4. Study Area – KMA with 10km buffer

Kolkata is one of the oldest city areas on the Indian subcontinent, and until 1911, it was the capital of British India. It is the central metro of the Kolkata Metropolitan Area, which stretches across the two banks of the Hooghly River (the southernmost Ganges River in India). Ganga has an extensive hinterland covering an area of approximately 0.7 million sq. Km., spreading to all neighbouringstates and much of North India's hilly states. Hooghly river lies in the lower ganga plain. Kolkata is renowned for its historical significance and high-tech life. It is also known as 'city of joy’ and serves as a central hub for art, literature, architecture and culture. Kolkata is India's third-largest city with population of about 14.11 million and 8th biggest urban agglomeration in the world (Census 2011). In the beginning, much of the region was a wetland reclaimed for the increasing population over the decades. In 1975, the Ramsar Convention declared "Wetland of International Significance" as the remainder of the undeveloped sections of wetlands known as the East Kolkata Wetlands. Kolkata has an annual mean temperature of 26.8°C with tropical wet and dry weather. In winters, the temperature varies between 12°C and 27°C while in summers, it varies between 24°C and 38°C. According to a report of the development programmemade by theUnited Nations, Kolkata has a high risk of damage from wind and cyclone.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is situated entirely within the KMA, on the east bank of the Hooghly River. On the opposite side, i.e. on the west bank of that district of the river Howrah, which lies within KMA, a stretch from Howrah Municipal Corporation to Uluberia Municipality.

Fig. 4. 1 Study Area

The Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA), East India's largest urban hub, occupies about 1886.67 sq. Kilometres. 3 local corporations and 3 Towns (including KMC), 39 Municipalities and 24 Samitis Panchayat. Moreover, 35.26 sq. Kilometres. KMA (30.34 m2 in Haringhata and 4.92 m2 in Baruipur) was added recently. KMA was added recently. Today's KMA has grown in more than 300 years but the urban avatar of Kolkata City (KMDA, 2011).

Geographic, demographic and composition information of KMA has been depicted in the following table (Table 4.1).

Table 4. 1 KMA Profile Information

Area 1886.67 km2

Latitude 22˚ 34’ 21” N Longitude 88˚ 21’ 31” E Altitude 1.5 – 9m above mean sea level

Mean Annual

rainfall

1800 mm/year

Population Year Population Decadal growth (in %)

1971 7,420,000 -

1981 9,030,000 21.70 1991 10,890,000 20.60 2001 13,217,000 21.37 2011 14,112,536 6.78 Population Density 8000 persons per sq. km.

Composition of KMA Sl.No. Census Designation Units Area in sq.km.

1. Municipal Corporations 03 271.31 2. Municipalities 39 633.41 3. Non-Municipal Urban / Census Town 75 193.98

4. Out Growths 16 18.19

5. Rural Area 446 769.78

Total KMA 1,886.67

Kolkata is one of the leading commercial and financial centres for the economic and financial production of gems, chemical products, foodstuffs, tobacco and jute products. IT business also plays an important role in the city's economic growth, drawing on various tech and telecommunications businesses from around the country and across the world. Kolkata 's GDP is about $150 billion and after Mumbai and Delhi is India 's third most prosperous region. It is a home for numerous companies' headquarters, such as factories of Britannia, Exide, ITC limited, Coal India limited, etc.

Kolkata houses many well-known institutions and places such as the Indian Museum, the Victoria Memorial, the Fine Arts Academy, the Asiatic Society and the Library of India, as well as other significant historic and cultural institutions. It also has several academic organizations, such as India Geological Survey, India Science Congress Association, India Zoological Survey, India Anthropological Survey, India Botanical Survey. The city has strong transport connections (rail, road and air) to the other part of India as well as foreign trade by sea (port of Kolkata). It also serves as a center for numerous other sectors as well as information technology and telecommunications firms. Much of which has added to the burgeoning population of the city and has transformed the physical structure of the city since its creation.

This city has tremendous variety when it comes to infrastructure, as it can be split into old and new towns. The northern section of the city is the oldest and includes ancient architecture, overcrowded

(Source: KMDA, 2011)

Source: KMDA, 2011

slums, heavily populated wholesale and other markets, ramshackle buildings and narrow alleyways. The central part of the city and the southern part of the city has a number of government and private offices, numerous bazaars, green areas across the Hooghly River. The central portion is considered to be the central business area, while the southern part is considered to be the upscale area. These regions have been built since 1947 and have an old architecture. The central portion also includes Maidan, which acts as the lungs of Kolkata, as it has a range of parks and open spaces. East Kolkata is a newly built area with a magnificent infrastructure, green spaces (parks, gardens, roadside trees, etc.) modern architecture, large and well-constructed roads. The eastern segment includes two planned townships: Bidhannagar (Salt Lake City) and Rajarhat (New Town) and has a high standard of living.

As a result of the above-mentioned issues, there has been a rise in population of the region, that has led to the emergence of numerous problems such as rise in emissions due to land-use reform, increased construction activities and traffic congestion. With increased anthropogenic activities, the city is witnessing a rise in RSPM (respirable suspended particulate matter) that has surpassed the air quality criteria set by India's national air quality standards, causing many respiratory diseases such as asthma, lung cancer, etc. These changes around the region have contributed to a number of environmental issues, and the region is facing micro-climate change resulting in shifting crop cycles, increasing weather patterns and rising temperatures. The study area will help to explain how conventional and modern, sophisticated architectural trends influence the surface temperature of the soil.