AsianCitiesAdapt meeting in Kochi brings stakeholders on board
The Corporation of Cochin, ICLEI South Asia and IIT Delhi on August 14 joined in organizing a stakeholder meeting on AsianCitiesAdapt, a project -- funded by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety -- which seeks to develop local-level climate change adaptation strategies for four Indian cities: Kochi, Madurai, Howrah and Visakhapatnam. The meeting drew representatives from the National Institute of Oceanography, Cochin University of Science And Technology, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, and Cochin Port Trust. The mayor of Cochin participated as well and said he was “looking forward to the outcomes of the study” and would “take required measures based on it.”
Howrah hosts second city workshop and stakeholder meeting
Howrah is a participant city, along with Kochi, Visakhapatnam and Madurai in a project funded by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). The project focuses on developing local strategies to adapt to climate change. The countries of South and Southeast Asia are key focus areas for climate impact studies as they have been dealing with an increasing number of extreme rainfall events; changes to seasonal monsoon patterns and major floods and severe droughts have led to millions suffering from health and livelihood hazards. Cities in the two regions have to deal with the combined challenge of providing basic urban services for citizens along with dealing with climate risks.
AsianCitiesAdapt: Impacts of Climate Change in Target Cities in India and the Philippines and Local Adaptation Strategies is an innovative project to address the consequences of climate change at the local level by enhancing awareness, knowledge and capacity of participating cities through an integrated and cyclical management tool. The AsianCitiesAdapt project is targeted towards these specific South and Southeast Asian cities not only because of their vulnerability to the risks of climate change but also because no adaptation planning has been adopted for them so far at the local level.
To this end, scientists from PIK/IIT-D, ICLEI and four cities each in both countries are working together to localise the impacts of climate change and to develop future scenarios and decision making aids in order to reduce the risks of climate change impacts.
The second city workshop and stakeholder meeting under the project in India was held in Howrah, West Bengal on 21 February 2012. Attended by representatives of the four participating cities, PIK and IIT Delhi, as well as esteemed local stakeholders. The event was presided over by the Honourable Mayor of Howrah, Ms Mamata Jaiswal. The Deputy Mayor of Kochi, Ms Bhadra, the Standing Committee Chairman, Mr K J Sohan, Environmental Engineer, Ms Sreedevi, represented Kochi city along with Dr Harindranathan Nair, Cochin University. Municipal Commissioner of Visakhapatnam, Mr B Ramanjaneyulu and Ms K Ramaprabha, DHAN Foundation, represented the city of Visakhapatnam. Executive Engineer, Mr SM Rajendran, Madurai Corporation and Mr Madhankumar, DHAN Foundation represented Madurai. Professor Jeurgen Kropp from PIK and Professor S K Das, IIT Delhi, provided the scientific expert perspective to the proceedings.
The Project was initiated in February 2010. The 1st City workshops were conducted in the four project cities in India from July to September 2011. The cities have been undergoing the baseline development phase that includes data collection phase and some citizen and stakeholder surveys conducted in Howrah. This workshop in Howrah focused on the presenting the progress of the project so far, and discussion amongst the gathered participants on the strategy for going forward.
“Adaptation is the key to survival for cities such as ours” said the Honourable Mayor, HMC, during her inspiring inaugural address, after which a day of intensive discussions around the topic of climate change adaptation and vulnerabilities of the four participating cities ensued with inputs from all the city representatives and the stakeholders present. All the cities re-assured their commitment to the cause of climate change adaptation at this workshop and expressed their keen desire to know of the outcomes of the project to enable them to take necessary action.
A series or subsequent stakeholder meetings based on this workshop in each city will be held locally in the coming two months.
AsianCitiesAdapt: Impacts of Climate Change in Target Cities in India and the Philippines and Local Adaptation Strategies is an innovative project to address the consequences of climate change at the local level by enhancing awareness, knowledge and capacity of participating cities through an integrated and cyclical management tool. The AsianCitiesAdapt project is targeted towards these specific South and Southeast Asian cities not only because of their vulnerability to the risks of climate change but also because no adaptation planning has been adopted for them so far at the local level.
To this end, scientists from PIK/IIT-D, ICLEI and four cities each in both countries are working together to localise the impacts of climate change and to develop future scenarios and decision making aids in order to reduce the risks of climate change impacts.
The second city workshop and stakeholder meeting under the project in India was held in Howrah, West Bengal on 21 February 2012. Attended by representatives of the four participating cities, PIK and IIT Delhi, as well as esteemed local stakeholders. The event was presided over by the Honourable Mayor of Howrah, Ms Mamata Jaiswal. The Deputy Mayor of Kochi, Ms Bhadra, the Standing Committee Chairman, Mr K J Sohan, Environmental Engineer, Ms Sreedevi, represented Kochi city along with Dr Harindranathan Nair, Cochin University. Municipal Commissioner of Visakhapatnam, Mr B Ramanjaneyulu and Ms K Ramaprabha, DHAN Foundation, represented the city of Visakhapatnam. Executive Engineer, Mr SM Rajendran, Madurai Corporation and Mr Madhankumar, DHAN Foundation represented Madurai. Professor Jeurgen Kropp from PIK and Professor S K Das, IIT Delhi, provided the scientific expert perspective to the proceedings.
The Project was initiated in February 2010. The 1st City workshops were conducted in the four project cities in India from July to September 2011. The cities have been undergoing the baseline development phase that includes data collection phase and some citizen and stakeholder surveys conducted in Howrah. This workshop in Howrah focused on the presenting the progress of the project so far, and discussion amongst the gathered participants on the strategy for going forward.
“Adaptation is the key to survival for cities such as ours” said the Honourable Mayor, HMC, during her inspiring inaugural address, after which a day of intensive discussions around the topic of climate change adaptation and vulnerabilities of the four participating cities ensued with inputs from all the city representatives and the stakeholders present. All the cities re-assured their commitment to the cause of climate change adaptation at this workshop and expressed their keen desire to know of the outcomes of the project to enable them to take necessary action.
A series or subsequent stakeholder meetings based on this workshop in each city will be held locally in the coming two months.
Visakhapatnam stakeholders' meeting
The workshop and stakeholders' meeting attended by representatives from key institutions, government departments, and NGOs was organized under Asian Cities Adapt Project at Visakhapatnam on 30th September 2011. The Municipal Commissioner, Mr B Ramanjaneyulu addressed the gathering and outlined the benefits that GVMC could gain through active membership in ICLEI. Linking the principles of sustainable development to the five elements, or ‘Panchabhuta’, the commissioner cited examples to state the importance of the AsianCitiesAdapt project to Visakhapatnam. ICLEI South Asia introduced the project to all participants along with Prof. S. K. Dash, from IIT Delhi, who detailed about the climatic aspects related to the project including illustrations about the relevance of climatic science for future development and growth of urban centers giving specific examples of Visakahapatnam city.
Mr K Ramesh of the GVMC presented a brief look at Visakhapatnam and the current status of the city, detailing the land use pattern, green spaces and water bodies in the city, etc. The Additional Commissioner, Mr. K Ramesh stressed on the importance of awareness and education.
The primary stakeholders present stated briefly their views. Mr Shivaji Rao, GITAM University, stated that the approach in all such initiatives focuses on disaster management rather than disaster prevention. Dr Prasada Rao of the
Cyclone Warning Centre of the Indian Meteorological Department brought attention to the heat island effect by stating that their statistics show that temperatures are increasing more within Visakhapatnam than in the surrounding rural areas. He added that while the city has a cyclone warning centre, the risk of cyclones hitting the city is comparatively lower than other coastal areas. Mr K Ganeshan, Head of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Visakhapatnam, also stressed on the importance of awareness and education and said the industry must also play a role. Mr Vinay of the GVMC outlined GVMC’s plan to undertake low impact development and attempts to preserve green areas and water bodies.
The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board representative highlighted the organization’s activities and initiatives to help curb industrial pollution in the Visakahapatnam area. Ms K Ramaprabha, of the local NGO, Dhan Foundation, added that a further break up of the stakeholders into thematic focus groups might help to evolve more practical solutions and ideas under the project. Mr Kumar Vedulla of the private consultancy HARIT solutions, stated that urban flooding is a key concern in Visakhapatnam.
AsianCitiesAdapt Stakeholder's Meeting at Howrah
A workshop and stakeholders meeting was organized under Asian Cities Adapt Project at Howrah on 22nd September 2011. The workshop was attended by the members of the Stakeholder Expert Committee and the Core Committee.The workshop was addressed by honourable Mayor Mrs. Mamta Jaiswal. ICLEI South Asia introduced the project and its various stages to all participants. Prof. S. K. Dash, from IIT Delhi made a detailed presentation about the climatic aspects related to the project including illustrations about the relevance of climatic science for future development, threat and growth of urban centres giving specific examples of Howrah city. At last Mr. Jayanta Basu, environmental advisor of the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) presented the present situation of the Howrah city and the several environmental as well as climatic threats to the Howrah city.
During the workshop, the stakeholders put their concerns regarding the threat and possible solution of the city Howrah. Issues of water management, drainage systems, water logging, waste management, environmental pollution by industries, need to identify the various climate change adaptation options and policies adoption, awareness generation activities had been brought on the table by the stakeholders.
AsianCitiesAdapt Stakeholders' Meeting in Madurai
In order to carry forward AsianCitiesAdapt project in Madurai in a participatory manner a Workshop and Stakeholders' Meeting was held on 9th September, 2011. This meeting was a knowledge sharing experience where all the expert stakeholders of the city shared their views regarding the city and the issue of climate change. It involved discussions on the vulnerability of the city, the various adaptation measures relevant for the city, methods for awareness generation and capacity building etc.The workshop was attended by representatives from key institutions, government departments, NGOs and also the City Technical Advisory Group. ICLEI South Asia made a presentation introducing the project and its various
stages to all participants. Prof. S. K. Dash, from IIT Delhi made a detailed presentation about the climatic aspects related to the project including illustrations about the relevance of climatic science for future development and growth of urban centers giving specific examples of Madurai city. To further engage the stakeholders and maintain regular contacts in the project process a mechanism will be established.
1st AsianCitiesAdapt Pilot workshop held in Kochi
The first Pilot workshop on AsianCitiesAdapt - impacts of climate change in target cities in India and the Philippines and local adaptation strategies was held in Kochi, Kerala, between July 13 and 14, 2011. The workshop organized by ICLEI South Asia along with IIT Delhi was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Mayor of Kochi Tony Chammani. He called for the attention of all the members for their active involvement in the process of implementation of strategies for climate change. The workshop aimed to study the climate change impacts at the regional and city level, especially in the project cities, and the local level adaptation initiatives.Prof. S.K. Das from IIT Delhi, Ms. Barbara Anton and Ms. Jana Werg from project partners ICLEI ES, PIK respectively and project cities - Kochi, Madurai, Howrah and Visakhapatnam actively participated in the workshop.
From project city Howrah, the Hon’ble Mayor, Ms. Mamta Jaiswal made an address in the inaugural session. Mr. Jayanta Basu from
Howrah city also attended the workshop. From project city Vishakhapatnam, Additional Commissioner, Mr. K. Ramesh, Chief Medical Officer, D. Abbulu and HRD Consultant and Co-ordinators of ICLEI project Mr. Sunandan Tiwari, Mr. Ashish Rao Ghorpade and Mr. Ravi Ranjan Guru attended the workshop. Mr. S. Babu, Assistant Engineer came from Madurai city.In the technical sessions, the Scientific Partners’ and Project Cities’ perspective and the concept and process of the project were deliberated upon. Under this project, ICLEI South Asia is working with Kochi, Madurai, Howrah and Visakhapatnam with an aim to reduce their climate change impacts risks through an integrated and cyclical management approach. An internal and external coordination was made for involvement of Stakeholders in the local adaptation process. The Stakeholders’ meet was held on July 14, 2011.
2nd partner's meeting in Bonn
The AsianCitiesAdapt project’s 2nd partner's meeting was held in Bonn, Germany, June 6-8, 2011. Project partners, ICLEI-ES, ICLEI-SEA, ICLEI-SAS, PIK, IIT Delhi and UP-NEC attended the meeting.
Wide range of discussions was held on issues of data collection, parameters, target baselines and the methodology. Stakeholder identification and formation has been done. A set of questionnaire has been finalized for stakeholder perception survey. The first stakeholder meeting and Pilot workshop is to be held in Kochi, July 12-14, 2011.
Wide range of discussions was held on issues of data collection, parameters, target baselines and the methodology. Stakeholder identification and formation has been done. A set of questionnaire has been finalized for stakeholder perception survey. The first stakeholder meeting and Pilot workshop is to be held in Kochi, July 12-14, 2011.
AsianCitiesAdapt project meet to form resource & groups
A project meeting was organized with the Howrah Municipal Corporation in Kolkata on 28th March, under the AsianCitiesAdapt project. It was attended by the Hon’ble Mayor, Commissioner, Director ENGIO, Jayanta Basu, Mr. Subrat Pandey of IIT-Delhi and Mr. Ravi Ranjan Guru, ICLEI South Asia.
A detailed presentation was given by ICLEI SA to all the participants and discussions were held about the further activities – formation of Core Group, Stakeholders Group, Data Parameters, etc. Mr. Subarat presented the Climatic Model and discussed about the various Climatic Data. Jayanta Basu also shared information on various sources from where we can get data.
A detailed presentation was given by ICLEI SA to all the participants and discussions were held about the further activities – formation of Core Group, Stakeholders Group, Data Parameters, etc. Mr. Subarat presented the Climatic Model and discussed about the various Climatic Data. Jayanta Basu also shared information on various sources from where we can get data.
First 'AsianCitesAdapt' project partner meeting
1st Meeting: The first 'AsianCitesAdapt' project partner meeting took place between November 1-3, 2010, in Potsdam at the premises of the North South Research Group of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (Potsdam, Pappelallee 20, Building 15). This report provides a summary of the discussions that took place and the outcomes agreed upon.
The main outcomes from the meeting were as follows:
- Draft of a general project vision
- Preliminary agreement on project work packages and deliverables, partners roles and responsibilities
- First draft of a methodology for local adaptation management
- Agreement on draft methodology and implementation process for the surveys on stakeholder perceptions
- Agreement on project’s communication and coordination structure
ICLEI-South Asia has signed the MoU with Visakhapatnam for the AsianCitiesAdapt project in the month of February. It has also signed MoU with Kochi and Madurai for the project in the month February.
The main outcomes from the meeting were as follows:
- Draft of a general project vision
- Preliminary agreement on project work packages and deliverables, partners roles and responsibilities
- First draft of a methodology for local adaptation management
- Agreement on draft methodology and implementation process for the surveys on stakeholder perceptions
- Agreement on project’s communication and coordination structure
ICLEI-South Asia has signed the MoU with Visakhapatnam for the AsianCitiesAdapt project in the month of February. It has also signed MoU with Kochi and Madurai for the project in the month February.
