Pune residents fight to save urban hills from construction

DW (English)

Many in Pune are protesting building plans affecting the city’s iconic hills. They fear an impact on biodiversity, air quality and temperatures in the city.

Transcript

00:00Rustling leaves, butterfly sightings, birdsong.

00:04This green haven feels like a part of a forest or a national park,

00:08when in fact, it's one of the many hills within the bustling urban metro, Pune.

00:12Being nestled within the Western Ghats has given Pune a rare gift.

00:16It's hills, or tekris, as they are called in Marathi.

00:19Today, we are on the Pashaan Hill with Amai Jakthap,

00:22a nature lover and a prominent member of the citizen-led Green Pune movement,

00:27who have been instrumental in protecting these places.

00:30What you see today, this greenery that you see today,

00:33is something that the Punecars have contributed.

00:38They were all barren hills.

00:40On the other side of the city, Anand Kumar takes us on a trail,

00:44but this green oasis once looked very different.

00:48It was an unofficial garbage dump and a gutter full of waste.

00:52Where we've entered with you today,

00:55until as far as the other end,

00:58there was stagnant water this high.

01:02You would have never seen something like that ever.

01:07And it was open, there was no path.

01:10Trucks would just come by, dump the illegal waste and leave.

01:14Then we got some people to help,

01:16and our Anandwand urban forest team came into existence.

01:20Together, we must have cleared about 30 to 40 tons of garbage out of this place.

01:27Over 12 years, Anand Kumar has mobilized support from local residents,

01:32volunteers, students and experts.

01:34Today, they work in collaboration with Maharashtra's forest department

01:38to restore hill ecosystems across Pune.

01:41This task requires hard work and commitment,

01:44as it takes five to seven years of consistent nurturing to restore forests.

01:50Even as Pune acres put in the work to protect and restore these green spaces,

01:54there is a looming danger of unchecked urbanization.

01:58In the race to becoming economic powerhouses,

02:01Indian metro cities have often sacrificed their once-treasured ecological features.

02:07Hyderabad has all but lost its ancient rock formations,

02:10and Bangalore, once called the City of Lakes,

02:13is losing lakes at an alarming rate.

02:16The people of Pune were determined to avoid this fate.

02:19In fact, if it wasn't for the timely intervention of its citizens,

02:24there would be no takeaways left to protect today.

02:27Pune acres stood up from 2002.

02:30There were objections raised in thousands.

02:32Like I remember 70,000, 80,000 objections were raised from Pune acres.

02:36Pune acres came on the streets.

02:37Pune acres fought a legal battle.

02:39So from 2002 to 2015,

02:41Pune acres had that consistency to protect the hills

02:46because they have a connection with the hills of Pune.

02:49It was because of the people's dedication

02:51that approximately 978 hectares of land within Pune city limits

02:56has been officially designated as biodiversity parks,

03:00covering the city's hills and their slopes.

03:05Making roads right next to the Tekadis,

03:08making a tunnel under the Tekadi,

03:10all in the name of environmental-friendly development.

03:13Pouring cement and concrete officially,

03:16these are some of the biggest threats that we are facing today.

03:20Such as the proposed Balbharti-Paudh Fata Road project

03:24that would cut across Vetal Tekri,

03:26one of Pune's most central and beloved hills.

03:30Pune citizens are once again fighting this project within the system.

03:34While some protests are planned and organized,

03:37others are emotional and spontaneous,

03:40like the Meet the Hill movement,

03:42started by a group of 13 to 16-year-olds.

03:45The main aim is to technically not let anyone construct on this hill.

03:51That's the main aim.

03:52Because we wouldn't want to disrupt the ecosystem.

03:54We have so many birds here, so many animals.

03:56People love this hill.

03:57It's part of our community.

03:59Pune's people have been working tirelessly to protect its hills.

04:03They are willing to do whatever it takes,

04:05be it through physical labor,

04:07through advocacy and policy,

04:09through education and awareness, and more.

04:11They do this not just because of their connection to the hills,

04:14but because they know what is at stake

04:16and that it requires their vigilance and determination to protect it.

04:20The wind organizes are the potential of all these pathogens.

04:23For that, we should check for changes,

04:24and 신ards,

04:25as we contact each other for all these animals.

04:26For all those animals,

04:27what happens next to their clients?

04:29Their equipment is mainly focused on the cold边 of Nazis.

04:30For all these animals and aliens,

04:31our bodies are protected.

04:32For all these animals,

04:33their bodies are still about their bodies.

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