Urban Housing in Itanagar: Mountain Geomorphology and Hazard Vulnerability Vis-a-Vis Smart City Framework

Abstract

Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, is a township established in 1978 to function as the administrative centre and capital of the State. Since then, it has been a hub for administration and a residential place for employees. It has also attracted businessmen and families to settle in the capital for various purposes. Now, there is a stream of migration from rural areas to the town to avail opportunities in the form of livelihood, health care, education, connectivity and better amenities. This has resulted in choking the urban space and facilities. At this juncture of visible stress, the town has been included in the list of Smart Cities of India with the hope to reduce the pressure on land and resources and for ease of living. The town is located on the Siwaliks of the Himalaya Mountain, where terrain conditions are very fragile and susceptible to degradation and hazard. As there is no rule or guideline for site selection and housing types, people are using whatever place is available to them for housing and commercial activities, thereby making themselves vulnerable to hazards associated with mountains. A GIS-based study has been carried out by evaluating and integrating geomorphological parameters for the town area. Subsequently, categories of houses and buildings have been cross-tabulated in estimating proportions of each category versus vulnerability. The analysis shows that about twenty-two per cent of houses have been constructed in vulnerable areas to landslide, landslip, channel shift and channel bank erosion. Government residential units and office buildings constructed during 1980–90s have better terrain condition scores and these are not vulnerable to hazard. Privately owned houses of higher income and wealth groups have their houses built on safe areas. The recent migrants and lower income groups have crowded vulnerable areas. Due to scarcity as well as the high cost of land, in many cases setbacks are not maintained leading to the collapse of houses on the upper elevation. Building bylaws of 2010 and approval of commercial building by authority are not rigidly followed leading to violation of master plan and safety norms. The present requirement for Itanagar is to create a framework and guidelines that factor into hazard and vulnerability issues on a priority basis before development activities like housing, infrastructure, drainage, etc. take place for the Smart City.