the respondents with a primary education
No
Don't Know
Yes
background agree that citizens should pay the
actual cost of water supply, while 59 per cent Figure 8.11: Should we pay the actual cost of
respondents with an education background water in Kolkata? Distribution by Educational
of undergraduate and above agree to paying Groups
for the actual cost of water supply, showing an
100%
increasing acceptance with attainment of higher
90%
education (Figure 8.11).
80%
When asked about the billing mechanism for
water delivery to households, 59 per cent of the
respondents felt that there should be metered
consumption, while the remaining felt that
there should be a fixed rate for water delivery.
However, only 44.97 per cent of the respondents
with a higher level of education (undergraduate
and above) favoured metered/consumption
based pricing as compared to 63.18 per cent of
respondents with education up to primary school.
(Figure 8.12).
100%
36.81%
37.39%
39.07%
55.03%
63.18%
62.61%
60.93%
44.97%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Un
de
r
an grad
d a ua
bo te
ve
(C
las Hi
s X ghe
II) r S
an ec
d D on
ipl dar
om y
a
Mi
y ( ddle
Cl a
as nd
sX
)
ar
nd
co
Se
Sc
ho Up
ol to
(ti P
ll C rim
las ar
sV y
)
0%
Metered/consumption based
Fixed charges/flat rates
Figure 8.12: Billing Mechanism for Water
Delivery to Households in Kolkata for Different
Educational Groups
No (56.68%)
Don't Know
(0.285)
Yes (43.4%)
Figure 8.10: Should we pay the actual cost of
water in Kolkata?
8.4.4. Forest/Green Cover
Twenty nine per cent of the respondents in the
city of Kolkata revealed that they had never
visited a park, 40 per cent had never visited a
forest in the city or in adjoining areas, 57 per
cent had never participated in management
of parks in their neighbourhood, 46 per cent
had never planted a tree, and 52 per cent had
never engaged in gardening at home. Forty per
68
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
cent of the respondents had visited a forest in
the city or adjoining areas and 78 per cent of
the respondents have never been involved in
cutting/chopping of trees.
Extreme events (floods,
drought, storms, etc.)
The respondents were asked about how the city
could improve its green cover. Fifty two per
cent felt that it could be done by declaration of
protected areas (where no commercial activities
can take place). An equal number of respondents
(43 per cent each) felt that green cover could
be increased by improving or formulating new
policies and through reclamation of wasteland
for parks (Figure 8.13).
48%
45%
14%
Wind pattern
52%
35%
7%
Precipitation/rainfall
62%
31%
0
37%
Temperature
63%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Some change
A lot of change
No change at all
8.4.5. Climate Change
Figure 8.14: Changes in Climatic Factors over
Time in Kolkata
Around 99 per cent of the respondents in Kolkata
were aware of climate change and were asked for
their perceptions on changes in different climatic
variables in Kolkata over time. About 63 per cent
of the respondents felt that there has been a lot
of change in the temperature, while 45 per cent
felt that there has been a lot of change in extreme
events (floods, droughts, storms, etc.). Almost 62
per cent respondents felt that there has been some
change in rainfall patterns and 52 per cent felt
that there have been some changes in the wind
pattern (Figure 8.14).
cent felt that it had a very severe impact, and 39
per cent felt that it had a severe impact. Not a
single respondent felt that improper solid waste
management had no impact on health, showing
their concern towards improper solid waste
management in Kolkata.
When asked about the willingness of respondents
to segregate waste before disposing it, 48 per cent
of the respondents said that they were willing to
do it while 14 per cent were very willing to do it
(Figure 8.15). The 38 per cent respondents who
were unwilling to segregate their waste cited
space constraints (60 per cent) as the major reason
(Figure 8.16). For those who were willing, 53 per
8.4.6. Waste and Waste Management
When asked about the severity of health impacts
due to improper solid waste management, 55 per
Intervention by civil society organizations
6%
4%
Voluntary activities by citizens
11%
Public-private partnership
14%
Reclamation of wasteland for parks, etc.
43%
Declaration of protected areas (where no commercial activities
can take place) / ‘no-go’ areas (where no one is allowed)
52%
Improved/ new government policies
43%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Figure 8.13: Strategies Government Should Adopt to Improve Forest/Green Cover in Kolkata
69
Re sults from Kolkata
cent said that it was good for the environment
and 28 per cent said that they could use the
biodegradable waste to make compost (Figure
8.17).
I already do segregate the
wastes generated at home
Willing (48%)
20%
I can use the biodegradable
wastes to make compost
28%
Very willing (14%)
It is good for the environment
Not willing at all (7%)
Not very willing (31%)
0
4%
Local authority's
responsibility
5%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Figure 8.17: Reasons for Willingness to
Segregate Waste into Biodegradable and NonBiodegradable Components in Kolkata
Figure 8.15: Willingness to Segregate Waste
into Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable
Components in Kolkata
Waste not collected
separately
53%
Ghoshal, Devjyot. “Kolkata Assumes Domestic Water
Supply Is Free.” Business Standard, December 24, 2009.
Majumdar, Chirodip, and Gupta, Gautam. “The Debate over
Municipal Water Pricing: Evidence from Kolkata, India.”
International Journal of Water Resources Development 23, no.
4 (2007): 571–582.
McKenzie, D, and Ray, Isha. “Urban Water Supply in India:
Status, Reform Options and Possible Lessons.” Water
Policy 11 (2009): 442–460.
Space constraint
Project Preparation Studies for Calcutta Water Supply, Sewerage
and Drainage Projects. The World Bank, 2001.
60%
Shaban, A, and Sharma, R N. “Water Consumption Patterns
in Domestic Households in Major Cities.” Economic and
Political Weekly 42, no. 23 (June 9 2007): 2190–2197.
Cumbersome
The Statesman News Bureau. “South Kolkata Reels Under
Water Crisis.” The Statesman, January 24, 2011.
33%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
The Times of India News Bureau. “No End to Water Crisis in
South Kolkata.” The Times of India, October 14, 2010.
100%
Figure 8.16: Reasons for Unwillingness to
Segregate Waste into Biodegradable and NonBiodegradable Components in Kolkata
—. “Raj Legacy Mainstay of Water Supply.” The Times of
India, September 3, 2003.
—. “Water Crisis in South Kolkata.” The Times of India,
September 2, 2010.
References
Bhaumik, Subir. “Warning over Calcutta Water Quality.”
BBC News, August 29, 2003.
Ganguly, Deepankar. “Water Crisis Looms on South.” The
Telegraph, December 1, 2010.
70
Results from Mumbai
Results from Mumbai
9.1. Demographics of Mumbai
M
umbai
is the largest Urban
Agglomeration (UA) in India. It is
made up of eight constituent units,
namely Greater Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar,
Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli,
Ulhasnagar, Ambarnath, and Badlapur. It has
a total population of 18.4 million inhabitants.
While all the three mega cities—Delhi, Kolkata,
and Mumbai—have a low sex ratio, Greater
Mumbai has the lowest at a mere 861 females
per 1,000 males. The Greater Mumbai UA has a
literacy rate of 90.78 per cent which is the highest
amongst the UAs included in this survey.
9.2. Demographics of the Sample
The sample size for Mumbai was 1,010, nearly
25 per cent of the total survey sample for the
study. The sample is diversified across gender,
age, education, occupation, and income of the
respondents. However, being a random sample,
only 22 per cent of the respondents were female
(Figure 9.1). The majority of the respondents
are distributed between the age groups of
18–24 (27 per cent), 25–34 (31 per cent), and
35–44 (24 per cent) years, while 18 per cent
of the respondents were above the age of 45
(Figure 9.2). A total 40 per cent of the respondents
had middle or secondary education followed by
35–44 (24%)
45–54 (13%)
Female (22%)
55–64 (4%)
Above 65 (1%)
18–24 (27%)
Male (78%)
25–34 (31%)
Figure 9.2: Age Distribution of Respondents
Figure 9.1: Sex Distribution of Respondents
73
Results from Mumbai
Higher secondary and
diploma (33.27%)
Self-employed/Business (21%)
Unemployed (2%)
Retired (2%)
Under graduate and
above (21.88%)
Housewife (15%)
Student (21%)
Upto primary (5.05%)
Casual/daily wage (3%)
Regular salaried (government) (8%)
Regular salaried (private) (29%)
Middle and
secondary (39.8%)
Figure 9.3 : Educational Distribution of Respondents
Figure 9.5 : Occupational Distribution of Respondents
in Mumbai
1 to 3 L (48.91%)
and limited space for expansion, the city has the
dubious distinction of having rather haphazard
urban growth over the years. As a result, the built
fabric of the city is a skewed urban landscape.
3 to 5 L (20%)
5 to 10 L (3.07%)
10 to 20 L (0.5%)
More than 20 L (0.2%)
No response (12.28%)
Upto 1L (15.05%)
Figure 9.4: Annual Household Income Distribution of
Respondents in Mumbai
higher secondary and diploma (33 per cent) and
under-graduate and above (22 per cent) levels of
education (Figure 9.3). Nearly half the respondents
are in the INR 1–3 lakh income bracket, followed
by 3–5 lakh (20 per cent) and up to 1 lakh (15 per
cent) income brackets (Figure 9.4). According
to occupation, students and the self-employed
are equally represented (each 21 per cent) in
the sample (Figure 9.5). The largest number of
responses (37 per cent) was obtained from the
regular salaried persons, including private and
government, with the majority coming from the
private sector.
9.3. Key Pressing Issues
Mumbai, the commercial capital of the country, is
an old city with a port that has seen a lot of changes
in landscape. With an increase in urban migration
Contrary to general belief, Mumbai is not a vertical
city and skyscrapers do not loom as large as one
might think. There are pockets of tall buildings on
old mill lands and along the city’s west coast but
most of the east coast has land controlled by the
port authority, derelict factory sheds, ramshackle
low-rise rent-controlled buildings, and slums.
To the south is the old city centre with its lofty
colonial motifs and the match-box type high- and
low-rise structures of the business district and
the Reclamation. The nearest green spaces are the
ones at the race course, Malabar Hill, and a few of
the private clubs in the city. Moreover, the green
cover in the north eastern region of Mumbai (with
Sanjay Gandhi National Park) is characteristically
different from the south (The Economist 2012).
Edward Glaeser of Harvard University has rightly
mentioned that Mumbai has some of the most
extreme land-use restrictions in the developing
world. Moreover, the ratio of a new building’s
floor space to its plot area is capped at 1.3 times
in most parts of the city (compared with over five
times in Hong Kong and New York). Moreover,
the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules inhibit
new construction and redevelopment near the
coast. This further adds stress on the land-use
efficiency in the city (The Economist 2012).
74
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
Towards the inland portion of the city, with land
locked under development control rules and
crowded slums, the green zones are virtually
non-existent. The city’s 1.3 crore inhabitants have
a green cover of just 19.12 lakh trees. This implies
that there is just one tree breathing out oxygen
for every six people (Viju and Sharad 2011). The
Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) which
includes the western, eastern, and central suburbs
is no better when it comes to green zones or green
cover. Encroachment of sanctuaries, depletion of
the buffer zone, and illegal settlements in and
around the unprotected forests has drastically
affected these regions (Rangnekar 2009).
In addition to the above, there is an urgent need
to restructure the development rules for land
use, free land banks for public spaces, and tackle
encroachment by slums and developers. At a
micro level, in the neighbourhoods, local citizen
bodies need to identify potential tree plantation
tracts, wasteland, and encroached land which can
be turned into green patches.
9.4. Results for Mumbai
9.4.1. Overall Environment
When asked about their perceptions on changes
in the different domains of the environment,
40 per cent of the respondents answered
that there has been no change in air quality,
46 per cent of the respondents saw an improvement
in waste and waste management and 39 per cent
saw an improvement in drinking water quality
and availability. Respondents saw no change in
the number of birds and animal species (35 per
cent), tree or green cover (38 per cent), surface
water quality (31 per cent), and air quality
(40 per cent). In terms of ground water availability,
respondents felt that it had worsened over
time (Figure 9.6).
Efforts by the authorities such as plantation drives,
mandatory plantation of trees by developers,
maintaining an appropriate ratio of compulsory
open spaces in new development projects, and in
general, increasing the level of awareness amongst
the public will aid in improving the green cover
of the city. Innovative methods like tagging of
trees with a barcode system by the Government
of Maharashtra aim to keep track of the numbers
and species of trees, thereby, helping to pinpoint
those which are heading towards extinction
(National Forest Development Commission,
Government of India 2013).
4%
When asked about awareness and perception
of government policies related to different
11%
Waste and waste management
22%
46%
18%
8%
19%
20%
18%
Number of birds/animal species in your city
3%
10%
Tree/green cover and plant species in your area
35%
22%
2%
26%
Ground water availability
5%
Surface water quality and availability
11%
24%
Drinking water quality and availability
42%
28%
13%
2%
38%
15%
5%
28%
31%
28%
25%
2%
Air quality
0%
13%
16%
29%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Don’t know
No direct experience
Worse
Better
Figure 9.6: Changes in the State of the Environment in the Past Five Years in Mumbai
75
39%
40%
40%
45%
No change
50%
Results from Mumbai
improving the state of the
environment, 66 per cent of the
Climate change
respondents chose government,
8%
Don’t know
6%
and 14 per cent of the respondents
27%
Forest conservation
37%
26%
considered the business sector to
4%
Policies exist, but not
5%
play an important role (Figure 9.8).
15%
implemented
27%
Waste management
47%
However, 40 per cent have chosen
6%
Policies
exist,
but
are
non-profit organizations as the
10%
11%
inadequate
34%
Water availability
other important or responsible
41%
4%
Policies exist and are well agent, followed by consumers
6%
12%
implemented
27%
Water pollution
(29 per cent). There is difference
49%
5%
of opinion across all individual
No government policies
3%
4%
exist
characteristics of respondents
47%
Air pollution
38%
8%
(age,
gender,
occupation,
education, and income). For
0%
20%
40%
60%
example, as the level of income
Figure 9.7: Awareness and Perception of Government Policies in Mumbai
and education increase, the
perception of importance of nonenvironmental issues, most respondents felt profit organizations declines. On the other hand,
that policies existed but were either inadequate respondents with income ranging from INR 1-3
or not well implemented for air pollution (51 lakh and/or ‘middle and secondary’ education
per cent), forest conservation (64 per cent), and level have low confidence in the government as
climate change (47 per cent). Policies on waste an agent to improve the environment.
management (47 per cent), water availability
When the Mumbai residents were asked about
(41 per cent), and water pollution (49 per cent),
their perceptions of the interplay between
according to the respondents, existed and were
environment and development, 34 per cent
well implemented (Figure 9.7).
said that the two go hand in hand, while 62
Newspapers and television are the most per cent said that they are conflicting in nature
important sources of information related to the (Figure 9.9). Among those respondents who
environment for Mumbai residents. A total 75 perceive that there is conflict, the majority (34 per
per cent of the respondents found that television centof total respondents) thought that development
is an adequate source for environment-related should be given priority over environment.
information, followed
by national newspapers
(67 per cent). Local/
regional newspapers Rank 2 14%
16%
29%
40%
2%
(47 per cent), research
publications (30 per
cent), and the Internet
Rank 1
66%
14%
9%
10%
0%
(28 per cent) are other
significant sources of
information.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
26%
17%
30%
20%
Non-Profit Organizations
Businesses
Government
Consumers (like you and me)
When the respondents
Co-Academic institutions/Research organizations
were asked to rank
the group that should
be most active in Figure 9.8: Top Groups that should Work towards Improving the Environment in Mumbai
76
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
pollution (Figure 9.10). Domestic fuel burning
and garbage burning were seen to be the other
contributing factors.
Yes, they should be treated
differently and the government
should prioritize development (34%)
Can’t say (4%)
Don’t know (1%)
No, environment protection and
development go hand in hand (34%)
Yes, they should be treated differently
and the government should prioritize
environmental protection (28%)
Figure 9.9: Interplay between Environment Protection
and Development in Mumbai
9.4.2. Air
When asked about sources of air pollution,
factories and the transport sector topped the list,
where 45 per cent of the respondents ranked
factories in and around the city as the biggest
source of air pollution and 44 per cent ranked
the transport sector as the biggest source of air
Rank 2
Rank 1
29%
19%
44%
15%
20%
45%
17%
5% 1% 5%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Transport Sector
Factories in and around cities
Domestic fuel burning activities
Construction activities
Garbage burning
Figure 9.10: Sectors Contributing the Most to Air Pollution
in the City in Mumbai
Yes, but it is just one of the major
contributing factors (13%)
Yes, but it is a very minor
contributing factor (12%)
I don’t know (1%)
No, I don’t think air pollution
causes any of these
diseases (1%)
Almost all respondents (99 per cent) perceive
that deterioration of urban air quality due to
pollution is the cause of diseases such as asthma,
lung cancer, other respiratory diseases, and skin
diseases (Figure 9.11). A total 74 per cent of the
respondents totally agreed with this causal
linkage whereas 13 per cent perceived it to be
a major cause and 12 per cent perceived it as a
minor contributing factor.
Since transport is a major polluting sector, using
public transport can be a mitigating strategy and
respondents were asked about their use of public
transport; 88 per cent of the Mumbai respondents
stated that they use it (Figure 9.12). Those who use
the public transport system were further asked
about their reasons for the same (Figure 9.13). The
study found that while 64 per cent use it to save
time, 41 per cent use it to reduce cost. However,
about 37 per cent of the respondents say that they
use public transport to reduce their contribution
towards air pollution. On the other hand, the lack
of frequency and convenience (each 54 per cent)
along with the additional time required (58 per
cent) for public transport are the major reasons
for not using it. Another important reason for not
using public transport is lack of safety as stated
by 37 per cent of the respondents (Figure 9.14).
As a strategy to improve the city’s air quality,
75 per cent of the respondents suggested conversion
No (12%)
Yes (88%)
Yes, I totally agree (74%)
Figure 9.12: Usage of Public Transport in Mumbai
Figure 9.11: Does Air Pollution Cause Diseases (such
as asthma, lung cancer, etc.) in Mumbai?
77
Results from Mumbai
To save time
Time spent is
more on public
transport
64%
58%
It is expensive
for me to use
All of the above
10%
16%
It is not very
frequent
To reduce my
contribution
towards vehicular
pollution
37%
To save on cost
It is not
convenient
for me to use
54%
I do not find it
safe to use
41%
0%
54%
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
37%
0%
Figure 9.13: Reasons for Using Public Transport
in Mumbai
10%
20% 30%
40%
50%
60% 70%
Figure 9.14: Reasons for Not Using Public Transport
in Mumbai
80%
75%
67%
70%
60%
49%
50%
39%
40%
30%
17%
20%
10%
0%
Enhance public
transport
infrastructure
Levy heavier
congestion tax
and other taxes
to discourage
private vehicles
(taxes on cars)
Set up local
industrial clusters
to enjoy common
environmental
friendly facilities to
reduce pollution
Stringent
monitoring
and ensuring
environmental
standards
are met
Convert all
polluting industries
into environmentally
friendly industries
Figure 9.15: Strategies Government Should Adopt to Improve Air Quality in Mumbai
of polluting industries to environment-friendly
units, while 67 per cent suggested the imposition
of congestion and other taxes to discourage use
of private vehicles (Figure 9.15).
9.4.3. Water
Exploring the causes of water wastage, 65 per
cent thought that the main reason is leakage
during distribution, while 51 per cent have
identified leakage from taps/faucets in the house
(Figure 9.16). On the other hand, 15 per cent of
the respondents believe that water is not being
wasted at all. Since water is highly subsidized
for the domestic sectors, respondents were asked
whether consumers should pay the actual cost
of water supply (Figure 9.17). While 51 per cent
agree that consumers should pay the actual cost
of service, 46 per cent were averse to the idea.
A total 69 per cent of the respondents perceive
that billing mechanisms to price water supply
should be metre/consumption based while 31
per cent supported flat rates or fixed charges.
78
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
70%
9.4.4. Forest/Green Cover
65%
To explore the behaviour of the respondents
with respect to green cover, they were asked
about their frequency of undertaking some
activities related to it (Figure 9.18). A total 40
per cent of the respondents stated that they visit
neighbourhood parks more than once a week, a
significant number visit a forest (39 per cent) or
participate in management of parks (30 per cent)
or tree plantation (43 per cent) once a year. At
the same time, 86 per cent say that they have
never engaged in any activity related to cutting/
chopping of trees.
60%
50%
51%
43%
40%
30%
20%
15%
10%
0%
Leakages
from taps/
faucets in
your house
Leakages
during
distribution
(from
municipalities,
tankers, etc.
to your house)
I dont’
know
Water is not
wasted
Figure 9.16: Major Causes of Wastage of Water in Mumbai
However, in the case of gardening, there is a
difference in response across income, education,
and occupation categories. Similarly, in the case
of visiting a park, there are differences across
gender, occupation, and education while income
and occupation-wise differences exist in the case
of participation in park management. Female
respondents and housewives spent much less
time visiting parks than their male counterparts.
Similarly, people with lower levels of education
(up to primary) get less time to visit parks.
No (46%)
Don’t know (3%)
Yes (51%)
Figure 9.17: Should We Pay the Actual Cost of Water
in Mumbai?
Involved in cutting/
chopping of a tree
86%
Gardening at home
46%
Plant a tree
25%
28%
Participate in
management of parks
30%
22%
4%
0%
13%
10%
Never
11%
43%
34%
Visit a forest or
adjoining area
Visit a park in your
neighbourhood
8%
39%
2%
17%
15%
14%
4%
5%
8%
40%
50%
60%
70%
More than once a month
80%
90%
100%
More than once a week
Figure 9.18: Behaviour Towards and Frequency of Use of Surrounding Forest/Green Cover in Mumbai
79
11%
7%
15%
17%
20%
20%
30%
40%
Once a year
Once in a month
8%
5% 2%0%
Results from Mumbai
60%
50%
54.2%
49.3%
45.2%
40%
25.8%
30%
20.4%
20%
10%
4.5%
0%
Reclamation of
wasteland for
parks, etc.
Public–private
partnership
Voluntary
activities
by citizens
Improved/new
government
policies
Intervention
by civil society
organizations
Declaration of
protected areas
(where no commercial
activities can take
place)/‘no-go’
areas (where no
one is allowed)
Figure 9.19: Strategies Government Should Adopt to Improve Forest/Green Cover in Mumbai
To explore strategies for improving the green cover
in their city, more than half of the respondents
(54 per cent) opted for the requirement of
improved/new government policies while almost
half have suggested declaration of protected
areas (Figure 9.19). Other important suggestions
were reclamation of wasteland for parks (45
per cent) and implementation of public–private
partnership (26 per cent).
However, there are differences of opinion across
individual categories. While female respondents
are more in favour of reclamation of wasteland
for parks, male respondents and those over the
Extreme events
14%
Wind pattern
age of 45 support new/improved government
policy or public–private partnership.
9.4.5. Climate Change
When asked for their opinion on whether climate
change was occurring, 79 per cent perceived
that it is occurring. Further, those who agreed
were asked about their perception of changes in
different climatic factors (Figure 9.20). The
majority (45 per cent) has claimed that some
change has occurred in temperature, wind pattern
(40 per cent), and extreme events (31 per cent).
Approximately 41 per cent of the respondents
31%
21%
20%
40%
Precipitation/rainfall
18%
41%
Temperature
25%
28%
0%
13%
13%
45%
20%
A lot of change
40%
Some change
Figure 9.20: Changes in Climatic Factors over the period in Mumbai
80
60%
No change at all
2%
1%
6%
80%
Don’t know
0%
100%
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
also claimed that a lot of change had occurred in
rainfall patterns.
9.4.6. Waste and Waste Management
The respondents were also asked about their
perceptions regarding the severity of negative
impacts of improper solid waste management
on human health (Figure 9.21). The survey
has revealed that it is very severe from the
perspective of the majority (57 per cent) of the
respondents and 24 per cent felt that it has severe
impacts, whereas only 11 per cent thought it had
moderate impacts.
The study also showed that garbage from
households is mostly (51 per cent) collected by
public entities. Private entities are also involved
in collecting garbage (36 per cent) along with
public–private partnership (as in the case of 12
per cent respondents).
To manage the problem of solid waste, almost
half (48 per cent) of the respondents believe
that segregation of waste at source is the best
strategy (Figure 9.22). Other important strategies
suggested are generating less waste (37 per
cent) and improving waste recycling capacity
(33 per cent). However, very few respondents
(8 per cent) thought that imposition of user
charges can be a good strategy.
Not willing at all (61%)
Not very willing (19%)
Willing (17%)
Very willing (4%)
Very severe (57%)
Figure 9.23: Willingness to Segregate Waste into
Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Components
in Mumbai
Severe (24%)
Even if segregation of waste is considered an
important strategy, 80 per cent of the respondents
were not willing to segregate the waste before
disposing it (Figure 9.23). Only 4 per cent were
very willing to segregate, and another 17 per
cent were somewhat willing to segregate. When
asked about the reasons for their unwillingness
to segregate, the majority of respondents
(64 per cent) cited lack of space as the main
reason (Figure 9.24). Another significant reason
is the collection process which does not benefit
the segregation (44 per cent). Concern for the
environment (63 per cent) was the main reason
for those who were willing to segregate waste at
source (Figure 9.25).
Moderate (11%)
Low (7%)
No impact (1%)
Figure 9.21: Negative Impacts of Improper Solid Waste
Management on Human Health in Mumbai
I don’t know 0%
Improve waste
recycling capacity
User charges
33%
8%
Segregate waste
at the source
48%
Generate less
amount of waste
0%
37%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Figure 9.22: Best Strategies to Improve Waste Management
in Mumbai
81
Results from Mumbai
70%
64%
60%
50%
44%
40%
30%
36%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Cumbersome task
to separate the
waste
Will require more
space to keep two
separate bins
Even if I segregate
the wastes, it is not
collected
separately by the
civic authorities
It is the local
authority’s
responsibility,
not mine
Figure 9.24: Reasons for Unwillingness to Segregate Waste into Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Components
in Mumbai
70%
63%
60%
54%
50%
40%
36%
30%
20%
10%
0%
It is good for the
environment
I can use the
biodegradable wastes to
make compost
I already do segregate
the wastes generated at
home
Figure 9.25: Reasons for Willingness to Segregate Waste into Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Components
in Mumbai
References
National Forest Development Commission, Government of
India. Forest Department Raises the Bar by Tagging
Trees. 2013. http://www.hrdnfdc.org.in/news/?id=7
(accessed 28 March, 2013).
Rangnekar, Prashant. “Vanishing Green Cover of Mumbai.”
Expressindia, June 15, 2009.
“The Minimum City.” The Economist, June 9, 2012.
Viju, B, and Sharad, V. “Only 19 L Trees in Mumbai Makes
Greens See Red.” The Times of India, May 31, 2011.
82
CONCLUSION
T
he survey, with a total sample of 4,039,
was conducted in the six most populous
cities of India, and each city sample
population was proportionate to the ratio of
population of the city with the total population
of all cities combined. The survey aimed to collect
information from citizens across all sections
of society from each of the six cities regarding
their perceptions, behaviour, awareness, and
opinions towards the environment.
Key Observations
Overall Environment
Respondents in all the cities surveyed perceived
the quality of overall environment to have
deteriorated. There are some variations, however,
in responses for different components of the
environment across different cities.
Changes over the last five years
In the past five years, respondents have reported
an overall deterioration of the environment.
However, mixed responses were received for
different environmental parameters.
For air quality, on the one hand, a little less than
half of the respondents in Bangalore (46 per cent),
Chennai (45 per cent), Kolkata (48 per cent), and
Mumbai (40 per cent) perceived no change to
have occurred. On the other hand, 68 per cent
83
respondents in Hyderabad and 40 per cent in
Delhi find it to have deteriorated. A total 39 per
cent from Delhi and over 20 per cent in Bangalore
and Mumbai find the air quality to have actually
improved.
Drinking water quality and availability in
Mumbai has been perceived by a majority to
have undergone no change. A total 68 per cent
of respondents in Bangalore, 41 per cent in Delhi,
47 per cent in Chennai, and 61 per cent in Kolkata
perceive drinking water quality and availability
to have improved. In Hyderabad, however, 60 per
cent respondents found it to have deteriorated.
Ground water availability has been perceived to
have declined over the years in all the surveyed
cities. Most respondents from Delhi and Bangalore
(83 per cent and 77 per cent, respectively) held
this opinion.
With respect to tree cover/green cover and plant
species in the area, and the number of birds and/
or animal species, responses suggest an overall
deterioration. Nearly half the respondents from
Bangalore and Chennai feel there has been a
decline. Around 80 per cent respondents from
Delhi share this perception. In Mumbai, however,
more respondents perceived no change in this
regard as compared to worsening or improvement.
Waste and waste management has been perceived
to have deteriorated by a majority of respondents
in Delhi (80 per cent) and Bangalore (53 per cent),
Conclusion
compared to Hyderabad (33 per cent) and Chennai
(23 per cent). The situation is seen as improved by
53 per cent in Kolkata and 46 per cent in Mumbai.
The perception of these environmental indicators
varied not only across cities, but across localities,
age groups, education, and income levels as well.
Sources of information
Most respondents treat TV and national
newspapers as the main source of information
on environment and related matters and find it
adequate. The second most important source of
information varied from city to city, but most
respondents in the surveyed cities identified
it as local/regional newspapers, internet, and
informal conversations. In most cases, this
information is seen as inadequate. School and
college curriculum as a source of information
on environmental issues was rated highly only
in the city of Hyderabad with 53 per cent of the
respondents choosing it.
Awareness of government policies
Overall awareness about government policies in
different spheres of the environment exists, but
the common opinion suggests that these policies
are either inadequate or not being implemented
to meet their desired objectives. In Bangalore,
most of the respondents felt that policies for
climate change, forest conservation, and waste
management exist, but are not adequate and the
policies to check water pollution are not being
implemented. In nearly all the surveyed cities,
awareness about existence of an air pollution law
or policy is poor.
Stakeholders with the most important role
In most cities, 50 per cent or more respondents
believed that the government has the most
important role to play, followed by business
communities and consumers. The only exception
can be found in the responses received in
Hyderabad, where 61 per cent felt that research
institutions have a major role to play in this area.
It is interesting to note that only 1 per cent of the
respondents from Delhi shared this opinion. The
role of not-for-profit organizations was seen as
important in Delhi and Mumbai by 12 per cent
and 40 per cent of the respondents, respectively.
Environment or development
One of the questions with the most varied
response across cities was whether environment
and development can go hand in hand. More than
50 per cent of Delhi’s respondents agreed that it is
possible for environment and development to be
looked at together. Over 30 per cent respondents
from Chennai and Mumbai, and around 10 per
cent of the respondents from Bangalore and
Hyderabad agreed with this idea. Amongst
respondents who felt that environment and
development should be treated separately, more
people in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Bangalore
felt that development should be prioritized
when choosing between the two. Fewer people
in Delhi and Chennai seemed to hold this view,
where 22 and 30 per cent people thought that the
environment should be a priority, if one were to
choose between environment and development.
Air
Sources of air pollution
The three most commonly identified sources of air
pollution across cities were found to be factories in
and around cities, emissions from transport, and
construction activities. Most respondents from
Delhi found transport to be the most polluting
sector, whereas most respondents from Mumbai
and Bangalore considered factories in and around
the cities as the main source of pollution. Unlike
other urban agglomerations (UAs) surveyed,
more than half the respondents in Hyderabad
cited construction activities as a primary source
of pollution.
Air pollution as a cause of respiratory and skin
diseases was recognized by respondents in all
the cities, albeit in different degrees. Most people
in Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad saw a direct
causal relationship between air pollution and
diseases like asthma, respiratory disorders, skin
diseases, and lung cancer.
84
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
Measures to reduce air pollution
Respondents were asked for their opinions on the
measures to reduce air pollution and improve air
quality. Around one-fourth of the respondents in
most of the surveyed cities feel that enhancing
public transport infrastructure is an important
measure to address the problem of increasing air
pollution. Levying of congestion and similar taxes
to discourage private vehicles was considered as
an option by 75 per cent of the respondents in
Mumbai, followed by Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Other measures voted for by the respondents
include encouraging conversion of polluting
industries so as to use environment-friendly
technologies, and establishment of industrial
clusters which can use common facilities and
infrastructure for environment-friendly processes
(with more inclusion of green space, plants, etc.).
Use of public transport
Most of the respondents claimed to be using
public transport at least three times a week. More
than a majority of respondents in Bangalore,
Kolkata, and Mumbai used public transport and
more than half of the respondents from Chennai
and Delhi also used public transport. The main
drivers for the choice of public transport are to
save money and time. However, around onethird of the respondents in most UAs used
public transport to reduce vehicular emissions
too. Usage of public transport also varied with
age and gender. For example, a higher percentage
of the male population and those from younger
age groups used public transport. The main
deterrents to using public transport were
identified to be a lack of convenience and lack
of frequency. Time is another deterrent factor in
cities, such as in Mumbai and Kolkata (58 and 66
per cent, respectively). Only 1 per cent of Delhi
respondents cited the time factor as a reason for
not taking public transport.
Water
Primary causes of water wastage
A vast majority of citizens in all the surveyed
UAs agreed that water is being wasted in their
85
cities. The three main reasons for this wastage
were identified as leakage during distribution
and supply, leakage in the taps and faucets, etc.,
in homes, and over consumption by people.
Leakage during distribution and supply is
seen as the biggest cause in all the cities except
Bangalore, where more respondents find leakage
from taps and faucets in homes to be the main
cause. Most respondents in Hyderabad (up to 64
per cent) hold overuse by consumers responsible
for wastage of water.
Payment for water
While respondents in all the cities agreed that
water is being wasted, including in homes due to
leakage and overuse, they are not willing to pay
for the actual cost of water. Around 74 per cent
respondents in Bangalore, 61 per cent in Delhi, 42
per cent in Chennai, 46 per cent in Mumbai, and
56 per cent in Kolkata did not agree with the idea
of paying the actual cost of water. Hyderabad
was the only city where a relatively small number
(only 29 per cent) of respondents opposed the
idea of such payment.
Respondents were also asked about whether
a flat rate or a consumption-based meter is the
appropriate billing mechanism for water. While
citizens want water to be subsidized and are
not willing to pay for the actual cost in general,
they are agreeable to the idea of billing based on
their actual consumption. A total 99 per cent of
the people surveyed in Bangalore chose metered
consumption, followed by Delhi (89 per cent) and
Mumbai (69 per cent). In Chennai, only 32 per cent
of the respondents were in favour of consumptionbased meters as a billing mechanism.
Forest/Green Cover
Measures for improving forest/green cover
The most agreed upon measure for improving
forest/green cover was reclamation of barren
areas and wastelands, followed by declaration
of certain areas as protected and, thus, restricted
for commercial activities. Another measure rated
high by respondents from Mumbai and Delhi
is improvement of government policies in this
Conclusion
domain. Public-private partnerships were also
seen as a useful means to enhance green cover,
especially in Mumbai and Chennai.
Participation in maintaining green cover
In most of the surveyed cities, people were sensitive
towards the green cover in their neighbourhood.
However, only about one-third of the respondents
participated in the management of parks in their
neighbourhoods. In Delhi, that figure is even
lower, where nearly 90 per cent respondents
have never participated in the management
of any parks in their area. A large number of
respondents have never planted a tree in their
lifetime. More respondents from Chennai and
Bangalore say that they have planted trees than
respondents from other cities. Interestingly, the
maximum number of respondents who admitted
to having been involved in felling a tree was from
Chennai (38 per cent).
Climate Change
The percentage of respondents believing that
climate change is indeed occurring varies in
different UAs. It ranges from 99 per cent in
Kolkata to 41 per cent in Chennai. Temperature
variations were perceived in most cities, followed
by extreme events and precipitation. Mumbai
respondents noted significant changes in rainfall
patterns.
Waste and Waste Management
Waste disposal and management is an issue across
all the six UAs. Most respondents from Bangalore,
Delhi, and Mumbai recognize improper waste
management as a very severe threat to human
health.
Strategies to improve waste management
When respondents were asked to choose the
best strategy for better waste management, most
of them, nearly half in some cases, opted for
segregation of waste at source as the best strategy.
This was followed by other measures, such as
recycling and reducing the generation of waste
itself. Very few respondents found imposition of
user charges for generating waste to be a good
strategy.
Willingness to segregate
While segregation of waste is a common
response, not many respondents are willing
to do so themselves. Nearly half of the total
respondents in all the cities have categorically
stated that they are not willing to segregate their
waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable
components. In Mumbai, as many as 80 per cent
respondents said that they are not willing to
segregate their household waste. Less than 10 per
cent respondents are highly willing. However,
it should be noted that most respondents from
Kolkata (48 per cent) are willing to segregate
waste. The most common reasons cited for
unwillingness to segregate waste include lack of
space, cumbersome process, lack of segregated
collection, and a strong belief that segregation
is a responsibility of the local authorities.
Lack of space was the biggest disincentive for
respondents in Kolkata and Mumbai (60 and
64 per cent, respectively). Besides being seen as
a complicated process, the respondents also felt
that their efforts do not help as the waste is not
collected in a segregated manner. This view was
held by 44 per cent Mumbai respondents and 18
per cent Delhi respondents. As many as 23 per
cent respondents from Delhi and Bangalore felt
that waste segregation is the sole responsibility
of the entity that collects it.
86
annexure
Questionnaire
Hello, my name is ______________ from the public opinion research firm of Ralibha Insights. We are
conducting a survey of people’s views on a number of important issues faced by people with respect
to the environment. Please be assured that we are not selling or soliciting anything. This is strictly a
research project, being conducted in India. Shall we begin the survey?
Background Information
a. Name:
b. Contact information (phone number/email ID) – Optional
c. Type of locality (answered by the surveyor)
i) Tax category of locality/socio-economic status of locality
ii) Name of locality
iii) Type of locality
i. Slums/ villages/ Jhuggi-jhopri cluster/unauthorized colonies
ii. Lower middle class locality
iii. Upper middle class locality
iv. Posh localities
d. City
i. National Capital Region
iv. Chennai
ii Greater Mumbai
v. Kolkata
iii Bangalore
vi. Hyderabad
87
Annexure
e. Age
i. 18–24 iii. 35–44
v. 55–64
ii. 25–34 iv. 45–54
vi. Above 65
Male Others
f. Gender
Female g. Education
i. Up to Primary School (till Class V)
ii. Middle and Secondary (Class X)
iii.Higher Secondary (Class XII) and Diploma
iv.Undergraduate and above
v. Others, please specify _______
h. Occupation
i. Self-employed/Business
ii. Regular salaried (private)
iii. Regular salaried (government)
iv. Casual / daily wage
v. Student
vi. Housewife
vii. Unemployed
viii.Retired
i. Annual household income
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
Upto 1 L
1 to 3 L
3 to 5 L
5 to 10 L
10 to 20 L
Greater than 20 L
vii. No response
j. Whether migrated to the current city of residence and for how long
i. Yes, first generation migrant (Time: ______________)
ii. Yes, second generation migrant (Time: ______________)
iii. No
88
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
OVERALL ENVIRONMENT
1. How do you perceive a change in the state of the environment around your area over the last five
years (2007 onwards)?
No change
Better Worse
No direct experience Don’t know
Air quality (clean air, smog, particles, smell)
Drinking water quality and availability
Surface water quality and availability(lakes, rivers, ponds, etc.)
Ground water availability
Tree cover/green cover and plant species in your area (forest
cover, parks, open spaces, etc.)
Number of birds and/or animal species in your city (ex.
Sparrows, butterflies, etc.)
Waste and waste management (garbage collection, dumping, etc)
2. Have you heard of the government policies that address the following environmental concerns?
No government
policies exist
Policies exist and are well
implemented
Policies exist, but
are inadequate
Policies exist, but
not implemented
I don’t know
Air pollution
Water pollution
Water availability
Waste management
Forest conservation
Climate change
3. What are the means you use to get the most information about environment related activities and
is this source adequate? (please rank the top two) (Do not prompt unless they want options)
This information is adequate (Yes/No)
National newspapers
Local/regional newspapers
Television
Internet
Magazines
Seminars and programmes
Research publications
School/college curriculum
Informal conversations
Any other source, please specify _______________
I don’t have any information
89
Annexure
4. Rank the top two amongst the following groups in working to help improve the environment?
Government
Businesses
Consumers (like you and me)
Non-Profit Organizations
Academic institutions/Research organizations.
5. Do you think protecting the environment (reducing air pollution, water pollution, controlling
deforestation, preserving our minerals, etc.) is against the objectives of development (poverty
reduction, increasing levels of education, improving the health of people, etc.)?
a. Yes, they should be treated differently and the government should prioritize development
b. Yes, they should be treated differently and the government should prioritize environmental
protection
c. No, environment protection and development go hand in hand
d. Can’t say
e. Don’t know
f. Any other, please specify -___________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
AIR
6. Which sector do you think contributes the most to air pollution in cities (please give the top two
responses and rank them)? (Do not prompt unless they want options)
Rank
Transport sector
Factories in and around the city
Construction activities
Domestic fuel burning activities (cow-dung cake, wood and charcoal burning for cooking, heating, etc.)
Garbage burning
Others, please specify __________________
I don’t know
7. Do you think air pollution is the cause of diseases, such as asthma, lung cancer, other respiratory
diseases, skin diseases, etc.?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Yes, I totally agree
Yes, but it is just one of the major contributing factors
Yes, but it is a very minor contributing factor
No, I don’t think air pollution causes any of these diseases
I don’t know
90
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
8. Do you use public transport more than three times a week (yes or no and why)?
Yes
No
a. To save on cost
a. I do not find it safe to use
b. To reduce my contribution towards vehicular pollution b. It is not convenient for me to use
c. To save time
c. The time spent is more on public transport
d. All of the above
d. It is not very frequent
e. Any other, please specify ____________
e. It is expensive for me to use
f. Any other, please specify ______________
9. In your opinion, what strategy should the government adopt in order to improve air quality in
cities (you may choose more than one option but a maximum of two)? (Do not prompt unless they
want options)
a.
b.
c.
d.
Enhance public transport infrastructure
Levy heavier congestion tax, and other taxes to discourage private vehicles (taxes on cars)
Convert all polluting industries into environmentally friendly industries
Set up local industrial clusters to enjoy common environmental friendly facilities to reduce
pollution
e. Stringent monitoring and ensuring environmental standards are met
f. Others, please specify _____________________
g. I don’t know
WATER
10.What are the major causes of wastage of water in your city (please choose all that apply)?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Leakages from taps/faucets in your house
Leakages during distribution (from municipalities, tankers, etc. to your house)
Too much water used where less is required by us as consumers
Water is not being wasted
I don’t know
Others, please specify ______________
11.Water is currently highly subsidized by the government for the households and agriculture (we
pay only 10% of the actual cost of water). Do you thing that we should pay the actual cost of water
supply? (you may explain why yes or no)
a. Yes ____________________________________________________________
b. No ____________________________________________________________
c. Don’t know _________________________________ ____________________
12.What could be an billing mechanism used to price water delivery at home?
a. Fixed charges/flat rates
b. Metered/consumption based
c. Others, please specify ______________
91
Annexure
FOREST/GREEN COVER
13.How often do you undertake the following?
Never Once a Once in More than
year
a month once a month
More than
once a week
Visit a park in your neighbourhood
Visit a forest or adjoining area (not necessarily
in your city)
Participate in management of parks in your
neighbourhood
Plant a tree
Gardening at home
Involved in cutting/ chopping of a tree
14.How do you think the city can improve its green cover? (Please give the options)
a. Improved/ new government policies
b. Declaration of protected areas (where no commercial activities can take place) / ‘no-go’ areas
(where no one is allowed)
c. Reclamation of wasteland for parks, etc.
d. Public-private partnership
e. Voluntary activities by citizens
f. Intervention by civil society organizations
g. Others, please specify ____________
CLIMATE CHANGE
15.Do you think climate change is occurring1? (please give the definition of climate change and if
possible, some examples)
a.
b.
c.
d.
Yes
No
Maybe
Can’t say
15a. If yes, which among these climatic variables you think has undergone changes?
A lot of change Some change
No change at all
Don’t know
Temperature
Precipitation/rainfall
Wind pattern
Extreme events (floods, drought,
storms, etc.)
1
Climate change is defined as “Climate change means a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that
alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time
periods.” OR you can use “any significant change in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period of time. In other words, climate
change includes major changes in temperature, precipitation, or wind patterns, among other effects, that occur over several decades or
longer”
92
TERI Environmental Survey 2013
WASTE AND WASTE MANAGEMENT
16.How severe do you reckon are the negative impacts of improper solid waste (garbage) management
on human health?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Very severe
Severe
Moderate
Low
No impact
I don’t know
17.Currently, who collects garbage from your household?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Public entities
Private entities
Public-private partnership
Not aware
Any other, please specify _____________________________________
Not collected at all
18.According to you, which amongst these is the best strategy to manage the problem of solid waste
(you may choose more than one option to show a combination)?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Generate less amount of waste in the house
Segregate waste at the source
Improve waste recycling capacity
User charges (charges for the amount of waste generated, ex. In kilograms or the number of
bags collected)
e. Others ¬_____________
f. I don’t know
19.How willing are you to segregate your waste (into biodegradable and non-biodegradable
component) before disposing it?
Options
Reasons
Not willing at all Not very willing
a. Cumbersome task to separate the
wastes.
b. Will require more space to keep
two separate bins
c. It is the local authority’s
responsibility, not mine
d. Even if I segregate the wastes it
is not collected separately by the
civic authorities
e. Others, please specify ___________.
93
Willing
Very willing
a. It is good for the environment
b. I can use the biodegradable wastes
to make compost
c. I already do segregate the wastes
generated at home
d. Others, please specify___________