Thursday, June 1, 2023

CMDA partners with TNC to implement 'Greenprint for Chennai'


CHENNAI:
In a bid to integrate green planning into the city’s Third Master Plan and make Chennai a more environment conscious city, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has partnered with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) India  to implement 'Greenprint for Chennai'.

An MoU was signed on the occasion between Anshul Mishra, Member-Secretary, CMDA and Dr Annapurna Vancheswaran, Managing Director, TNC India, in the presence of Housing Secretary Apoorva, in the Secretariat on Wednesday.

The focus is to enhance the city’s urban green cover, protect its rivers, waterbodies, and coastal wetlands. The Greenprint will integrate natural infrastructure or blue-green infrastructure such as rivers, wetlands, open pervious spaces, green cover to mitigate the effects of climate change and rapid urbanisation and making the city water secure.

CMDA member secretary Anshul Mishra msaid that, by combining CMDA's expertise in urban development with TNC’s global and local knowledge in conservation and restoration of environmentally significant hotspots, we want to make Chennai a more progressive, inclusive, and global city and the city’s green infrastructure is central to that vision.

TNC India’s Managing Director Dr Annapurna Vancheswaran, stressed that such an integrated plan that prioritises ecosystem services along with the city’s development goals will be the first of its kind in India, and through this collaboration, we will make significant strides in developing climate smart and resilient cities starting with Chennai.

With this initiative TNC brings to India its global expertise of implementing similar greenprint projects in other major cities such as Cape Town, South Africa, Melbourne, Australia and Santa Clara and Bridgeport in the US and adapt it to the needs of Chennai.

The partnership will focus on integrating eco-restoration-based approach into the urban planning structure with assistance in developing a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive Third Master Plan for Chennai. It also aims to accelerate the restoration of wetlands and watersheds by identifying vulnerable areas for conservation and proposing measures to mitigate the environmental impact of urbanisation and climate change.

No comments:

Post a Comment