Who are we when nobody’s watching? When we are done blaming the government, various departments and the migrant population for Kochi’s woes, it’s time to turn the mirror inward and take a close look at our civic sense
There’s no denying that Kochi is beautiful just the way it is. Could it be the climate, the people or the ubiquitous charm and calm of the city that makes us want to dream a little bit more? A true-blue Kochiite would probably nod a fervent yes to all of this. But what, in reality, does it take to love your city and be proud of it? Some of us might want to step down from our ivory towers for this. Because it all comes down to the question, ‘Who are we when nobody’s watching?’
With our identities divided over so many realms today, starting from our own homes to the countless social media and other public spaces, our integrity as a responsible human being should be under the lens. Your Instagram posts may tell the world that you’re a minimalist or an eco-friendly person. But what about the heap of plastic waste you burned to ashes last weekend? Why not put that up on Instagram too? And just as much as we speak endlessly about the perks of living in this city, there are a few things about Kochi that make us cringe. From the rotting pile of waste on every other lane in the city to the canals breeding mosquitoes, Kochi has many cringeworthy sights that reflect our unruly behaviour. It’s an ugly blame-game today—between those in power and the citizens—about the pitiable circumstances in the city. It is time we all acknowledge that the welfare of the place we live in is a shared responsibility of the authorities and the people. However, with the pile-up of recent events—from the flash floodings to the building demolitions at Maradu and the bridge construction at Palarivattom that went haywire—it is becoming tougher for the Kochiite to love this city. But hey, it’s February, the month of love. Let’s hope to reignite our love for this magnificence of a city.
The weird imbalance between our dreams about Kochi and its reality could be one of the reasons why we often fall into a dreary disillusionment about the city’s progress. Moreover, our moments of willingness to be a responsible citizen are overshadowed by the questions that come back to haunt us: “Is Kochi even close to what our parents told us it was?”, “Is it the same Kochi our teachers described to us?” and “Were the leaders bluffing when they promised change?” Frankly, it could be our lack of faith that is stopping us from working towards change.
For District Collector S Suhas, Kochi is a cosmopolitan and sprightful place to be. “Kochi is progressing very fast and I think a positive growth is in order if the principles of scientific urban development and zonal regulations are followed,” he says, hinting at the recent plight of the flat owners at Maradu. The relentless inconvenience caused by the age-old problems in Kochi, such as improper drainage systems, waste pollution, and drinking water shortage, is still rampant within the city limits. Suhas reminds us that it is a lack of well-functioning systems that causes this rut. “A comprehensive urban development plan, which deals with these problems, should be set in place. There should also be a system to effectively coordinate various agencies and local bodies that can take up the responsibilities. Public audit, deadline monitoring and feedback mechanisms are some of the systems we should focus on,” he says.
With the advent of Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) and Kochi Metro, Kochi has been propelled towards new heights of development. Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Managing Director of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd, believes that Kochi has all the qualities needed to develop into a city of global standards. “The city has a lot of positive qualities, but there are some things that need to be worked on, like bettering the civic infrastructure and waste management. There should be an improved sewage management system, and the canals have to be made cleaner and navigable. The roads have to be improved, especially the smaller roads that connect to the city’s main roads. The one thing I would strongly recommend is a wholesome family entertainment avenue in the city,” he says. For Jose Dominic, founder of CGH Earth Group, Kochi is an unparalleled city on the subcontinent, steeped in history. “Kochi represents Kerala’s aspirations for the future,” he says. He also compares it with Istanbul on the basis of its ancient cultural values and ability to adapt. However, he expresses his disappointment over the attitude of people and authorities in waste management. “Interestingly, Kochi’s performance in segregating the waste at source is the highest in the country. Sadly, after segregation, the waste is put back together. But on the bright side, the challenges of the present are only of our making and they await smart solutions,” he adds.
K R Vijayan and Mohana Vijayan, the tea-stall owners famous for having travelled to more than 20 countries in the past 40 years, have seen the city change over the years. Vijayan believes that Kochi may not be on the right path to progress. “Compared to the olden days, life is harder now. Everything is polluted or corrupted in unimaginable ways. Tall buildings, metro rails and malls are not what define the progress of a city. Compared to the places we have visited, I feel Kochi is now at a standstill in terms of progress,” he says. Such disappointment over the way Kochi has changed is obvious in people like Vijayan, who belong to the older generation. On the contrary, the younger generations trust implicitly in the positive growth of the city. Swetha Ann Thomas, an MBA student, says she feels Kochi has evolved into an open, buoyant and all-embracing social butterfly, who is ready to face anything thrown at it. “I believe we can look at what Kochi is now and be proud of what is yet to come,” she says. S R Nair, an entrepreneur and member of the Better Kochi Response Group believes that Kochi, in all its glory, is here to stay. “But to maintain the proud title ‘Queen of The Arabian Sea’, Kochi and its people need to up the ante. We also lack an accountable governance system in Kochi which results in dwindling public services and more number of irresponsible citizens,” he says.
The staggering population in Kochi is indeed a hindrance to tackle our many problems, including housing, water availability, road traffic, waste management and pollution. It’s the sense of belonging which often makes us behave responsibly and do things with love, and Nair believes that the lack of love for the city in the migrant population is one of the reasons why they do not fulfil their responsibilities. “The NRIs from Kochi often behave like a varuthan and visit their homeland only during the holidays. What I believe in is that we ought to accept Kochi as a mother and treat her well,” he says. Of course, there are also a clutch of responsible NRIs, who still nurture their pride in being a Kochiite. Manohar Thomas, a TV personality from a Malayalam channel in the US, says Kochi’s business sector has seen tremendous growth in the last few years. “There is development right before our eyes. But red-tapism and corruption have certainly curtailed the development of the city. Also, I believe that the people of Kochi need to respect each other, their space and existence,” he says. Considering the above evaluations, Kochi avows a confusing status quo before the world. But, since it is in our nature to focus on the morose and wretched, today, Kochi is casually being tagged ‘dirty’ by its people. Waste management, following road traffic rules and spending our resources wisely may be some of the areas that we tend to err in. We like to blame the PWD, the Municipal Corporation and everyone but ourselves for the mess that we are in. Sometimes, we even find comfort in the mess and learn to live with it. From the mosquitoes that lull us to sleep every night to the stench from the backyard that wakes us from our slumber every morning, Kochiites have found their comfort in being messy. But, at the flip of a coin, we are also keen to support Greta Thunberg, the youngest climate change activist in the world. Such glaring irony! Now that we’ve discussed our reasons to look down on the city, we might as well count our blessings for being in Kochi and talk about what she deserves. In October 2018, Kochi was ranked 7th among the top 10 cities to visit in 2020 by the popular travel guide Lonely Planet. For many years, Kochi has been attracting multitudes of travellers, traders, and explorers to its tropical Malabar Coast. And we rightfully boast of a rich, cultural heritage and well-preserved history. While it could be true that our problems often stand in the way of feeling proud of our city, we should, however, not turn a blind eye to Kochi’s growth over the last few decades. Many a thousand dreams about Kochi’s bright future have been focused on the tourism sector of Kerala. ”Kochi is the gateway of Kerala.The state’s biggest success has been tourism and Kochi has a lot to do with this boom in the sector. What I’ve observed is that most NRIs from Kerala, after they return to India, wish to settle down in Kochi. It’s multi-cultural and offers an interesting modern lifestyle, for the most part. I believe the Kochi Metro project and the Kochi Muziris Biennale are all perfect examples of this,” says Dominic. He also points out that Kochi has everything that we could ask for, from its port to an international airport adding that the local government should be responsible enough to provide good governance consistently.
Kochi is home to the world’s first solar-powered airport at Nedumbassery, which also became a UN-endorsed project that is now a model for the rest of the world. The idea of tapping green power is gathering steam across the state today as an effective alternative to tackle the shortage of electricity. People are moving to solar energy in their homes, which implies that people are aware of the climate emergency caused by the overuse or misuse of resources. The Smart City project coming up at Infopark, Kakkanad is, at heart, another futuristic project that has been one of the reasons for Kochi’s happiness. The Kochi Metro was a crucial addition to the city’s infrastructure promoting the use of public transportation. Today, with a daily ridership of 60,000, the Metro has increased the connectivity between places in Kochi. Also worth a mention is its eco-friendly measures such as solar-powered stations, e-autos, plastic recycling machines, etc. At present, Kochi Metro project is on the road to becoming the first in India to have an integrated transport system that combines the metro, buses, boats, auto-rickshaws, and taxis. Alkesh Sharma, in a word of advice to the people in the city, says that only smart citizens can make the city smarter in all respects. “The people of Kochi are educated and skilled, and have a decent civic sense. I feel they need to be more responsible in a few areas, especially waste dumping, energy conservation, and using public transport. With options like the Kochi Metro available, people should rely less on their own vehicles and use public transport options. If you travel to any well-developed city, you will see that most of the people in the city rely on public transport. That should be the way forward for Kochi’s citizens as well. Another important aspect would be to look at avenues of non-motorised transport, like cycling. I would like to see more people cycling in Kochi, not just as a fitness activity but as a mode of transport,” he says.
As we’re in the process of bidding farewell to Kochi’s rickety means of transportations and other troubling issues, we also need a gentle reminder to patiently regrow our civic sense—to be thankful for what we have and to do our bit to sustain our resources. Suhas sheds light on how this can be organically imbibed among the people of Kochi. “Encouraging a culture of proper civic sense through education can bring changes. We may begin by tidying up all the offices and public places. In my opinion, a Singapore model of accountable civic life may be discussed,” he says.
“Let the denizen consider Kochi as his mother city by ensuring responsible solid waste management (rather than dumping it on the roads), better driving sense (rather than the confrontational and lawless speeding from all sides), paying taxes on time (instead of trying to evade it and stash it elsewhere) and collectively demanding accountable level of services from our Corporation councillors and bureaucrats,” says Nair. As the fangs of a consumerist lifestyle have sunk its teeth deep into the psyche of the people in Kochi, the consequent damage done to the environment seems almost irreversible. The rising number of cars and motorcycles on the roads, unregulated felling of trees for furniture, the fast-food culture and uncontrolled pollution are indeed painful blows to the city. Vijayan, for instance, observes that Kochi could better itself by resorting to the old modes of transportation, such as using bicycles and state-run transportation.
“In Kochi’s heyday, not everyone had the privilege to move around in a bike or car. But today, there are very few houses in Kochi that do not have a car or a motorcycle. I think this is affecting the environment badly,” he observes. Kochi’s attempts to overcome such hopelessness amongst citizens are backed by an optimistic younger crowd. Swetha, for instance, admits that she is absolutely in love with Kochi’s vibes. “No matter who you are or where you come from, Kochi always has a place for you,” she says.
In a word of advice to her city-mates, Swetha adds that constructive conversations can initiate the changes we wish to see around us. “We should not wait for a disruption to start talking. Instead, these conversations about change should ensure that everyone is acquainted with what’s happening around us. After all, change starts with us. Once we take responsibility for our actions, it will be easier for our government to help us in return,” she says.
This journey of ours to a better place needs both patience and effort and perhaps a little bit of kindness to ourselves. Does this sound like an idea stolen from a self-help book? To be fair, it should! With a little more self-awareness and patience, we’ll know how to stop stepping on the same rake—of polluting the land, breaking the rules and being intolerant to change. Recalling Bear Grylls’s motto from Man Vs Wild: it’s time that we “improvise, adapt and overcome” the obstacles of our times. And for all the days we’ve spent cursing the mosquitoes, the stench from the sewage canals and other demons on the loose in the city, may this be the day we get rid of our own demons. May this be the day that we fall in love with our beloved city, and perhaps strike a more heartfelt pose in front of the ‘I LOVE KOCHI’ sign.
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A Helping Hand From The Outsider
Our team spoke to Liveable Urbanism, a group of researchers and masters’ students from the Welsh School of Architecture at Cardiff University, which has been working on mission cities in India. Listed below are their contributions and observations about Kochi as an upcoming Smart City.
Tell us a bit about Liveable Urbanism and its contributions to Kochi.
Liveable Urbanism is a group of researchers and masters’ students from the Welsh School of Architecture at Cardiff University. We have been working on mission cities in India with the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi for the last two years. Last year we worked in Mangaluru, yet another Smart City funded city with support from the Welsh Government office in Bengaluru. This year, we are focusing on Kochi, with support from the Indian Institute of Architects. Our research is independent and has no commitments to any planning or funding agencies. However, we are keen to present our findings to the GCDA, Cochin Corporation and the Cochin Smart City Mission Limited, to assist them in creating a dynamic urban strategy for Kochi. We focus on understanding the city and reading it as a complex system that is constantly reacting to different actors, including the government, individuals, the community, investors and the environment. We aim to achieve a comprehensive approach to make Kochi more liveable by improving the quality of life for its citizens. For this, we need to address the root cause of the issue, rather than reacting to the problems that are visible from the surface.
What sustainable solutions can help Kochi?
Kochi is surrounded by water, yet there is poor access to clean drinking water in many areas. This is mostly down to the badly polluted waterways, which is prominent in many Indian cities. Every person in Kochi produces half a kilo of waste per day and a large proportion of it is not properly managed. The lack of recycling of organic and plastic waste means it ends up in the waterways; many sewage lines run directly into the canals. This not only affects the flow of water, biodiversity and fish stock but it also means water needs to be harvested further away from the city which becomes costly. Many water courses are also covered in water hyacinth, which is a significant environmental problem
If you can revalue waste as a resource at a local level, it could become instrumental in providing energy or other useful products to the city. Kerala used to produce most of its food locally; however, now it is mostly imported from elsewhere. Encouraging locally grown food in and around the city and limiting reliance on imports would keep profit within the city, improve the health of its citizens by eating locally, and create a circular economy that will ultimately allow for higher quality urban services. There are plenty of farmlands within Kochi and Kerala; however, encroachment by rapid urban development is diminishing these rich agricultural environments. These sensitive ecological areas are also essential in defending the city from floods; however, their change of use is adversely affecting the urban fabric and its inhabitants. Kochi will inevitably flood; but its resilience to climatic events can be improved by better infrastructure and dynamic response systems. Changing behaviour at a remote level can be achieved through research, information, knowledge and education, allowing Kochi’s invaluable natural resources to be revalued and utilised. Restoring respect for the environment is fundamental for Kochi’s sustainability and resilience.
The people in Kochi need to be more aware of their civic responsibilities.How can we achieve this?
There needs to be more active participation from civic bodies and people within Kochi in relation to civic activities. Kochi should not be improved by people like us; we may only be able to contribute to the discussions on the challenges and solutions. The increasing alienation of communities needs to be addressed through appropriate methods for them to participate and establish their right to the city. Empowering citizens to make independent and informed decisions on city affairs is fundamental for developing a better connection between people, the city and the environment. As external spectators, our independent research may help in this debate but we feel that ultimately there needs to be a change in behaviour and spatial systems to facilitate and develop civic sense and engagement. Furthermore, there needs to be a better appreciation of the different types of communities (religious, social, educational and spatial) that exist within the city, who have their own needs and perceptions. A diverse collection of citizens needs to be involved and not just those with power or wealth in the city.
