Page 11 - HUDCO-SHELTER-OCT21

THEME PAPER

advocates for facilitating intensity for achieving India’s comprehensive city climate
adoption and implementation INDC and eventually carbon- action plan, which covers
of sector-wise climate neutrality by 2050,and b) all major municipal sectors
action strategies pertaining Building resilience of cities to (including water, sewerage,
to Urban Governance, climate change impacts and solid waste management,
Capacity Building, Data, strengthening their capacities and urban planning), will
Technology & Innovation to ‘bounce back better’ from guide sustainable urban
and Financing mechanisms. climate related extreme events development in the cities.
To contextualise global and and disaster risks” (MoHUA Mumbai city provides an
national commitments, i.e. 2021). example of becoming the
the NUA, SDGs, the Intended first Indian city to develop
Nationally Determined With rapidly evolving global a dedicated climate action
Contributions (INDCs) climate change scenarios, if plan (details in Box 1). A well-
within the Paris Agreement, a city has a long-term vision designed city climate action
the NMSH was revised in of sustainable development plan also has the potential to
2019-20 with dual objectives and climate resilience, it have wide-ranging economic
of- “a) Promoting low-carbon is likely to attract better benefits for the city and its
urban growth towards financing options to fund residents.
reducing GHG emissions its initiatives. Developing a

Box 1: Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP)

The city of Mumbai faces two major environmental challenges, urban flooding caused by
extreme rain events and rise in temperature. To manage these and any other direct and
indirect impacts, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started preparing the
Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP). With this, Mumbai has become the first Indian and
South Asian city to develop a dedicated climate action plan.

It will look at climate resilience with mitigation and adaptation strategies by focusing on six
key sectors: sustainable waste management, urban greening and biodiversity, urban flooding
and water resource management, building energy efficiency, air quality, and sustainable
mobility. Under the MCAP, a detailed assessment of data has also identified areas and
communities in the city which are most vulnerable given rise in events due to extreme climate
change. To minimise the impact of climate change, the MCAP plans to focus on reduction of
sectoral GHG emissions and consumption patterns, for the near term (2030), medium term
(2040) and long-term (2050).
Mumbai city was encouraged to develop the MCAP by 2021 in compliance with C40 guidelines
and standards. There are six more cities (including Bengaluru, Chennai, the National Capital
Territory (NCT) of Delhi, Jaipur and Kolkata) which are also in the C40 member cities’ list
from India. Developing a dedicated city climate action plan and conducting a detailed
vulnerability assessment of the city is a step in the right direction and sets a precedent by one
of the largest civic bodies in India.

Source: Source: Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai 2021. https://mcap.mcgm.gov.in/

October 2021 Volume 22 No. 2 - SHELTER 9