The need for rigorous scoping in Indian infrastructure development projects
The infrastructure domain is one of the key drivers of India’s economy. Nearly 9% of India’s GDP is spent on infrastructure services, it is important for economic growth and fosters trade within and outside the country through railways, ports and airports enabled by a robust power grid. The government’s policy outlines an intense focus to initiate & sustain this drive in the infrastructure sector and ensure that this investment keeps flowing. In 2018, the infrastructure sector in India witnessed private equity and venture capital investments worth US$ 1.97 billion. Needless to say, such a drive to build and grow the country’s infrastructure often means that the government steamrolls through some of the approvals (environmental and social impact) to ensure that these projects are implemented quickly. While expedited and sustainable development is the stated & aspired outcome for the government, its real-time actions seem to paint a different picture altogether.
Let’s go through the example of the metro development in Mumbai to examine the need for greater stakeholder (citizens, watch-dog organizations and investors) involvement in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) processes.
Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is used to identify the environmental and social impacts of a proposed project prior to decision-making in order to predict environmental impacts at an early stage in project planning and design, while strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is used at the policy, planning and programming levels. Rigorous scoping prior to implementing a large scale infrastructure project would ensure the best possible outcomes for all stakeholders involved.
The Mumbai Metro Project
Mumbai Metro Line-3 (MML-3) is a joint venture between the governments of India and the state of Maharashtra on a 50:50 sharing basis. It is one of the projects planned to improve the transportation scenario in the financial capital of India: Mumbai. MML-3 project is a 33.5 km long corridor from Colaba in the south via Bandra to the commercial precinct of SEEPZ in Andheri East in the north of the city. Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRC) is the nodal agency responsible for the implementation of Mumbai Metro Line–3(MML-3) project. According to the official website, the stated aims are to provide a Mass Rapid Transit System that would support the inadequate suburban railway system of Mumbai and a significant reduction in traffic volume.
The Background
If the numerous news articles in popular dailies in the city and activists are to be believed, a morbid case of land exploitation surrounding the new Metro project emerges. Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRC) along with the city’s municipal authority — Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), amidst numerous protests, axed as many as 2.5k trees in a designated forested land. This area was formerly under the protection of the No Development Zones (NDZs) umbrella and the MMRCL justified its stance claiming that Aarey colony is already commercially exploited. In spite of massive citizen protests and a 15 day “cooling off” period imposed by the high court, the trees were chopped down in the cover of the night. 2.5 k trees of the designated forested land were chopped down for a metro car shed and a ‘Metro Bhavan’ which would act as the headquarters for the city’s Metro network. The official Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report outlined that “about 673 trees are likely to be cut …”. The “facts of Aarey” press release on the MML-3 website claims that the rise in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels due to the loss of tree cover can be offset by the ‘green’ nature of the metro, and the loss in catchment area leading to an increased risk of flooding of the Mithi river has not been addressed.
What is problematic about the current metro plan?
Water and electricity consumption: The metro EIA report outlines a requirement about 159 KLD of fresh water will be required at the depot for different uses. Furthermore, the report also suggests using Reverse Osmosis (RO) filtration plants to treat water to wash rakes of the metro. RO method of water filtration is one of the most energy intense modes of filtration and is often utilised to treat water prior to human consumption. There is no clearly outlined plan to source such a large supply of freshwater.
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Metro III outlines that the cost of electricity will be a significant part of the Operation & Maintenance (O&M) charges of the Metro System, constituting about 25‐35% of total annual working cost and mentions that it is the key element for the financial viability of the project. The annual energy consumption is assessed to be about 260 million units in initial years (2016), and is projected to increase to about 430 million units by 2031. Sourcing this humongous supply of electricity is also unaccounted for in the plan. Most of India’s electricity comes from thermal sources (coal, lignite, oil and gas) i.e. 2,30,701 MW and constituting 62.8% of total energy generated. The reduction in fossil fuels consumed by private vehicles has to be effectively offset by a metro running on electricity generated by fossil fuels. How green will the new metro be?
The authorities should have ideally announced to the public beforehand through advertisements and circulars, a systematic and phased plan for cordoning off parts of the roads where metro construction is slated to begin. Work must be started in phases such that small sections of the highways are undertaken for construction and excavating most of city’s arterial roads at the same time should have been avoided — this gives the impression that the planning authorities were scrambling to begin all of the planned infrastructure construction simultaneously so that it cannot be stopped when objections arise.
Proposed route & location of control tower: The original route for MML-3 was from Colaba to Bandra and was later extended to SEEPZ in Andheri to rake in more revenue and connect both the airport terminals — at an additional cost of nearly ₹777 crore. The 32 storey control centre will be located at Aarey colony and will control 14 lines (13 proposed and one functional) in and around Mumbai — a network of 337 km. The need to place a 32-storey control tower in the middle of this green cover hasn’t been justified.
Congestion on arterial roads and subsequent challenges in the last mile connectivity: The planning authorities have exhibited a lack of foresight by commissioning a metro line right on top on some of the busiest arterial roads in Mumbai — the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR) and the Western Express Highway (WEH). While the residential pockets surrounding JVLR are already stretched in terms of population density, the new metro line will do little to ease the traffic. It will bring in more commuters who disembark along this road to hail their last mile connectivity transport; parking and pick-up spots for which cannot be accommodated on this already chock-a-blocked road. Metro I connecting Versova to Ghatkopar already suffer from poor last mile connectivity and the authorities haven’t unveiled any plans to improve this for the upcoming metro phases.
Adverse effect on traffic conditions: A study has revealed that long term construction work such as the overland metro work in Mumbai lead to many problems such as reduction in capacity, increased delays in travel time delays, fuel consumption, number of forced merges, and roadway accidents which lead to unaccounted economic losses. So it becomes necessary to study and quantify the impact of mass rapid transit system construction work zones on traffic environment which will further help in estimating the economic loss due to these construction work zones. No such studies have been made public for the Mumbai Metro projects.
The almost synchronised construction of the metro infrastructure throughout the city such that sections of all arterial roads and highways are blocked off at the same time is haphazard at best and has thrown the entire city’s roadways into chaos. This reduction of half a lane on either side for automobiles plying on JVLR is another concern which hasn’t been accounted for in their plans. The aim of the new metro lines is to reduce the stress on roads, reduce the number of private motor vehicles plying on the highways, and boost patronage of public transportation. While the stated disclaimer that a relatively short term inconvenience would lead to long term benefits, best practice would require that the studies and scoping exercises leading to these conclusive outcomes be made accessible to the public.
If the metro line connecting Versova and Ghatkopar is any indication of what to expect, this new metro will only fuel further unchecked infrastructure growth which will in turn increase traffic and pollution along these metro lines.
Alternate modes of transport and its affordability: The public bus transport authority ‘BEST’ is reeling under fare and budget cuts by the municipality and this has led to a slow demise of this mode of transport even though millions of citizens rely on this service. Its services are now invariably delayed due to traffic snarls made worse by unplanned road works and badly maintained buses. There have also been plans to reduce the BEST into a metro feeder service and its depots proposed to be made into parking lots for private buses and heavy motor vehicles during the day. While effectively utilising depot space to curb illegal parking of heavy vehicles on narrow streets is a brilliant idea, these buses are the only public transport means plying on the roads of Mumbai and restricting it to a metro feeder service wouldn’t be in the average citizen’s best interests. We must instead focus on boosting existing bus services, upgrading the existing Mumbai Suburban Rail Network and the BEST’s fleet of outdated, fuel guzzling buses to bolster these means of transport. Which demographic is the MML-3 targeting for patronage? How affordable will it be and what is the proposed fare?
Impact on pollution: A study released by the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research, Mumbai’s air contained double the amount of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 microns and 10 microns than that of Delhi. The vehicle density per kilometre in Mumbai was among the highest in India which has contributed to increased traffic congestion and worsening air quality. The numerous lane closures on the roads due to on-going metro construction work and idling traffic as a result of it has led to an increase in air pollutants from road traffic. The city’s air quality has plummeted in the past year and if the dust along the metro lines is any indication, the control measures (as outlined in the EIA report) implemented are not doing enough to control the particulate matter and dust.
These raise the following questions:
The need of the hour is to go back to the drawing board and really evaluate the need of the metro in certain sections of the city.
Do we need another mode of transport built atop highways which are already choked with vehicles? Also, will the average citizen be able to afford to ride the new metro?
Which is the appropriate transport system which can effectively solve the city’s transport challenges?
What behavioral or structural changes are most necessary to improve the livability quotient in cities?
The author is an experienced environmental scientist. He has worked in academia, industry and governmental departments across 3 continents.
