Pimpri-Chinchwad is well-placed to implement measures to become climate resilient, according to a report published by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The report gives the civic body four out of five stars on climate performance under the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework 2.0 based on adaptation and mitigation measures taken by the urban local body. The report titled “State of Cities: Towards Low Carbon and Resilient Pathways”, published also in partnership with International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) South Asia recently, gives an insight into 15 of India’s smart cities including three from Maharashtra (Pimpri Chinchwad, Nagpur and Thane). It also gives an insight into their future challenges and pathways in terms of climate resilience, which includes mitigation of greenhouse gases (GHG). The report has listed action points to ensure that the township, a thriving industrial belt consisting of engineering, automobile, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, can effectively prepare its Climate Resilience Action Plan and set up climate resilience targets. Among key adaptation measures, effective utilisation of water resources, promotion of non-motorised public transport, stormwater drainage and flood management plans, as strengthening urban biodiversity are some of the examples listed in the report that Pimpri Chinchwad has in the pipeline. Also, key mitigation measures planned for the city include the installation of waste-to- energy and bio-methanation plants, setting up of electric vehicle charging stations, rooftop solar and green building incentives. “Towards that effort we had launched a sustainability cell three months ago and had meetings with multi stakeholder organisations,” Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh told The Indian Express adding that another important measure was the Harit Setu project that aims at connecting green spaces for non-motorised transport. “Pimpri-Chinchwad is well-placed to implement measures to become climate resilient. There are adaptation actions that the town’s climate resilience plan can incorporate. For instance, streamlining the biodiversity park and creating a biodiversity information centre, creating an ecological network, and incorporating ecological measures in development projects can go a long way toward becoming climate resilient,” said Emani Kumar, Executive Director, ICLEI South Asia. As per the report, Pimpri-Chinchwad has GHG emissions of 3.18 million tCO2e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent), uses 21.9 million GigaJoule energy and consumes 2,641 million kWh electricity annually. When it comes to consumption in Pimpri-Chinchwad, transport consumes the highest energy (43 per cent), and industry is the highest GHG contributor (45 per cent). In terms of the amount of energy consumed by the local Government, its GHG emissions profile puts water supply as the highest energy guzzler (39 per cent), and the highest emissions contributor (54 per cent).
