PREPARING CITIES FOR GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE: A COMPARISION OF LONDON AND DELHI

Human habitats and natural systems in metropolitan cities are coupled in dynamic relationships which co-exist in a global environment that is rapidly changing. Urban areas, particularly in high income nations, house various human activities responsible for climatic changes, that cause global warming. During the 20th century, pollution increased significantly faster both in London and Delhi compared to other cities of the world and is still increasing at a rapid pace. Thus, there is an urgent need for replanning of both the cities and convert them into sustainable cities. The project Preparing cities for global environmental change: a comparison of London and Delhi under Dr. Richard Dawson understands the present scenario of global environmental change and the chaos it will produce in the near future. Thus, it would help the engineers to develop adaptation strategies that can tackle the threats posed by the global changes. I would like to attach myself to this project and learn about various measures undertaken to prepare London for global environmental changes and implement them here in Delhi maybe in the form of a project and also suggest possible strategies which can be implemented in London as well. During my stay in IIT, I have pursued many courses which urge the need for improving the present scenario of the modern cities and suggest possible ways to tackle the challenges. The course on Transportation Engineering suggested many ways for prevention and controlling of pollution. Public transport in Delhi is served primarily by buses, auto rickshaws and a metro rail system. Delhi was one of the world's ten most polluted cities in the 1990s, with vehicles producing 70% of the polluting emissions. The government ordered the conversion of Delhi's fleet of buses and taxis to be run on Compressed Natural Gas and banned the use of leaded petrol which led to a significant decrease in the level of air pollution in the city. But still a lot more is to be done in this direction. On the other hand, London although being ranked as one of the most polluted places in Europe, has only a quarter of total Greenhouse Gas emissions accounting from transport sector. Presently, London transport consists of pollution free trams and many public transports which can definitely be introduced in Delhi to reduce air pollution. Another course on Environmental Engineering has provided me with a deep knowledge of various parameters essential in re-planning the modern cities. So far, I have learnt about non-conventional sources of energy, industrial waste management and recycling, waste water treatment process, water management, etc. All this knowledge can be applied both in London and Delhi to make them sustainable cities as two of them suffer from industrial pollution to a large extent.

As far as the City Rivers are concerned, Thames river of London is often boasted as one of the worlds cleanest city rivers. On the other hand, Yamuna River in Delhi has crossed all the possible limits of pollution. However, both the cities should plan water management adequately as there would be an acute shortage of water in the near future. Also, the engineers should work on the concept of green buildings in both the cities, as buildings, right from construction to operation and then demolition, consume resources in the form of energy, water, materials, etc. and emit wastes directly or indirectly. In this way, we can move towards a sustainable city and prepare them for the global environmental change.