Premium

Why this ex-MP has put her hopes in the public to avert climate crisis in Pune

The festival, which will be held on January 18 at Pt Jawaharlal Nehru Auditorium on Ghole Road, is aligned with the belief of global experts that change can best happen at the grassroots.

Vandana Chavan, former mayor and MP, has played a leading role in environmental stability. (Express Photo)

“If engineers and corporators do not understand certain aspects of climate change, we will never address global warming. Cement concrete roads are being constructed wall to wall but this is not correct. We must allow a little part of it for seeping water, then the groundwater will get recharged. Now, we have new construction rules that say that builders can construct up to three floors to make parking but this means that we are cutting the aquifers. The latest thing that is going to be a horror and a disaster for Pune is the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR),” said Vandana Chavan, former mayor and MP, who has played a leading role in environmental stability.

She added that Pune had a 1.1 FSI but, due to UDCPR, it will increase to five in some places and seven in some places. “With that kind of construction and people coming in, do we have the roads to cater to that kind of traffic? We are already very high on air pollution which is higher than Delhi in some months of the year. Do we have water? We may be having water but we don’t have a network. All our public infrastructure has been designed to cater to only 1.1 FSI. Have we really studied what impact this is going to cause?” she said. “If people are not conscious about this, they will never raise the issue,” she said.

Chavan was speaking to The Indian Express on the sidelines of a press conference to announce the third edition of the Big Green Fest, an initiative themed around “Sustainable Living: Nurturing Tomorrow’s Changemakers” that is expected to be attended by hundreds of schoolchildren, teachers, parents, environmentalists, small businesses working on sustainability and community members. The festival, which will be held on January 18 at Pt Jawaharlal Nehru Auditorium on Ghole Road, is aligned with the belief of global experts that change can best happen at the grassroots. One of its highlights is an unusual fashion show that features eco-friendly designs.

Story continues below this ad

Also Read | 2024 was the warmest year for India and the world. But why was warming lower over India?

“Way back in 1972, it was at the Stockholm conference, when the environment was talked about by all the countries. At the Rio conference, it was decided that, if you really have to make a difference, it has to be at a local level. In Pune, we have been seeing the impacts of climate change for the last 10 years. We have seen cloudbursts, floodings and heatwaves in a city that never used to be very hot,” she said. While the city has taken several steps to reduce carbon emissions, “there is still a lot more that needs to be done”.

“If there are more people who understand the environmental issues, it means that more people will start thinking. They will say, ‘no, we don’t want this development or we want it only after a proper study has been done. They will say that they don’t want gardens that are fully cemented. In the Smart City, open gardens are all cemented and that is not what is expected. We need open spaces for the water to seep in. These are all aspects where if people are not sensitized, nobody will ever raise their voice or go to the municipal corporation and say no, we cannot have this,” said Chavan.

Dipanita Nath

Dipanita Nath is interested in the climate crisis and sustainability. She has written extensively on social trends, heritage, theatre and startups. She has worked with major news organizations such as Hindustan Times, The Times of India and Mint. ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Tags:
Climate change