Greening Urban Centres: Problems of Past, Present and IFS Prospect

The problems of greening any centre, region or slate is intimately connected with the balance of supply, demand and consumption pattern of wood and wood products in the related area and the problem needs appraisal from the socio-economic context as well. A wood balance study had been conducted In the State of West Bengal to delermine Ihe present and projected balance of wood and wood products both in rural and urban areas. The paper is the outcome of a three-year comprehensive project (1983 to ]986) takeo up In West bengal under the guidance of the author in the name of wood balance stUdy. The study was designed to determine tbe present and projected position of the supply, demand and consumption pattern of wood and wood products of the state so that the results may help the planners in formulating plans on a more solid foundation of facts. Stratified raodom sampling was employed for the entire State population and the results were derived from 18,758 respondent. in both family and Institutions falling the raodom io 752 sample villages and 696 urban census blocks drawn out of about 38,000 rural village and 15,000 urban blocks. Some interesting facts of social ecology emerged from the study. Against the recorded fuelwood production of 0.7 million m3 in West Bengal, the estimated annual consumption Is 16.85 million m³ wbicb means the consumption is about 24 times the supply. Amongst tbe traditional renewable reSources fuelwood i. the most widely used in rural areas (about 93.2%) of an the non-commercial energy consumed, the relative share in million tonnes of coal replacement (MTCK) fuelwood provides 77.1% compared to 14.97% of agricultural wastes, 7.48% of dung-cake and 0.45% of biogas. in the total energy consumption in this sate including commercial and non-commercial energy fuelwood also constitutes about a significant 42% of the total consumption out of the total 16.85 million m3 of fuelwood consumed annuany, family, institutional snd cremational sectors constitute 94.10%, 519% and 0.71% respectively. lhe study further reveals that in rural areas percentage of fuelwood collecled and these, which are in trade, and 65% and 35% respectively while in urban areas, tbe pirture is different. The respective percentages of collection and trade in urban areas are 25% and 75%. A nnual average capita consumption is about 0.288 m3 varying from 0.368 m³ in rural areas to 0.072 m3 in urbao areas. The study also reveal. that the proximity of forest area bears a positive co-relation to the per capita fuelwood consumption pattern, which is found to be the highest Darjeeling district (1.10 m³) and lowest in Calcutta (0.017 m³). A negative correlation bas been established between tbe monthly income of a family aod the per capita consumption of fuelwood both in respect of urban and rural sectors. A negative correlation is also Indicated by the study between tbe monthy Income level aod percentage of expenditure on fuel irrespective of urban or rural locations. The paper also reveals the sectoral distribution of woodfuel consumption and estimates the districtwise statistics of the State of west Bengal for the same to determine tbe extent of gap betweeu supply and consumption wood-fuel over time and space.