INTRODUCTION

This assignment mainly deals with the topic on the communal issue of
Urbanisation and Pollution in Kakinada. The Urbanization in Kakinada began due to
the Petroleum, chemical and petrochemical industries. It has a gradual increase in the
development of motorized vehicles, national highways and oil industries to uphold a
industrial growth planning, efficient transportation and developed infrastructure. The
writer mainly wanted to focus on the issue of the Pollution which is the major effect
of Urbanisation in Kakinada.

1) Definition of Urbanization

Urbanization, simply defined as a radical shift from a rural to an urban society, is

an essential corollary of industrialization that goes hand in hand with the role of
human settlements as engines of growth in the economy and as promoters of scientific,
socio-cultural and technological development.1

Pollution which means the environmental pollution is defined as “the addition of

any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or any form of energy(such as heat, sound,
or radioactivity) to the environment at a rate faster than it can be dispersed, diluted,
decomposed, recycled, or stored in some harmless form”. The major kinds of
pollution, usually classified by environment, are air pollution, water pollution,
and land pollution. 2

2) Overview of Kakinada

Kakinada is known as the "Fertilizer City" of Andhra Pradesh. The city has
recently received the status of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which also
contributes to its rapid development. It is also a proposed Petroleum, Chemical and
Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR). Due to its seaport and port-based industry,
Kakinada has a strong maritime sector and a diverse industrial presence including

1
https://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/openmtg/docs/Nsiah-Gyabaah.pdf(6th August 2019)
2 https://www.britannica.com/science/pollution-environment (14th August 2019)

1
textile, auto parts and steel. The city is also home to around 39 Information
Technology companies and many other service sector companies.3

2.1. Population

Finding out the population figures of Kakinada in 2019 will require the population
of the previous 5 years. They are as follows: 2014 – 360,000, 2015 – 375,110, 2016 –
390,430, 2017 – 414,240 and 2018 – 443,430. When we go through the population
figures of Kakinada from 2014-18, it shows that in a span of the last 5 years the
population has gone up by 83,430. Eventually, every year the population increases by
16,686.

2.2. Religions:

The population density of Kakinada is 2100 persons per square kilometer and the
religion statistics are as follows: Hinduism is majority religion in Kakinada city with
92.68 % followers. Islam is second most popular religion in city of Kakinada with
approximately 3.97 % following it. In Kakinada city, Christianity is followed by 2.45 %,
Jainism by 0.33 %, Sikhism by 0.02 % and Buddhism by 0.02 %. Around 0.01 % stated
'Other Religion', approximately 0.52 % stated 'No Particular Religion'. 4

3) Urbanization in Kakinada

3.1. Concept of Smart City

The Government of India selected Kakinada on January 28, 2016, to be included

as part of the first 20 cities, in its much popular 100 Smart Cities mission. The
objective was to transform Kakinada into an economically vibrant, livable, and
sustainable city with strong focus on marine industry and tourism and a transition
from a pensioner's paradise to an economic destination.5

3.2. Industrialization

3
http://indien.um.dk/~/media/Indien/Documents/Smart%20city%20reports/Kakinada_FFM%20Final%
20Report.pdf?la=en(6th August 2019)
4
https://indiapopulation2019.com/population-of-kakinada-2019.html(6th August 2019)
5
https://oizom.com/kakinada-smart-city-project/(7th August 2019)

2
 The development of industries is being very rapid and it can be clearly known by
the various well-known industries planning to expand their business in and around
Kakinada. They are 13 Industries in the region of Kakinada Port which are being
developed in the years ago. They are as follows: Reliance Gas Transportation
Infrastructure Ltd (RGTIL), Larsen & Tubro industries (L&T), GMR energy industry,
IT / ITES industries like Infotech enterprises, NYROS technologies, Avineon India,
Eventcy Software solutions and Easty Solutions, New Fangled industries, Time
Honored Industries, Fertilizer Industry, Sugar Industry Ltd, Edible Oil refineries, and
Fishing and Aqua culture Industry like devi fisheries and Apex reports.6
3.3. Transportation

Kakinada is serviced by multi-mode transport (road, rail, and sea). A well‐laid

National Highway 214 passes through Kakinada from Kathipudi to Pamaru. The
average speed of traffic on major roads is 12–30 kph and the average motorized trip
length within the city is 3.4 km.7

4) Pollution in Kakinada

The Pollution in Kakinada is majorly effected in the water and Air as day by day
in a fast growing process. Motor vehicles release chemicals from their exhausts, while
fires and log burners release particles and other chemicals. A large number of private
edible oil refineries have been established in the area of Kakinada port but there are
complaints from the people that these private refineries are not taking steps to
minimise pollution. Therefore, it is very difficult to live near those industrial areas
like Vakalpudi, Sambamurthy nagar and Nemam due to the chemicals that they are
releasing into the air and to the sea.

4.1. Health issues:

Public in these areas complain that the refineries are using rice husk, country
wood, and saw-dust as fuel, in violation of regulations, and as a result the chimneys of
the units are releasing toxic emissions. The public are facing respiratory problems in
the villages, and their eye sight is also affected due to saw-dust and other pollutants.

6
http://www.inkakinada.com/topstories/future-city-kakinada(7th August 2019)
7
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pa.1879(8th August 2019)

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The groundwater in the villages is contaminated and water-borne diseases. Dr.
K.V.S.G Murali Krishna, environmental expert and head of the Civil Engineering
department of JNTU-K, said that air pollution was more dangerous than water
pollution as it affects the sensitive parts of a human body like the lungs and heart. A
study found that people living in areas with higher air pollution had a 12 percent
higher risk for all cardiovascular diseases combined with diabetes. The risk for heart
diseases which typically leads to a heart attack was 18 per cent greater.8

4.2. Effecting the Fishermen:

Fishermen in the area and their representatives allege that the edible oil refineries
are discharging the effluents into the sea, untreated, adversely affecting the fisheries
resources. The refineries have not developed green belt as stipulated, and they are
making no attempts to adopt the latest technologies, minimising pollution.9

5) Challenges of Urbanization in Kakinada

The major challenges to overcome in the Kakinada Smart City proposal are as
follows:

1. Kakinada has a severe need of underground sewerage and storm water

drainage systems.
2. Door‐to‐door garbage collection has been recently initiated; but waste is not
segregated at source. Therefore, waste collected is moved to insanitary
dumping and burning yards. Open dumping along the streets is widely
prevalent. Manual scavengers are employed, but it leads to stagnation of waste
water and domestic refuse.
3. Kakinada has a strong history in fisheries and ship building sectors, but the
sector is debilitating now. The employable workforce in this segment lack
formal skills in ICT, manufacturing, and fisheries industries.
4. There is no agriculture cultivation in kakinada because of the industries. They
give more importance for the industrialization than the cultivation.

8
http://www.inkakinada.com/news/headline/air-pollution-up-in-kakinada(8th August 2019)
9
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/Kakinada-locals-worried-over-pollutio
n-from-edible-oil-refineries/article20355334.ece((6th August 2019)

4
 5. The canal running along Indrapalem to Jagannaickpur in Kakinada has to be
developed as a waterfront for tourism promotion.

Other challenges such as traffic congestion due to lack of public transportation,

unauthorized parking, and renewable energy development and distribution also
prevail.10

5) Governmental Policies

a) The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1977:

This Act provides for the prevention and control of water pollution and the
maintaining and restoring the wholesomeness of water for the establishment of boards
for the prevention and control of water pollution and for conferring on and assigning
to such boards the powers and functions.

b) The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981:

The prime objective of this Act is to provide for the prevention, control, and
abatement of air pollution, for the establishment of Boards, and for the conferring on
and assigning to such Boards powers and functions.

c) The Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules (1989):

There of the rules demand that various categories of hazardous waste, as

mentioned in the rules and hazardous waste generated within the State of Andhra
Pradesh, is properly stored, treated and disposed off to ensure that the handling of
such waste does not cause any ecological disturbance. This also re-implicates the
Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000. The main intention
is to regulate the management and handling of the municipal solid waste.

d) The Biomedical Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998:

These Rules aim at the management and handling of biomedical waste generated
from health care establishments for this also re-implicates the Recycled Plastics
Manufacture and Usage Rules, 1999. These Rules were notified to impose restriction
on the manufacture and use of recycled plastic carry bags and containers.
10
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pa.1879(8th August 2019)

5
e) The Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules (1989):

The main intention of these Rules is to impose restriction on the manufacture and
storage of hazardous chemicals, as well as to control the import of hazardous
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chemicals, which are not permitted to import under these Rules.

7) Biblical Understanding of Ecology

Men and women were created in the image of God, given a privileged place
among creatures, and commanded to exercise stewardship over the earth (Gen.
1:26—28; Ps. 8:5). Our stewardship under God implies that we are morally
accountable to him for treating creation in a manner that best serves the objectives of
the kingdom of God. God instructed Adam to cultivate and guard the Garden (Gen.
2:15) to enhance its already great fruitfulness and to protect it. God commanded them
and their descendants to multiply, to spread out beyond the boundaries of the Garden
of Eden, and to fill, subdue, and rule the whole earth and everything in it (Gen. 1:26,
28). The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made” (Ps.
145:16-17). Thus, an important implication of the Principle of Creation Value from an
ethical standpoint is that God places value on elements of the environment
independent of human use and human-centered values (Gen. 1:25; Ps. 104:31; Psalm
148:9-13).12

8) Missiological Implications

 As a Christian, Firstly, we need to address the Environmental Condition of

Kakinada city and aware the citizens about the environmental conditions so that the
management will be equipped with the Environmental Sensors. Adressing the
issues to the government, people and to the leaders is a first initial step to take by
any individual because they are the ones who have authority and control over these
industries.
 Secondly, we need to raise our voices against these industries which are causing
the pollution more than an estimated quantity. This second step involves is just

11
https://pcb.ap.gov.in/overview.html(9th August 2019)
12
https://acton.org/public-policy/environmental-stewardship/theology-e/biblical-perspective-environme
ntal-stewardship(9th August 2019)

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 because of no response from the government either by the political leaders. This
moment unity is one of the major theme because one man cant alone bring some
changes in the society there should be many people who will support him and
protest those issues against Pollution and Urbanization which is disturbing the
lives of the people.
 Thirdly, a christian should help to the people living in the seashore areas for their
problems as a charity to show our love towards them and mainly God’s love. This
is also a means to share the gospel. We can help the people financially, physically
and mentally through our works. The charity works like establishing medical
camps and clinics, providing their needs like food, clean water and shelter.
 Fourthly, as we help to the people there is also a need to work for a change in
Kakinada. When there is deforestation happening in the city and those areas, we
should make our effort in our level best to plant many trees in and over the city.
This is one of the major of the major way that we can reduce the pollution. Planting
many trees can reduce pollution level and establish the environmental
sustainability. And about the industries, a protest should come forward as a
movement to make a change and bring good environment to the city and to the
people so that they can live peacefully without any harm in their lives.

CONCLUSION
Through this assignment, the writer brings the necessities and challenges as a
vital feature in Kakinada. These challenges are complex to manifest the change and
improvements in Kakinada. Urbanization is essential but it should not bring any effect
to the nature and to the society. Urbanization is bringing a lot of pollution into the
water and air and this is effecting the people in major ways. Through this issue, a
challenge is being raised for the Christians for their participation and roles atleast for
their own place and community. In today’s world, because of pollution the condition
of the earth is facing the environmental issues like flood, cyclones, earth quakes,
diseases, Tornado, Tsunami, melting of the ice bergs in Altantic and Ozone dispersion.
Therefore, it the human’s responsibility to take stewardship over the earth.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/openmtg/docs/Nsiah-Gyabaah.pdf(6th August 2019)

7
http://indien.um.dk/~/media/Indien/Documents/Smart%20city%20reports/Kakinada_
FFM%20Final%20Report.pdf?la=en(6th August 2019)
https://indiapopulation2019.com/population-of-kakinada-2019.html(6th August 2019)
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/Kakinada-locals-worri
ed-over-pollution-from-edible-oil-refineries/article20355334.ece((6th August 2019)
https://oizom.com/kakinada-smart-city-project/(7th August 2019)
http://www.inkakinada.com/topstories/future-city-kakinada(7th August 2019)
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pa.1879(8th August 2019)
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pa.1879(8th August 2019)
http://www.inkakinada.com/news/headline/air-pollution-up-in-kakinada(8th August
2019)
https://pcb.ap.gov.in/overview.html(9th August 2019)
https://acton.org/public-policy/environmental-stewardship/theology-e/biblical-perspec
tive-environmental-stewardship(9th August 2019)
https://www.britannica.com/science/pollution-environment (14th August 2019)