Need To Assess The Impact Of Surface Water Bodies For Sustainable Urban Development

Abstract

Surface water bodies are an essential part of the green-blue infrastructure that is directly related to the development of the city. Urban cities have these water bodies as a natural source of water or created artificially. Surface water bodies in urban areas include lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands and canals. We are not considering ocean or sea, as these have a different characteristic that freshwater sources. We have been studying that civilization started at the banks of a river or lake due to basic necessity of using water for human activities. Water is life for human, nature and animals as well. Today we have developed so much that water can be carried from far away and supplied to our homes in every corner of the city. However, the water bodies are being polluted by discharge of sewage, pollutants and improper planning. Due to these activities, the water bodies have polluted so much that they have lost aquatic life and is causing negative effects to the environment. In earlier studies, when calculating the amount of oxygen released and carbon dioxide absorbed, surface water bodies are proven to be more capable than trees and forest. Today we face climate change and by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we aim to achieve improvement in climate change. Climate change is caused by a number of reasons and not only one issue. But, only focusing on what is causing the problem will not solve the issue; focusing on how the issue can be solved is equally important. The nature solves its problems itself. The only requirement is to leave it undisturbed and maintain its original state. The research study aims to find out the importance of surface water bodies – its positive and negative impacts, current scenario and future directions that will benefit in Sustainable Urban Development. The study includes a comprehensive study and survey of literature, articles, finding research gaps and scholarly publications. The paper analyses the impact of surface water bodies and concludes with important research gaps providing directions to future research.