Unscientific and excessive laying of concrete tiles near green belts and pavements in the city have exposed the lopsided city planning policies being implemented by the civic bodies here.
The tiling work currently progressing at the nearly one-acre parking space owned by the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) close to the Marine Drive walkway remains a glaring example of the ‘mindless concretisation’ in the city, say experts.
“It will increase the heat in micro climate by radiation enormously. The laying of concrete tiles will reduce percolation of groundwater and it will increase surface run-off. The land will become more and more impervious,” said T.K. Ravindran, noted architect and former head of urban design and dean at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.
V.N. Sivasankara Pillai, former Director of the School of Environmental Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology warned that unnecessary laying of concrete tiles will turn the city into an urban heat island. “Already, the city’s temperature levels are higher than the scenario on its outskirts. We have not learnt anything from the Chennai deluge. Unchecked concretisation will increase floods threat, especially in monsoons owing to surface run-off,” he said.
GCDA stand
Supporting the laying of tiles at its parking facility given on lease near Marine Drive, N. Venugopal, Chairman of the Greater Cochin Development Authority, said that alternative methods like grass pavers would not work, especially during the monsoon. “Moreover, the authority has no financial burden as the contractor, who had taken the land on lease, agreed to meet the expense for tiling. The authority in return extended the lease period for undertaking the work,” he said. Comparing the laying of concrete tiles with the use of concrete in homes instead of an alternative like bamboo and thatched roof, Mayor Soumini Jain said that the local body is using only materials cleared by the Public Works Department while laying tiles on pavements and roads. “Grass pavers would not be effective in places like Subhash Chandra Bose park here in view of the lack of necessary depth for water to seep in to the base. But it’s always better to use inter-locking porous tiles in place of concrete ones,” she said.
