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EVALUATING
ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF URBAN AND PERI-URBAN WATERBODIES - A CASE STUDY
FROM KOLKATA PONDS CO-FRIENDLY IMMERSION
Siddhartha
Majumdar Abstract The
significance of urban and peri-urban waterbodies (ponds) as water resources
is being more understood in recent days. Increasing population in urban
and peri-urban centres has put more stress on water management of city
administration. This has necessitated proper management of the ponds economically
for better water quality. Kolkata, the second largest metropolis in the
country, has about 2000 ponds of different sizes spread within its municipal
corporation boundary. These ponds are used as multiple resources - about
half a million people use it for bathing, washing, pisciculture, performing
religious rites and also use its adjoining area as city parks. The ponds
also have a great ecological importance in urban environment - from microclimate
control to biodiversity. The present paper firstly aims at valuing the
contribution made by urban peri-urban ponds to support and improve the
quality of life of the people residing in adjoining areas (or using it).
Secondly it attempts to deal with the sustainable management of such ponds
both at theoretical and at the practical level. The study is based on
an extensive survey of Kolkata ponds, first ever such study on Kolkata
ponds, to find its prime uses and users, out of which four ponds are selected
for detailed empirical exercises. For tractability, the present study
considers only use-values, such as bathing, washing, immersion of idols,
recreational uses along with fish cultivation. The main observations of
the study are; a) even without considering existence value, option value
etc., the value contributed by a pond is significant though after capitalization
of the flow of values it does not match real estate prices; b) non-enforcement
of property rights have effected the sustainability in many cases; c)
sustainability from the viewpoint of human use and sustainability from
the viewpoint of pisciculture may have some mutual incompatibility and
therefore requires an integrated approach and d) proper community management
can attain the sustainability without compromising on quality of life. Key words: Quality of life, urban peri-urban waterbody, sustainable management, community management, existence values, option values, contingency valuation, surrogate market approach * All correspondences
may be made to
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