'Focus on biomining, bio-CNG & net-zero goals': Mayor unveils Kolkata Climate Action Plan

Kolkata: Releasing the Kolkata Climate Action Plan (K-CAP) on Thursday on the occasion of World Environment Day, Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Firhad Hakim announced that the civic body is coming up biomining project for Dhapa landfill which can process 20 lakh million tonnes (MT) legacy waste. Following the K-CAP release at Town Hall, the Mayor said that the civic body will also set up a 500 TPD biogas plant as plans are afoot to run all KMC vehicles with Bio-CNG gas in next two to three years, apart from setting a refuse derived fuel plant and a 500 TPD integrated Solid Waste Management (SWM) facility. Hakim also highlighted that the Centre has granted Rs 15 crore incentive for Kolkata which significantly reduced Particulate Matter (PM10) levels and improved overall Air Quality Index (AQI). The K-CAP includes 15 action areas to be acted upon. These are: Energy use and shift from fossil fuel sources, disaster risk reduction, drainage and urban flooding, transportation and e-mobility, urban housing, building and energy efficiency, urban greening & biodiversity, sustainable waste management, improving air quality, health, water management, industrial emissions, climate science, urban adaptation/mitigation, communication & advocacy, economics & sourcing funds.

The Mayor said Kolkata is committed to push towards a net zero emission scenario and climate-resilient status as early as possible in tune with the state and national policy, as well as in accordance with international imperatives, and would like to use the KCAP as the guideline for achieving this goal. According to KMC, multiple scientific studies, including IPCC AR 6 report, have underlined various climatic risks and impacts affecting Kolkata in recent times. The city has lost a substantial portion of its green cover to Cyclone Amphan in 2020. The estimated damage amounts to Rs 1,350 crore. Kolkata is the only Indian city among the eight global megacities which are the most vulnerable to disaster-related mortality while the city lacks resilience plans which could address the underlying drivers of climate vulnerability. Further, Kolkata is one of the major global cities exposed to heat /urban drought risk. It is among the 20 largest coastal cities projected to incur the highest possible flood losses by 2050 because of sea-level rise and flooding. The city faces the additional risk of subsidence and damages from storm surge. In the absence of adaptation measures, Kolkata is projected to face huge economic losses due to climate change by 2050.