Representatives from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) were in Vijayawada on November 28 (Tuesday) to evaluate the progress of various projects taken up by the municipal corporation, with funds from the GEF, as part of its Sustainable Cities Integrated Approach Pilot (SCIAP) initiative.
The GEF-UNIDO SCIAP initiative, being taken up in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, is being implemented in 28 cities across 11 developing nations, including five pilot cities in India (Mysuru, Jaipur, Bhopal, Vijayawada, and Guntur). Its objective is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by infusing a sustainable strategy for the management of these cities.
At a meeting, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation Commissioner Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar discussed the ‘Rejuvenation of STPs and DP Stations and Installation of Biogas Energy Plants in VMC’ project with them. He pointed out how the GEF-funded project has reduced carbon emissions and lowered Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels, aligning with National Green Tribunal (NGT) norms. The team later visited the Jindal Waste to Energy plant in Guntur as part of an assessment.
