Mumbai: To enhance the green lens for every work undertaken in the city, the number of agencies coordinating for Climate Action Plan (CAP) for Mumbai will now include a total of 29 agencies. From the fiscal year 2025-26 onwards, the Climate Budget Department will include agencies like the Fire Brigade, MMRDA, Deonar Abattoir, Health infrastructure cell, School infrastructure cell, Bombay Port Trust and BEST among others.
“With the increased number of departments engaged for Mumbai’s CAP. The objective is to motivate more departments within the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and others to have a climate lens for every project undertaken,” a senior officer from BMC’s Environment Department said.
In July 2024, BMC released its first-ever Climate Budget Report, with the provision of Rs 10,224 crore, for streamlining long-term policies and actions for authorities to address the raging climate crisis in the metropolis. Out of the total funds provided for FY 24-25, 70 percent have been utilised, the officer told FPJ.
The BMC’s Climate Budget for FY 25-26 is under preparation and the Environment department expects a 10 percent increase from FY 24-25 budget provision. Of the total funds, maximum funds were allotted for Urban Flooding and Water Resource Management, followed by Sustainable Waste Management and Energy Renewal.
Although most of the projects are multi-year projects, the key objectives of CAP are to disseminate Mumbai’s climate commitments and priorities through an official governance-based process, track and evaluate the progress annually and identify potential climate projects and activities that can be cross-financed through external financing mechanisms.
Notably, the CAP is a roadmap for Mumbai to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and integrate climate adaptation strategies to better manage increasing climate risks. The CAP targets reaching net-zero emissions in Mumbai by 2050. If no action is taken, emissions are expected to increase 170% between 2019 and 2050.
One of the groundbreaking projects under the Mumbai Climate Action Plan for 2024-25 is the 26.5 MW renewable hybrid energy project at Hinduhridaya Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Middle Vaitarna Dam.
The BMC’s Environment Department said, “The Development Project Report is ready and the work will start soon as the forest and other department permissions will be acquired in the next two months. The project will be completed in 24 months.”
The renewable energy project at the Middle Vaitarna dam combines floating solar energy and hydropower generation. The project is expected to result in annual savings of approximately Rs 9 crore for the BMC.
