Delhi is one of the first cities in India to launch a climate plan. It has resulted in a broadened environmental programme with actions across the board, such as mandating solar water heaters, subsidising green buildings, increasing green cover and reconditioning the sewage system. Meanwhile, the city is continuing its overhaul of the mass transit system, which includes an expansion of the metro, the first transport project in the world to be financed by the UN Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

India has long been very active in the policy field of sustainable development and is one of a few countries that has national policies in all areas of renewable energy support, according to Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21). It was the sixth nation in the world to introduce feed-in tariffs (FITs) for renewable energy in 1993, is one of the top six countries for non-hydro renewable power capacity, and has set a target to double renewable power capacity by 2017.

Thus it shouldn't be so surprising that for a low-income megacity Delhi ranks unusually high in Siemens Asian Green City Index, with an overall average score. It has a "strong Department of Environment, which is actively engaged in overall environmental assessment, monitoring, and protection" with a "wide legal remit to address the city’s environmental challenges", according to the index.

Improving public transport

Delhi had one of the highest traffic congestion and pollution rates in the world until the city government took action at the turn of the millennium: it converted the city's public transport system (including all buses and auto rickshaws) from diesel to natural gas (CNG), invested in a new metro system, introduced regulation for vehicles and fuels and closed hazardous industries.

The New Delhi Metro Rail Project has undergone an ambitious expansion. It consists of 413 km of track, after multiple phases of development in the last years, and its recent expansion has eliminated 630,000 tons of carbon per year. Being the first transport project in the world to be registered under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the project recycles train energy for carbon credits. It includes energy-saving measures such as a regenerative braking system. Whenever the trains apply their brakes, they produce electrical energy that is used for accelerating other trains on the same service line, saving overall energy.

The Metro Rail Project is part of a broader overhaul of Delhi's mass transit system, that includes a new High Capacity Bus System, Electric Trolley Buses with corresponding corridors, and measures to promote cycling and walking. An Integrated Rail Cum Bus Transit System (IRBT) has also been proposed, consisting of an initial three corridors linking Ghaziabad, Sahibabad and Gurgaon to New Delhi. The government continues to regulate vehicles, fuels and traffic, and to expand the air quality monitoring system to ensure improved air quality.

 

Climate Change Agenda

In the early 2000s, the initiatives in the transport system changed the level of pollution overnight, and the air quality has continued to improve in recent years, according to the city. It also became the starting point for a broad environmental programme in Delhi, that was formulated in the Climate Change Agenda 2009-12, and continues in the 2012-17 five-year plan. The Agenda includes 65 actions to combat climate change, under the following headings: solar energy, energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, strategic knowledge, water conservation and the green India mission:

-- The solar mission mandates solar water heaters in some buildings and provides subsidies and incentives for them all over the city. It also provides support for Solar PV projects.

-- The energy efficiency mission has adopted green building codes for new government buildings, and is retrofitting old government buildings, with a target of 100 buildings in the first phase. Energy efficient lighting is installed in streets and subsidized for homes.

-- The sustainable urban habitat mission covers the already mentioned transport and power generating initiatives and also a programme to improve waste management, that includes a plastic bag ban, new recycling plants and a plan for composting infrastructure.

-- The green mission aims to increase green space from 20% to 33%, with dedicated conservation zones to protect biodiversity. It also aims to rejuvenate parks and gardens, and incentivize herbal parks through community involvement.

-- The water mission aims to reduce water consumption with incentives and regulations, subsidises rainwater harvesting, and improve the infrastructure with leak detection, new dams and water treatment facilities. The city also has a number of plans to recondition its sewage system, including replacing or repairing hundreds of km of sewers and constructing 15 Common Effluent Treatment Plants, that will generate methane for energy use, another CDM-project.

-- The strategic knowledge mission aims to raise awareness among residents and has for example created Eco-clubs in 1,000 schools. Children take part in a variety of projects, including water conservation, tree planting and creating nature trails, as well as schemes to cut waste.

Delhi Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Management Centre, http://delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/doit_eerem/EEREM/Home/ 

REN21, "Renewables Global Status Report 2013", http://www.ren21.net/REN21Activities/GlobalStatusReport.aspx 

Siemens, "Asian Green City Index", http://www.siemens.com/entry/cc/features/greencityindex_international/all/en/pdf/report_asia.pdf