Environmental Impact Assessment of Housing Colonies in Lucknow City, India with Special Reference to Land Capability and Spatial Development Using AHP and GIS

Abstract

In the absence of proper assessment of environmental significance of ongoing housing projects in India’s developing cities, the living standards of urban and rural area are fast deteriorating. Poor performance has been noticed in the follow-up activities in environmental impact assessment (EIA). This is considered to be a major weakness of EIA not only in Indian cities but also in those developing cities that are transitioning. This study uses the EIA framework to evaluate current and future environmental impacts on developing housing projects in Lucknow and also evaluates the post-project issues. Urban suitability analysis is introduced to the EIA process on land use planning to evaluate the suitability of housing colonies. Pre-project baseline information is collected from the EIA reports, whereas the post-project compliance is studied through primary data collection. Conflict analysis is carried out to explore disagreements between urban suitability, enabling infrastructure and master plan 2021 proposed by land authorities using satellite imageries, fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and sub-models within the framework of environmental assessment. The outcome of this study reveals that EIA regulations are not adequately implemented in housing projects and there are conflicts with respect to post-project compliance. The study further reveals that zoning regulations and land use suitability is not accounted for while deciding upon housing projects. The methodology provides a cost-effective rapid land evaluation framework which may help policy makers, urban and regional planners and researchers working in developing countries to understand the dynamics of urban growth and implications of these housing projects on the environment.