CHENNAI: With the increasing population in urban areas exposed to climate change, 18 cities across the country, including Chennai, will have Climate Action Cells under CITIIS (City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain) programme, which is being implemented with funding from a French Development Agency.
Speaking in a AVPN South Asia Summit on ‘New Realities, New Opportunities’ in Chennai, on Monday, Naim Keruwala of National Institute of Urban Affairs, who is also the programme director of CITIIS, said that the programme was implemented in 18 cities as a pilot at 0.5 billion Euros.
“Under the programme, climate action cells will be constituted in cities. As per the government, 32% of the country has been urbanised, but the World Bank says 55%. Rural areas also have urban characteristics. We cannot look at the urban problems for specific geographic locations. But the problems should be looked at as clusters. Waste generated in one state is ending up in other states, which is illegal. In Chennai also, waste generated in the city goes to other urban areas,” he explained.
Naina Subberwal Batra, CEO of AVPN, said that the summit was a pivotal platform for advancing contextual perspectives and co-creating innovative, localised solutions. “Through cross-sector partnerships and innovative financing models, we unlock the entire continuum of capital to bridge the SDG finance gap,” she added.