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With the launch of its City Climate Action Plan, Mira Bhayander in Maharashtra's Thane district has become the fifth city in the state to have a roadmap of a climate-resilient city to achieve net-zero emissions by 2047.
Mira Bhayander City Climate Action Plan 2024-2047, jointly prepared by The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat India and the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), targets a 36 per cent reduction in emissions through the adoption of renewable energy, introduction of energy efficient measures for buildings and improved waste management practices. The plan was unveiled in Mumbai on January 29.
Four other cities in the state — Mumbai, Sholapur, Nashik and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (formerly Aurangabad) — already have their respective climate action plans prepared. Pune’s climate action plan is currently underway.
“Mira Bhayandar is committed to becoming a model city for sustainability and innovation. Through initiatives like the City Climate Action Plan and Home@20, we aim to reduce emissions, improve mobility and foster resilience for a greener, safer future," said Sanjay Shripatrao Katkar, Commissioner of MBMC during the launch event.
Mira Bhayandar, a key urban centre in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, is one of the 42 cities in Maharashtra under the Central government's Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation scheme, said Abhijit Ghorpade, director of State Climate Action, Environment and Climate Change Department of Government of Maharashtra.
The satellite city is nestled between the Vasai Creek to its north, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park to its east and the Arabian Sea to the west, spans an area of 79.40 square kilometres and has a population of 809,000 as per the 2011 Census.
A comparative study of land use cover between 2005 and 2022 shows that the built-up area in Mira Bhayandar has increased by 50 per cent and urban green cover has reduced by 13.6 per cent. In the same time period, land surface temperature has registered an increase.
The city had a total emissions of 1.34 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) or 1.12 tonnes of CO2e per person in 2023, as noted by the baseline assessment of GHG (greenhouse gas) Emissions Inventory of Mira Bhayandar.
The stationary energy sector (industries, furnaces, boilers, buildings) accounts for 62 per cent of the total emissions. The transport sector accounts for 22 per cent of emissions, followed by the waste sector at 16 per cent of the total emissions in the city.
Mira Bhayandar consumed approximately 1,075 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity in 2023, with the residential sector accounting for 62 per cent of the consumption followed by commercial (20 per cent) and industrial (15 per cent). At present there are 340,000 residential metered connections and 51,000 commercial metered connections.
Six priority sectors
The Mira Bhayandar City Climate Action Plan has identified six priority areas to achieve the target of net-zero emissions by 2047. These include — energy & buildings, water supply, urban flooding, urban greening & biodiversity, mobility & air quality, and waste management.
For the buildings sector, the plan recommends green retrofitting of buildings, cooling solutions in informal settlements and slums and adoption of rooftop solar systems.
Meanwhile, at informal settlements, while the exterior of roofs was painted with SRI paints, Alufoil was used in the interiors of the roof to cut down heat entering the building. It is claimed that aluminium air bubble insulation cuts about 60-75 per cent of heat coming inside a building. The aluminium foil material reflects hot sun rays coming inside the building to give a better cooling effect.
“We are delighted to partner with MBMC to launch a practical, actionable roadmap for achieving net-zero emissions in Mira Bhayandar. We have implemented demonstrative projects, such as replicable energy-efficient green integration in housing societies and schools, to showcase scalable solutions,” said Prerana Langa, Chief Executive Officer of The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat India during the launch event.
“These examples serve as a proof of concept, inspiring collective action and ensuring the plan translates into tangible, measurable outcomes for a sustainable and climate-resilient future,” she added.
Water and wastewater
The demand for water in Mira Bhayandar city is 235 million litres daily (mld) but the supply is only 190 mld, as noted in its climate action plan. The water supply network is 15-20 years old and 26 per cent of the households are not covered. Water is supplied for two to three hours daily with seasonal inconsistencies. Non revenue water (leakages) is 20.63 per cent.
The flood mapping done as part of the Mira Bhayander City Climate Action Plan 2024-2047 shows a large part of the city is prone to urban flooding (see map: Flood risk map of Mira Bhayandar). It identifies 72 waterlogging points in the city. Majority of water-logging areas are near manmade drainage systems and not near natural drainage channels. The city’s stormwater drainage network system covers only 50.24 per cent of the total road network, notes the climate action plan.
The climate action plan recommends setting up of an early warning system, installing floodgates at key drainage points, and implementation of trash nets for stopping waste from flowing into drains. It also suggests nature-based solutions such as wetland conservation and bioremediation, permeable pavements, and groundwater recharging wells.
Interestingly, Mira Bhayandar under-utilises its sewage treatment capacity. The city has a total of 10 sewage treatment plants with a combined capacity to treat 128 mld sewage, but at present treats only 110.5 mld. Collection of sewage needs to be revamped.
With the rapid expansion of the built-up area from 5.52 per cent in 2005 to 11.28 per cent in 2022, there has been a significant loss of vegetation cover in Mira Bhayandar. Urban expansion has led to a 0.46°C rise in annual temperature, notes the climate action plan.
The city has only 77 hectares of green space, with an average of 0.7 square metres per person. This is much lower than the 10 square metres per person that the Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation & Implementation (URDPFI 2014) guidelines of the Ministry of Urban Development specify.
Mira Bhayandar has over 120 water bodies (lakes and wetlands) and 15 per cent of its area is covered with mangroves. The climate action plan recommends community-led development of green spaces to reduce the urban heat island effect.
Modal split of vehicles in Mira Bhayandar shows that maximum trips (34 per cent) are made by walking. This is followed by bus (30 per cent), autorickshaws (20 per cent), two & four wheelers (14 per cent), and bicycles (two per cent).
Emissions from the transport sector comprises — 47 per cent diesel, 28 per cent CNG and 25 per cent petrol. Mira Bhayandar has only one ambient air quality monitoring station installed under the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme. The city's PM2.5 and PM10 levels exceed the WHO’s air quality standards by 14 and 9 times, respectively, notes the City Climate Action Plan. This despite the fact that an Action Plan For Control of Air Pollution in Mira Bhayander was released by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and MBMC in 2021.
The climate action plan recommends developing an air pollution emissions inventory to identify major pollution sources, establishing a baseline for air-quality management, and supporting the development of targeted mitigation strategies.
About 650 tonnes of solid waste is generated daily in Mira Bhayandar, of which 82 per cent is residential waste. The municipal corporation is already implementing some projects for management of waste, such as biogas generation, upcycling of coconut waste into coco peat, and converting agri waste into eco-friendly bricks. However, construction and demolition (C&D) waste remains a challenge.
The climate action plan recommends including a clause in government and municipal contracts mandating a minimum percentage of recycled C&D material for construction projects. It also suggests that residential societies with more than 5,000 litres per day water consumption to install and operate on-site decentralised wastewater treatment facilities.
According to Sunil Pote, Executive Director (Operations), MahaPreit (Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy & Infrastructure Technology Limited), Government of Maharashtra, “Climate action should be inbuilt in city development. It should be integrated in the Development Control Regulations of a city. For instance, Chennai has included heat mitigation practices in its DC rules. But such steps are missing in Maharashtra and must be initiated.”