ADB_book_18 April.qxp - Himalayan Document Centre - icimod

Chapter 8Urban EnvironmentIntroductionUrban areas play an important role in economic,political, and cultural development. Theconcentrated population and production inurban areas leads to greatly reduced unit costs inproviding and managing basic infrastructure andservices, better employment and livelihoodopportunities, and easier participation in the politicalprocess. The same concentration, however, makesurban areas consumers of resources and producersof pollution, resulting in a wide range ofenvironmental problems in the cities and beyond.Historically, cities grew gradually over longperiods of time, which provided time andopportunity to address their emerging needs. In thepast half-century, the pace of urbanization indeveloping countries has accelerated greatly. Often,rapid urban growth has taken place withoutmatching expansion of the infrastructure, services,and facilities necessary for an adequate and healthyurban environment, and without adequate planningor regulation. This has caused deterioration in urbanenvironmental quality. Urban areas commonly faceshortages of safe drinking water and inadequateprovision of sanitation, solid waste collection anddisposal, drains, paved roads; and other forms ofinfrastructure and services necessary for a healthyenvironment. This results in bad water and airquality, unmanaged or mismanaged waste, andincreasing noise pollution. Urban areas also faceproblems in controlling encroachment into publicspaces and degradation of cultural sites and heritage.Rapid urban growth in itself need not produceserious environmental problems providedenvironmental implications are considered in asystematic, timely, and adequate way.Kathmandu Valley is the most urbanized regionin Nepal and its urban areas have been importanteconomically, administratively, and politically forhundreds of years. The urbanization of KathmanduValley goes back over 1500 years, and the old townsof the Valley are characterized by a strong culturalhistory and pattern—dense settlement withcourtyards as in-town open space, squares asintervening open spaces, temples and other culturalsites, and greenery and open space at the periphery.The old settlements were located at relatively higherelevations and surrounded and separated from eachother by agricultural land; almost all waste wasbiodegradable, and sewage was used in agriculture.Until fairly recently, except for sanitation, theenvironmental quality of the Valley towns wasexcellent (HMG/UNDP 1994). In the process of rapidgrowth, Nepal’s urban areas now face all the abovementionedproblems of infrastructure and servicedeficiency, and environmental management.Urban Growth and FeaturesUrban SettlementsThe municipalities designated by the Ministry ofLocal Development are the areas in Nepal formallydefined as urban. The criteria for designatingmunicipality status have been revised several timessince 1952 (Table 8.1). The current definition is givenby the Local Self Governance Act 1999, whichclassifies municipalities into three hierarchical levels:metropolitan city, sub-metropolitan city, andmunicipality. At present there are 1 metropolitan city(Kathmandu), 3 sub-metropolitan cities (Biratnagar,Lalitpur, Pokhara, and Birganj), and 53municipalities.The density, contiguity, and occupationalstructure of the population—which are generallyaccepted criteria for defining urban areas—havenever been considered in designating municipalitiesCrowded KathmanduNEFEJChapter 8: Urban Environment103