Ahmedabad is steadily progressing towards high quality
infrastructure. The city is witnessing the growth of promising new buildings
and townships.
…But at the cost of what?!
Agreed, that real estate development contributes
immensely to the growth and development of the nation, and provides employment
to skilled, semi-skilled as well as unskilled workers, but in the long run there
is much more than meets the eye.
The Earth is in our hands. Insist on keeping it GREEN. |
Can real estate development and environmental
sustainability be combined in so called ‘green projects’?
The answer is yes!
Ahmedabad has two “eco-friendly” projects to boast of!
Adani’s Shantigram
– Gujarat’s largest township and Godrej Garden City, which are both eco
friendly!
When a non- eco friendly project is conceived and brought
into existence, the most noticeable damage caused to our environment is Ecosystem Destruction.
A relevant example would be the project near the Aravali
Mountain Ranges where hundreds of acres of forest land was encroached and fragmented
into private plots. Investors sunk in a fortune hoping of cashing in on the
real estate boom.
Another issue is the overexploitation of ground water
reserves by real estate developers, leading to the falling of the water table
to dangerously low levels.
Gurgaon and Delhi are already pained by a serious water
crisis which led to residents knocking the doors of the courts and finally, the
Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has been restrained from issuing
further licenses to real estate developers who consume ground water.
But, by stopping construction, are we addressing the
problem, or are we creating other new problems?
In another example, an expert team was appointed by the
Kerala State Coastal Zone Management Authority (KSCZMA) in South India.
The KSCZMA found details of encroachments and CRZ
violations near the Chilavannur backwater. Satellite images showed that these
stretches were swampy areas before the construction of the apartments began in
the region.
Closer to home, Lavasa city, encompassing around 25,000
acres of land, became controversial when it started drawing of water from the
Varasgaon Dam and clearing forests for commercial purposes.
GO GREEN! |
After a prolonged battle, Lavasa Corporation Limited
(LCL) finally was able to get the environmental clearance for its first phase,
subject to strict conditions.
However, once environmental damage has been done, it can
never be undone. A forest ecosystem once lost, can never be recreated no matter
what the penalty.
Keeping all this in mind, ecologically friendly homes
have been in development for some time, improving more and more each year.
Not only is energy produced by solar panels and wind
turbines a cost effective alternative to fossil fuels, their production and use
cause little to no pollution while also preserving the earth’s natural
resources.
While the financial benefits of purchasing an eco home
are not always immediately evident, buying a home that is a result of our
effort to save the environment from damage certainly comes with a sense of pride
and responsibility!
It is true that Ahmedabad is growing very fast in Infrastructure and Construction Projects and many opportunists for the Real Estate Development Services. Thanks for the details....
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