Prepared for presentation at conference organized by Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan, Mumbai on 6 March 2010, which had as chief guests Shri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State, Environment and Forests, Govt of India

1. WANTED
Climate Conscious Cities
by Vandana Chavan and Sanskriti Menon
Climate Change
Agenda for Maharashtra
Mumbai Conference
Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan
6 March 2010

2. Cities have a major role
• Maharashtra has a large urban population
• Cities need to be well prepared to address
climate change impacts so as to reduce
the risk to this large urban population
• Some – not all – activities and people in
cities have high emissions
• Well-planned cities can help to achieve
healthy living conditions for all and a good
quality of life with a low footprint

3. Resilience Goals for Cities
• Improve Quality of Life for All
– Healthy living and working environments for the
inhabitants, especially vulnerable populations
– Civic services and amenities essential for health should
be available to all (safe water, sanitation, waste
management, paved roads, footpaths, shelter, etc)
• Reduce the Footprint
– Reduce the environmental impact on local, regional and
the global environment
• Triple bottom line decision-making
– Development decisions should aim for environmental
improvement, social benefits and economic efficiency
simultaneously

4. Development Plans
• Overall recommendation – create state urbanization policy
respecting environmental carrying capacity and symbiotic
linkages with surrounding non-urban areas
• Integrate Disaster Risk Reduction in Master plans
– extreme weather events and flash floods
– information on high flood lines
– status of catchment areas which may lie outside city limits
• Include Ecologists in town planning committees
• Encourage compact cities (not sprawl) and vertical development
with adequate provision for green cover and open spaces as per
norms

5. Information Support
Environment Status Reports of Cities
• Reporting framework should include
– carbon emission inventories and studies
– track emission reductions
– ‘human development’ indicators
• Should be discussed publicly
• Should be used as inputs when
preparing annual municipal plans
and budgets to meet goals for
emission reduction and coping
mechanisms

6. Building Codes
• Eco-building code should be mandatory for all
new construction rather than voluntary or
incentive-based
– incentives should especially not be increased FSI or
TDR
• Retrofitting policy for old buildings should be
created

7. Green Areas
• Strict conservation through Development Plans
– streams, rivers, wetlands, under-ground aquifers,
water recharge zones, grasslands, forests, hills,
gardens, botanical and zoological gardens etc within
urban areas
• Make City Biodiversity Management Plans
– Plant local indigenous species in gardens, avenues
instead of exotic ornamentals or lawns
– Encourage plantation (trees/ grasslands as locally
relevant); promote UN program ‘one person one tree’
• Identify and protect lands for food, water, energy in
the vicinity of urban areas
• Encourage city farming for income generation and
to reduce to some extent ‘food miles’ of food
consumed in urban areas

8. Water
Sources of Water
• Surface - Encourage rainwater harvesting
and storage in cities including in natural or
created ponds and lakes
• Ground - Develop mechanism for
sustainable use and re-charge of ground
water in cities
• Recycled/ Treated water should be
considered as a ‘source’ - Encourage its use
for non-drinking purposes
Use of Water
• Ensure equity in supply as per CPHEEO
norms
• Introduce metering and telescopic tariff -
heavy charges for ‘luxury uses’
• Make reduction of leakages a priority

9. Sewage Management
• Mission needed at state level for
Safe Urban Sanitation and
Sewage Mgt
• Substantially increase capture
and treatment of waste water/
sewage, going towards 100%
• Grey and black water may be
treated separately and re-used
optimally
• Mandate methane recovery from
sewage treatment plants, where
feasible
• Re-use grey water for flushing in
flats below in multi storey
buildings

10. Paradigm shift needed!
Waste Management Materials Recovery/ Recycling
• Mandate segregation at source and
composting/ biogas near sources
• Reserve space for decentralized
management in master plans
• Integrate & support informal sector
(rag pickers, scrap dealers) for
recyclables recovery, managing
composting facilities
• Link manufacturers in materials
recovery in Extended Producer
Responsibility arrangements
• Restrict incineration-based disposal
to bio-medical / hazardous wastes
• No dumping of construction debris
in wetlands, re-use it

11. Mobility
• Adopt multi-modal approach
with priority to public
transportation
• Create superb facilities for
Non-Motorized Transport
(walking, cycling)
• Encourage cleaner fuels
• Follow National Urban
Transport Policy guidelines
such as restricting parking,
and promoting non-
motorized transport facilities
• Policies should limit the
growth of private vehicles

12. Vulnerability and Risk Reduction
• Decent housing for all is a major strategy in risk
reduction
• Create mechanisms for large scale availability of
affordable housing stock for current and future
demand (climate change induced stresses in
rural areas may mean more migration)
• Support informal economic activities for poverty
reduction
– registration, credit, insurance, space allocation,
training etc
• Invest in public toilets and sewerage – prevent
disease and reduce risks
• Superb water and sanitation facilities in municipal
schools

13. People’s Participation is Key
• People’s participation can help to
improve governance
• Needed for a ‘climate-resilient’ society
• Participation in Development Planning
• Public assessment and contribution to
state of the environment reports
• Participation in annual city budget so that
it is more responsive to people’s needs

14. The ‘Urban Group’
• Ms Vandana Chavan, ALERT
• Ms Sanskriti Menon, Centre for Environment Education (CEE)
• Mr Mangesh Dighe, Environment Officer, Pune Municipal Corporation
• Mr Ameya Jagtap, Youth to Youth
• Mr Sufi Pore, Independent Consultant
• Ms Pallavi Nanda, Youth to Youth
• Mr Prasoon Kanmadikar, Youth to Youth
• Ms Kishori Gadre, Janwani and Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industry
and Agriculture
• Mr Lalit Waykole, Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture
• With inputs from Mahesh Rajwade (Ecological Society), Vijay Paranjape
(Gomukh), Vishal Jain (Shelter Associates) and Prashant Shinde
(Srustidnyan)
Please email comments and suggestions to
• Sanskriti.menon@ceeindia.org
• vandanahchavan@hotmail.com