UN-Habitat

UN-Habitat

News: The UN-Habitat has identified issues associated with Jaipur city like multi hazard vulnerabilities, weak mobility and Green-Blue economy and has laid out a plan to increase sustainability in the city.

Key Findings:
• Jaipur got an overall sustainability rating of three on the Urban Sustainability Assessment Framework (USAF) based on the information collected for 87 of its 131 parameters.
• The UN-Habitat highlighted the following problems which are faced by the city:
• Weak access to a public transportation system, with less number of buses and poor route delineation.
• Extreme levels of drought during summer and also urban floods.
• Lack green cover which has resulted in the urban heat island effect that has disrupted biodiversity.

Recommendations of UN-Habitat:
• Experts recommended measures to increase green cover, strengthen urban biodiversity, and thereby enhance the quality of life for citizens.
• To address the challenges of urban sprawling, the UN-Habitat emphasised the idea of a compact city with re-development and re-densification of the existing urban areas.
• To improve the situation of public transportation, fare integration for different modes of transport andenhancing the n on-motorised transport infrastructure would make movement convenient and reduce traffic and vehicle emissions.
• The 800 dry wells in Jaipur’s Walled City could be used for rainwater harvesting and raising the water table, mitigating urban floods and ensuring efficient utilisation of water resources.
• Eco-trails with plantations along natural drainage channels and railway tracks are recommended in the city.
• Experts from the Tourism & Wildlife Society of India (TWSI) said that the urban development authorities should measure oxygen produced and carbon dioxide released each day in each urban complex and plan the green cover accordingly and also select the species of plants with utmost caution since only indigenous, broad-leaved and tap-root trees produce more shade and oxygen.

About UN-Habitat:
• The United Nations Human Settlements Programme is the United Nations programme for human settlements and sustainable urban development.
• UN-Habitat maintains its headquarters at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya.
• It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.
• It is a member of the United Nations Development Group. The mandate of UN-Habitat derives from the Habitat Agenda, adopted by the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1996.