Mumbai :The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday launched the first Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP) to strategise ways to tackle the challenges of climate change. The plan was launched by state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray at the BMC headquarters.

Mumbai became a part of the C40 Cities climate leadership group in December 2020, and is drafting the climate action plan in compliance with the C40 guidelines and criteria. The initiative was launched alongside the MCAP website http://mcap.mcgm.gov.in), where citizens and experts can send their suggestions and recommendations till September 20.

MCAP is expected to be completely ready by October, ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to be held in November. It is being made in collaboration with World Resources Institute, India, as knowledge partners for the initiative.The action plan will focus on six areas – waste management, sustainable mobility, clean energy, urban floods and water management, urban green cover and biodiversity, and air quality.So far, city and climate profiling, and sectoral analysis have been completed. Drafting near term vision setting (2030, mid-term vision setting (2040) and long-term vision setting (2050), stake-holders consultations, along with implementation strategies are remaining.

C40 connects 97 of the world’s largest cities, enabling them to “collaborate effectively, share knowledge and drive meaningful, measurable and sustainable action on climate change”It has been proposed to create a climate cell within the BMC to help with understanding the practical relevance of climate change for Mumbai, and to coordinate with various departments and the Maharashtra environment ministry to implement the MCAP.The BMC’s existing IT infrastructure will also be used for data collection and analysis.New initiatives on climate action already set in motion for Mumbai across the focus areas include BEST buses’ transition to electronic vehicle feel in the island city, and improved road networks on the transport front; underground water holding tanks planned in five flood prone spots to mitigate waterlogging; installing trash-brooms to keep floating garbage from carrying into the sea and the Mithi river clean-up project; the proposed desalination plant to supplement the increasing water demands of the city; over 5000 planned rainwater harvesting pits across Mumbai.