Delhi to start implementing action plan to combat climate change by yr end

Delhi will start implementing a new 10-year action plan by this year end to combat climate change, according to officials.

The Centre had prepared the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in 2009 and asked the states to prepare their own specific plans.

However, Delhi submitted its plan to combat climate change in 2019, becoming the last state to do so.

"The plan remained mostly on paper and could not be implemented properly. It expired in 2020. Now, we are due for a new plan," a senior official of the environment department said.

The previous plan focused on six areas, including energy, transport, green cover and urban development, and projected a significant decrease in cold days and nights and increase in heavy rainfall events in Delhi.

For the new plan, a German agency is likely to be engaged as a knowledge partner. The environment department has requested the Union Environment Ministry to release Rs 20 lakh for the preparation of the plan.

All extreme weather events of the last 10 years are being analysed to prepare a comprehensive plan which will focus on air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, transport issues, air conditioning, heat islands, agriculture patterns, etc., the official said.

The action plan will identify activities causing increase in greenhouse gas emissions and fix responsibilities of the departments concerned. It will set targets to be achieved in phases over the next 10 years.

"All consultations with stakeholders will be completed within two months and the plan will be implemented by this year end," the official said.

The environment department had taken eight years to complete consultations with stakeholders concerned while preparing the previous plan.

Delhi had recorded its coldest-ever day since 1901 on December 30, 2019. Since August last year, the city has been breaking weather records every month.