Environmental Problems of Mumbai

Mumbai- the name conjures up images of high skyscrapers, wide roads, the sea-kissed Marine Drive, a land of opportunity and enterprise. A city full of paradoxes, Mumbai is a microcosm of India in many ways. If one were to ask a set of people to describe the present Mumbai, we would get a wide variety of answers ranging from the financial capital of India to the next target of militant groups. For me, I see a city at a crossroad, deciding which direction to take. One minor part of her is decisively pulling her towards the path marked 'Destruction through development' while a major part of her wants to take the path of 'Sustainable Development' but cannot do so since it is chained to bureaucracy and politics. The Issue Pollution, population and lack of space have always been traditionally described as the ultimate problems of Mumbai while relegating the acute problem of environmental degradation into oblivion. However, this slowly-ticking time bomb burst into the face of Mumbai in the form of the deluge on July 26, 2005. Unlike what half the city would like to believe, 26/7 is not a sudden indicator of the environmental mess the city has got itself into. Leopard attacks in a bustling city, landslides, abnormally high temperatures in summers, erratic rainfall have long since warned the city of the impending doom. But we have chosen to ignore it all because it is more convenient to do so. In the aftermath of 26/7, several committees have sprung up enquiring into the exact causes of the deluge. They have come up with alarming results and equally alarming future prospects for certain sections of Mumbai namely the construction industry. If we do not act upon these recommendations, our city will certainly soon be history. This project has been an eye-opener for me more than anybody else. The environmental problems of Mumbai have emerged due to the creation of the city itself. The city originally comprised of seven major islands and other smaller masses of land. On its acquisition by the British in 1665, the seven islands were fused together to form the city of Mumbai. The British recognized its potential as a port and developed the city through extensive land reclamation. Thus, several small rivers and their tributaries that ran through the length of Mumbai were filled in. This depleted the areas of dissipation for the water, which is very important factor for an island city like Mumbai. Modern experts and politicians would like to blame the British for destroying the natural environment of Mumbai; however, sanction of hazardous policies and projects like the Bandra- Worli sea-link in the past two or three decades have done more harm to Mumbai than the 150 years of British regime. The problem is that the authorities have failed to foresee the consequences of tampering with the environment. They have consistently ignored the warnings and pleas of environmentalists. Infrastructure projects are sanctioned in the name of development of the city, hardly emphasizing on the environmental impact assessment. The government in turn is issuing environmental clearances to projects like the construction of 20-storeyed skyscrapers on the fragile Cumballa hill. The genesis of the environmental problems of Mumbai is in the fact

that Mumbaikars refuse to believe it is a problem. One of the many pressing environmental issues being faced by Mumbai has been highlighted in the following pages. THE GREEN COVER In recent years, several extensive infrastructure projects have been sanctioned for the 'good' of the city. These include various road-widening projects, construction of new flyovers and link roads. Organizations like the Mumbai Urban Infrastructure Project (MUIP) and Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) insist that these projects can be carried out only with the felling of trees in those particular areas. They refuse to consider seriously alternate plans submitted by the citizens. A legal authority that can enforce such organizations to take cognizance of these plans sadly chooses to remain passive. The Tree Authority enjoys a huge annual budget and can demand developers to conform to the requirements of protection of trees during any projects. However, a large part of this budget remains unspent. In 2004, for example, the budget was over Rs 14 crore. Of this, Rs 10 crore-more than 70%-went unspent. Secondly, the Tree Authority has a poor grasp of the amount of trees being cut in the city. Take the example of the MMRDA's road development projects, for which in the last 12 months, the Tree Authority issued a total of 3,503 permissions to cut trees. Despite this, on just one project-the Eastern Express Highway over 12,000 trees were cut down. Similarly, transplantation that was supposed to have been carried out by developers has never been monitored to ensure that the trees in question survived shifting. As far as illegal hacking of trees is concerned, the Tree Authority may get as far as filing a police complaint when a member of the public makes a written complaint, but no action is taken against those who carry out repeated illegal hacking of trees. Also, the police often discourage people who try to make a complaint about illegal tree cutting. The Tree Authority should spend some of its money on educating its own officers as well as the police force regarding the gravity of the situation. Secondly, the census of trees needs to be carried out once in five years. Even for this, the Authority needs to be pushed to begin the census. The last census was carried out in 1998 when it recorded that there were 5,00,024 trees in Mumbai (excluding those in the National Park at Borivli). Accordingly, the next census should have been carried out in 2003 but the Authority has always shown disinterest in this regard. In fact, given the current rate of development, a census should be carried once in every 2 years. However, a Tree Authority source says the authority plans to propose an amendment to the Maharashtra Preservation of Trees Act (1975), so that the census need be carried out only once every 10 years. Such convenient measure shall provide impetus to developers who will believe that they can get away with anything. The public needs to be convinced that the authorities shall back them up so that they will be more vigilant about illegal felling of trees

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STEPS IN SOLVING A CASE STUDY Analysis should include these sequential steps:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Presentation of the facts surrounding the case. Identification of the key issues. Listing of alternative courses of action that could be taken. Evaluation of alternative courses of action. Recommendation of the best course of action.

Presentation of the Facts Surrounding the Case It is helpful to read a case until you are comfortable with the information in it. Re-readings often are an aid to comprehending facts, possible strategies, or questions that need clarification and were not apparent earlier. In studying a case, assume you are a retail consultant hired by the firm. While facts should be accepted as true, statements, judgments, and decisions made by the individuals in a case should be questioned, especially if not supported by facts-or when one individual disagrees with another. During your reading of the case, you should underline crucial facts, interpret figures and charts, critically review the comments made by individuals, judge the rationality of past and current decisions, and prepare questions whose answers would be useful in addressing the key issue(s). Identification of the Key Issue(s) The facts stated in a case often point to the key issue(s) facing a retailer, such as new opportunities, a changing environment, a decline in competitive position, or excess inventories. Identify the characteristics and ramifications of the issue(s) and examine them, using the material in the case and the text. Sometimes, you must delve deeply because the key issue(s) and their characteristics may not be immediately obvious. Listing Alternative Courses of Action That Could Be Taken Next, alternative actions pertaining to the key issue(s) in the case are listed. Consider courses of action based on their suitability to the firm and situation. Thus, the promotion strategy for a small neighborhood stationery store would not be proper for a large gift store located in a regional shopping center. Proposed courses of action should take into account such factors as the business category, goals, the customer market, the overall strategy, the product assortment, competition, legal restrictions, economic trends, marketplace trends, financial capabilities, personnel capabilities, and sources of supply. Evaluation of Alternative Courses of Action Evaluate each potential option, according to case data, the key issue(s), the strategic concepts in the text, and the firm's environment. Specific criteria should be used and each option analyzed on the basis of them. The ramifications and risks associated with each alternative should be considered. Important data not included in the case should be mentioned. Recommendation of the Best Course of Action Be sure your analysis is not just a case summary. You will be critiqued by your professor on the basis of how well you identify key issues or problems, outline and assess alternative courses of action, and reach realistic conclusions (that take the retailer's size, competition, image, and so on into consideration). You need to show a good understanding of both the principles of strategic retail management and the case. Be precise about which alternative is more desirable for the retailer in its current context. Remember, your goal is to apply a logical reasoning process to retailing. A written report must demonstrate this process.

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