SURAT: Surat City Climate Change Trust (SCCT) will chalk out a definite strategy to tackle major challenges of reduction of greenhouse gas emission, pollution and atmospheric heat.
"We are the only city in India to be included in the Rockefeller Foundation (RF) list of top 100 resilient cities of the world. As a step towards this, we have put in an action plan to reduce use of 10 per cent of conventional energy in coming five years," chairman, SCCT, Jatin Shah said.
In the next 30 years, Surat's population is likely to touch 1.26 crore and the city would expand to 700 square kilometre area.
A team of Rockefeller Foundation will also visit the city on July 19 to hold a workshop in which detailed strategies would be worked out. "We plan to appoint a city resilient officer (CRO) in coming days and devise a strategy that would be put in action," Shah said.
Surat had become the first city in the country with effective flood warning system. For tackling vector-borne diseases, an Urban Health Climate Resilience Center (UHCRC) was set up in 2013.
"We are working on urban health resilience related to climate change. At present, we are working on vulnerability assessment of the city with respect to climate change. The report would be ready in six months," technical director, UHCRC, Dr Vikas Desai said.
UHCRC is in process to finalize heat action plan for Surat city. It will be a semi-arid zone oriented plan and different from Ahmedabad's plan, which is an arid zone.
RF has been providing funds under Asian Cities climate change resilience network (ACCCRN) and is likely to fund further.
