Chennai Resilience Centre joins hands with Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company to build green infrastructure in city

The Chennai Resilience Centre, a voluntary organisation, has joined hands with the Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company to implement projects aimed at strengthening water and climate resilience in Chennai.

The organisation would collaborate on its various ongoing projects in the city, which align with the TNGCC’s mission, to build resilience and provide region-specific designs for water and waste management. The CRC, which represents New York-based Global Resilient Cities Network in Chennai and a unit of Care Earth Trust, has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the TNGCC to provide technical assistance and share knowledge on issues like urban heat mitigation and provide nature-based solutions for water treatment.

The collaborative efforts aim to expand CRC’s ongoing programmes like edible rooftop gardens to reduce urban heat; nature-based solution to treat wastewater and Urban Ocean project to prevent plastic from reaching waterways, to other parts of the city and replicate it across the State.

“The MoU is a significant step in getting government support to scale up our flagship projects in the city and build green infrastructure along with the government,” said Krishna Mohan, Chief Resilience Officer - Chennai Resilience Centre.

Besides some residential areas in south Chennai, the organisation has set up vegetable gardens in nearly 166 ICDS in Chennai. The gardens not only add to children’s nutritious meals but are also used to teach colours and numbers to them. Rooftop vegetable gardens have been set up in six government schools and 10 more government schools would be identified along with the TNGCC. “In our pilot study, we observed that the mercury level had dropped significantly up to seven degree Celsius in rooms below the rooftop gardens during peak summer,” said Mr. Krishna Mohan.

The nature-based water balance model adopted in Little Flower Convent to treat 27,000 litres of wastewater would be replicated in two government schools along with TNGCC. This project would reduce water stress and recharge groundwater.

Among the other projects is the attempt to transform localities like Kasturba Nagar into zero-waste area by increasing source segregation and setting up lane composters that could be diverted to vegetable gardens.

Published - September 25, 2024 07:53 pm IST