VISAKHAPATNAM: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation, is working on the Eco-Vizag Green City Action Plan (GCAP).
The GCAP aims to mainstream the climate mitigation lens within the GVMC‘s Eco-Vizag campaign by identifying a roadmap to help Vizag meet its vision for the environment and development.
The plan, which is currently in the draft stages, indicates that if the recommended measures are fully implemented, Vizag could achieve a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions—equating to 2.0 million tons of CO2—by the year 2034. Furthermore, the proposed solutions represent a substantial green investment pipeline.
The draft Eco-Vizag GCAP has initially identified 42 measures across four critical sectors: built environment and energy, transport, solid waste, and water and wastewater.
Eight high-impact measures stand out, including the promotion of private electric vehicles, a rooftop solar photovoltaic programme for private buildings, improvements to building codes, an expanded subway system, smart energy display meters, incentives for green building certification, energy efficiency upgrades in private buildings, and an electrified public bus system.
Speaking to TOI, a GVMC official informed that they will soon convene meetings with experts and different stakeholders of the city to work together on the draft and come out with a final plan. “As these measures suggested in the initial stages come from international experiences, we would incorporate more local scenarios and solutions in the final draft and final plan. The final plan will be ready in the next few months,” said the official.
As per the proposals in the draft, key initiatives within the built environment and energy sector feature a city-wide solar photovoltaic programme, a robust green building code, and energy efficiency enhancements for private buildings. In the transport sector, financing and incentives for private electric vehicles, alongside an expanded subway and public bus transport network, will encourage a shift toward electric mobility and public transit.
Together, these measures are projected to achieve 25 percent of the greenhouse gas savings needed to meet the total emissions reduction target, accounting for 85 percent of the overall goal. The GCAP and green investment pipeline are aligned with the ongoing Eco-Vizag campaign, which aims to provide an integrated and analytical framework for implementing sustainable projects in the city.
The plan outlines four key opportunities that interconnect policies and investment actions: mobilising green building upgrades through on-bill financing, reinforcing an ambitious green building code supported by the EDGE programme, driving low carbon mobility through electric vehicles and expanded public transport, and enabling green municipal infrastructure via sustainability-linked financing.
The GVMC will take on a key role in convening stakeholders, shaping public policy, and raising awareness on the GCAP.
