NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has launched an initiative to combat the escalating climate crisis in Delhi by focusing on seven critical sectors: electricity, water, waste, green cover, transport, health, and agriculture. At a round-table conference, over 40 departments, experts, and officials convened to overhaul the existing climate policy for 2019, highlighting the urgent need for action as the city faces unprecedented heatwaves and record rainfall.
As per the government, a comprehensive policy will be crafted and sent to the Centre for approval. Environment minister Gopal Rai said the way nature has been tampered with in the blind race of development worldwide, has led to climate change in the whole world, which has started having a direct impact on people’s lives. This year, the people of Delhi had to face the heat waves.
Apart from this, the monsoon rains broke the records of the last several years. “We are also battling air pollution and are constantly working to reduce it. Today, policies are being made on climate change all over the world so that the components of climate change can be identified and controlled. The Centre has also thought about this and worked on making a policy,” the minister added.
The minister further said, “A policy on climate change was formulated in 2019. But seeing the pace with which the climate is changing after 2019, the government started the process of revising the policy on climate change two years ago.
A core group was formed among different departments and stakeholders, under which several meetings were held. A steering committee was formed under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to finalize the proposal of the core group.
That committee proposed a draft policy for climate change in Delhi. The revised SAPCC report consists of mitigation and adaptation measures with requisite implementation strategies, including a financing roadmap for Delhi up to 2030 for combating climate change.
The meeting will focus on prioritized mitigation and adaptation measures under the following sectors: energy & power, urban planning, water sector, forest and biodiversity, transport, agriculture and horticulture and health, the minister stated.
Extreme weather patterns in Delhi
Rai said climate change is no longer an abstract concept but is directly impacting human lives. He emphasised the urgency of the initiative, noting the severe impact climate change has had on Delhi, including record-breaking heatwaves and unprecedented rainfall this year. “The way nature has been tampered with in the blind race of development, it is now having a direct impact on people’s lives.”