Land Encroachment in Delhi

LAND ENCROACHMENT IS EATING AWAY THE OPEN SPACES OF DELHI

Planning the city in such a way that overutilization or underutilization of any part of the city can be avoided is the need of the hour. It is true that the modern city of today cannot be compared to the earlier towns. Growth of a large city has become an existing reality. This phenomenon has led to increasing residential density within the city limits as well as sprawl that encroaches the surrounding villages in Delhi. This trend stresses on the growing importance of open space within the city. Urban places comprise of open space like parks, enclosed space like buildings and semi enclosed space. The first aim is creating a sustainable landscape. The second aim is the maintenance of this vital resource.

Psychologists say that open spaces are very important for our mental and physical well-being. But their importance is being ignored, like; the trees that take almost fifty years to grow are chopped to widen roads. Actually, with land prices skyrocketing, open spaces are considered worthless unless they can be put to commercial use. So spaces in parks and gardens are built up and shops and recreational facilities are created and green space gets shrunk. The continuous change in the urban land use of a city is a matter of concern. The rapid increase of urban population leads to an ever increasing demand on the urban environment. The unplanned expansion of cities and encroachments by people for various purposes poses serious problems to the environment and the people living in the area. Therefore it is very much necessary to monitor the land use and its changes. Residents must also take active initiative in maintenance of open space. In this manner they will also be motivated to save the open space and parks.

Therefore, rational management for green space is of absolute necessity to compensate their demand through optimum use.

Data on land use change from the satellite imageries over 1971-2006 of Delhi, clearly indicates the trend where the conversion is taking place from natural areas to agriculture and urban and from agriculture to urban uses. The profound drivers of this change is urbanisation in Indian sub-continent which is happening at a fast pace. There is an urgent need to look for long-term sustainability and environmental planning.

Encroachment carries the sense of something slowly creeping into something else’s space, either literally or figuratively. Encroachment is the unauthorized use or management of Open Space reserve by neighbors.

These activities include (but are not limited to) the following:

(a)  Extension of private boundaries

(b)  Unauthorised plantings and gardens.

(c)  Informal and constructed access tracks.

(d)  Firewood collection

    This is mainly due to high population increase in the core and intermediary zones that are urban areas. With population increase in the urban areas of Delhi, the city is expanding towards the peripheral region with the conversion of rural areas to urban expansions. The built up area has increased that mainly came from agriculture land, waste land, scrub-land, sandy areas and water bodies.

    Management and planning of urban space requires spatially accurate and timely information on land use and changing pattern. Monitoring provides the planners and decision-makers with required information about the current state of development and the nature of changes that have occurred. Remote sensing and Geographical Information system (GIS) provides vital tools which can be applied in the analysis at the district and as well as the city level. Remote sensing becomes useful because it provides a synoptic view and multi- temporal Land uses and Land cover data that are often required. The need of the hour is a partnership between government, community groups, non-profit organizations, and private land owners to improve the quality of Open Space in Delhi.