UN body to invest in Bhopal’s sustainable city efforts

A two-day workshop on the Sustainable Cities Integrated Approach Pilot (SCIAP) project, being implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), was held in the Madhya Pradesh capital last week. The project is being carried out in cooperation with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) with funding assistance from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) under Sustainable Development Goal 9 for industry, innovation and infrastructure. In the workshop, Prof John Wittington of UNIDO gave detailed information regarding the objectives and plans of the workshop. A senior civic official said the BMC provides drinking water to the population of about 240,000 every day. A number of steps have been taken for sustainable living and reuse of natural resources. This includes initiatives in housing construction, water supply, waste management, sewage treatment, horticulture development among others. The visiting team said UNIDO will provide investment and technical assistance in the areas of sustainability planning for environmental protection, solid waste management, solutions to carbon emissions related problems, as well as in augmenting the capacity and skill of the BMC officials for effective implementation of waste management and sanitation projects. See also: Kochi join hands with WRI India for more green spaces7th Smart Urbanation: What’s next for smart cities in India