UN team visits Vijayawada, evaluates progress of various projects

GEF-UNIDO SCIAP initiative in Vijayawada aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower BOD levels. The team evaluated progress of projects taken up by the municipal corp. and visited Jindal Waste to Energy plant. They discussed PPP projects, capacity building and assistance in improving financial creditworthiness of ULBs.

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.

They also discussed Public Private Partnership projects that include Rajiv Gandhi Park, KL Rao Park, and others in the city.

The four key components under UNIDO SCIAP India in Vijayawada include strategic sustainable city planning, investment and technology demonstration projects, capacity building for municipal officials and elected representatives in water and sanitation sectors, and assistance in improving the financial creditworthiness of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

The GEF team included Senior Evaluation Officer Neeraj Kumar Negi, International Expert of Public Private Participation (PPP) at Independent Evaluation Office Alexander Francis Burger and others.