Importance of Green Urbanisation in India
The rate at which urbanisation is taking place across all major cities, it could soon result in the depletion of our natural resources. Already natural resources like river sand and gravel which are major components in the construction industry are fast getting depleted. As an alternative for river sand which is being illegally mined by the mining mafia across the country, the government has already proposed the usage of artificial sand. However, its effectiveness in construction is yet to be determined. It is in this context that the need for following ‘Green‘ practices in the process of urbanisation gains prominence.
Adverse impact of Urbanisation
Urbanisation is a phenomenon that is engulfing almost all major Indian cities. Still, the rate of urbanisation in our cities is nothing when compared to that of major cities across the world. Being a comprehensive and sustained process, it involves considerable usage of the country’s natural resources. Besides, it involves importing those that are scare in our country, which has to be bought at a cost premium. Since urbanisation involves the development of considerable infrastructure facilities, it imposes immense pressure on our natural resources. Besides, it also adversely affects our ecology subjecting our Earth to drastic climatic changes. Measures like deforestation result in the depletion of our green cover, thereby depleting the protective ozone layer surrounding the atmosphere, and thus subjecting us to the harmful UV rays of the sun.
Benefits of Green practices
The benefits of employing Green practices in the urbanisation process are profound and sustainable, having a positive impact on the ecology and environment and thereby beautifying Mother Nature. Following Green practices is the most effective method to provide sustainable growth in the Real estate sector. It enables in following practices that are energy efficient, which employs natural and renewable energy sources, is environment-friendly, is safeguarded from natural calamities, and is sustainable to users and to the surrounding environment.
Impact on Realty
Green practices are now being widely followed across the world by all major developers and major developers in India have also started implementing such practices in their projects. One of the prominent realty developers who has started implementing Green practices in their projects is the Earth Group. Due to the rousing demand for such projects from the upwardly mobile, there is considerable appreciation for them as well. This has led to many other developers throwing their hat into the ring in a bid to cash in on this rising demand.
Govt initiatives
The Twelfth Five Year Plan as envisaged by the government strives to promote a sustainable model of urbanisation that hinges on implementing Green practices. By this the government wants to promote the implementation of Green practices in the Master Plan of all major cities as well as Tier-II and Tier-III cities of India. This will enable the promotion of the Green concept in major cities including Delhi-NCR and Mumbai in which it is already catching up in a big way.
Future prospects
The current scenario in which urbanisation is engulfing all major cities, with Tier-II and Tier-III cities following suit calls for stringent measures in implementing Green practices in the Real estate sector. Besides the government providing a framework for developers to implement Green practices in their projects, developers also have to come up with innovative methods of implementing Green practices. This will not only benefit end-users but also our environment and ecology as a whole.
