CHENNAI: In a bid to strengthen Chennai’s resilience to drought, floods, heat and unplanned growth, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) in partnership with 100 Resilient Cities, which is pioneered by Rockefeller Foundation (100RC), has planned to come up with rooftop gardens, green stormwater drains and data observatory and a Resettlement & Rehabilitation Policy for vulnerable sections.
It is learnt that a strategy had been outlined and that includes five pillars, 17 inter-related goals and 86 actions.
Terming it as the first urban resilience strategy for Chennai and the second city to commit to building urban resilience in India, Krishna Mohan Ramachandran, Chief Resilience Officer, Chennai, of 100 Resilient Cities said the five pillars have been identified after consultation with private and public sector stakeholders and academics over two years.
The five pillars include Healthy and Planned Urbanisation; carving a resilient future around the city’s water resources; preparing Chennai to minimise the loss and damage from future disaster events; to transform and strengthen active involvement from a wide range of stakeholders so that Chennai becomes truly co-owned and co-managed city; to value the city’s vulnerable – to plan and manage the city in a way that specifically addresses their needs.
Interestingly, around these pillars a set of projects have been identified by both GCC and 100 Resilient Cities. These include launching a project to improve civic participation and consciousness and address the challenge of solid waste management, establishing rooftop gardens in apartment buildings and introducing vegetable gardens in government schools.
Another project proposed is having a data observatory in Chennai which will be implemented with the help of National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), Centre for Urbanisation, Buildings & Environment [CUBE], IIT-Madras, Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chennai Smart City.
GCC Commissioner G Prakash said: “The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has prioritised protecting and strengthening its green and blue assets to ensure that investing in resilience delivers for our future generations. Our goal is to make Chennai the most liveable city in the country and this resilience strategy will help us achieve that.”
Stormwater drain Project
Through the on-going Integrated Storm Water Drain Project, GCC is attempting to construct recharge wells and connect these drains to temple tanks wherever possible