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Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Data jam studies heat islands in Mumbai
MUMBAI: The next time you're sweating it on a hot and muggy day, take a look around. The aim of this exercise is to determine whether you are positioned in a 'heat island'. 'If you think the temperature on IMD's site does not reflect what you're experiencing, it could be because of your location and the impact of urban heat,' said a presenter at Mumbai 'Datajam on Urban Heat in Mumbai' at St Xavier's College on Saturday. The data jam was organised by Open City, an urban data portal, along with NGOs such as C40 Cities, World Resources Institute India and Maharashtra's State Climate Cell. For seven hours on Saturday, more than 30 people including students and professionals assembled to study the effects of urban heat and how to tackle it. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, urban heat islands form when some areas experience hotter temperatures than others within a city. The participants at the data jam worked with data sets and maps that reflected land surface temperatures, demographics, formal and informal settlements, the morphology of buildings and other related elements in each civic ward in Mumbai – with a view to identifying heat islands, reasons and solutions. The civic wards focused on most were the ones that topped the list in vulnerability assessment done for the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP). Slum areas formed the largest heat islands in Mumbai, owing to lack of ventilation and population density. But, the participants found, this phenomenon extended to some mid-rise buildings, which created a wind tunnel and trapped heat. Interestingly, in H East ward, 70% of the population is crammed into 10% of the land that forms the slum pockets in Bandra East. This 10% land traps high amounts of heat, where temperatures range from 43 to 48 degrees Celsius. Similarly, in the Bandra-Kurla Complex, which is spacious and ventilated, the glass buildings are the heat traps. Moreover, H East ward has little or no healthy vegetation. M-East ward (Govandi), which ranks low on socio-economic factors, was divided according to the morphology of buildings and type of settlements. Participants highlighted that the BARC residential area was the only ideal spot in the ward, with low-rises and low population density. 'While several slum rehabilitation buildings are planned in the area, the height, density and construction material should be considered in terms of thermal conductivity. The ideal would be mid-rise and mid-density,' said Varun Phadke, a second-year MTech student at IIT Bombay. Participants working on L ward (Kurla) suggested natural coolers and heat-resistant pavements as mitigation measures in the long term, more air-conditioned buses, and water filters at the bus stops. They also said that the Mithi River traps heat due to stagnant water and pollution, so cleaning it would act as a cooling agent. These suggestions will be further presented to the ward officers and the state climate cell. The Maharashtra state climate cell undertook the development of a heat-resilience framework, which aims to look at local wards on a granular level for heat mitigation.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
BMC data shows Mumbai recorded reduction in emission levels
Mumbai has recorded a declining trend of carbon emissions between 2019 and 2024, shows the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's data that was presented in the annual environment budget released on June 5. Carbon emission refers to the release of carbon into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. This process is often a result of human activities like burning fossil fuels, industrial processes and deforestation. Emissions are measured as per carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)–a unit of measurement used to compare the climate impact of different Green House Gases (GHG) by expressing them in terms of equivalent amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). The trend was recorded to make a GHG inventory for Mumbai which includes an analysis of sectors and sources that emit carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Civic officials said that such an inventory enables the city to build evidence-based mitigation actions and policies to monitor progress–aligned with global community standards. As part of the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP), the first GHG inventory was recorded in 2019. According to the GHG inventory, nearly 74% of the emissions are contributed by stationary energy sources–which includes buildings and entities that depend on fossil fuel, electricity or thermal energy, while 19.1% is contributed by the transportation sector and the balance 6% is emitted from waste resources. According to the data, Mumbai recorded a decline of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emission levels by an approximate 2 million tonnes between 2019 and 2023. The civic body's data shows that in 2019, a baseline study of emissions showed 26.75 million tonnes of which stood at 24.6 million tonnes by 2023–which is a decline by 2.15 million tonnes. 'Between 2019 and 2021, Mumbai's emissions steadily fell reaching their lowest point in 2021, largely due to pandemic induced economic slowdowns, before rising again post 2021,' said the BMC's budget document. Besides this, the data also shows that there has been a decline in emission from solid waste –which the civic body has attributed to the centralised waste processing facility that was started in Kanjurmarg and the BMC's data also shows that the waste sector has shown an overall reduction of emission by 6.4% which equates 1.57 million tonnes of CO2e. 'Emissions from the waste sector have shown a slight decrease, especially due to reduced emissions from solid waste generated in the city, which may be attributed to improved centralised waste processing and monitoring,' the BMC's document read. 'There are reductions observed in the commercial, institutional buildings and facilities sector (by 26.6%) and residential buildings sector (by 11.36%),' the document further said. Meanwhile, in its budget, the civic body has put forward a target of reducing Mumbai's overall emission levels by 30% till 2030 and 44% by 2040. Furthermore, the BMC in its climate budget has set up long-term targets that are to be achieved by 2030. According to the document, the civic body has aimed to reduce air pollution by at least 30%, urban heat island effect by 40% and increase vegetation cover by 40%. Furthermore, in its climate budget, the BMC has also proposed decarbonising Mumbai by at least 50% by electrification of all the existing BEST buses and civic-owned vehicles.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
BMC's climate budget: old wine in a new bottle?
Mumbai: Jumping on the World Environment Day bandwagon, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday put their money where their mouth is, announcing a ₹17,000-crore 'climate budget' for the city. The civic body claimed that 37% of its capital expenditure budget will go towards 'climate-allied' activities. These include a wide range of things, from the biomining of the Deonar dumping ground to electric buses for BEST and solar panels, along with the construction of toilets, water infrastructure, markets, homes for project-affected people (PAP), and new fire brigade stations, among others. The BMC has increased its climate budget from last year's ₹10,224.24 crore by including the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) and seven more departments within it. Most of the activities listed in the budget are old BMC plans due to their effect on climate change. In March 2024, the BMC also created a new environment and climate change department. Claiming that its actions are working, the BMC also released data for greenhouse gas emissions till 2022-23, which showed a decrease from 2019-20 figures, but an increase from the Covid years in between. The BMC's climate spending takes its Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP), launched in 2022, as its benchmark. The plan is a strategic framework to make Mumbai climate-resilient and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. However, the ambit of the climate budget is wide. On the one hand, it concentrates on mitigating climate change, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, it also focuses on increasing the resilience of the city's population to the effects of climate change, i.e. adaptation. This gives the BMC a wide remit of activities to include under its climate spends. For instance, under unquantifiable actions taken, some of the activities listed include building toilets and installing sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators in public toilets; laying water pipelines, constructing storage tanks, a new water treatment plant and a desalination plant to improve water supply; stabilisation of hill slopes to reduce disaster risk; concessions for BEST bus tickets to those with disabilities; laying sewer lines; new healthcare facilities; improvement of footpaths, construction and maintenance of foot-over-bridges; a transportation and commercial hub at Dahisar Check Naka, municipal markets, PAP homes for the Goregaon Mulund Link Road project; and even a swimming pool and sports complex. Environmentalists, who are not new to challenging the BMC, were sceptical of the lofty budget. 'How to destroy the climate for 364 days, and how to plan for correcting the destruction for one day: that is the crux of the BMC's climate action plan,' said Zoru Bhathena, an environmental activist. 'The budget doesn't mention anything new that the civic body shouldn't already be doing,' said Debi Goenka, executive trustee of the nonprofit Conservation Action Trust. 'Setting up LED lights was introduced 10 years ago. Why is it newly added in the budget? BEST has already placed orders for EV buses that have not been delivered yet, so it is the same thing repeating. Many measures that could be taken up are severely lacking, including simple things like adding solar panels at bus depots. All this while the BMC is continuing to cut trees rampantly.' Sumaira Abdulali, founder of the NGO Awaaz Foundation, concurred. 'The number of trees being cut for infrastructure projects will not be covered in the greening of islands that they have taken up,' she said. 'As per the climate budget report, the PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels have come down to about 85 on average. Averaging out the winter numbers with the whole year will definitely bring it down. That doesn't mean the pollution is less. Regulation of the construction sites doesn't need a different budget. There just has to be proper enforcement of the AQI norms,' she added.
Business Wire
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Mitsui Chemicals Group to exhibit at ProPak Asia 2025
SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mitsui Chemicals Group will exhibit at the ProPak Asia 2025 from 11 to 14 June 2025, at Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC) in Thailand. New prototypes will be on display for booth visitors to experience the different application structures using our products. Share With the growing focus on sustainability in packaging solutions, Mitsui Chemicals Group will present close to 10 products that can be applied to various sustainable packaging requirements. In addition, new prototypes will be on display for booth visitors to experience the different application structures using our products. Exhibition details: Prototypes on display: Recycle-ready polypropylene-based pouch Maximized single polymer material. High barrier sealable BOPP film to reduce overall virgin plastic use. Recycle-ready polyolefin-based pouch Suitable for acidic product packaging. Special EVOLUE™ grade to allow seal through contamination. TAKELAC™/TAKENATE™ combination to retain adhesion under aggressive environment. Dead fold film Polyethylene-based film modified using Mitsui Chemicals product. Retain folding property after removal of pressure. Suitable for diverse industries' applications. Printable PCR film Mechanical PCR (Re'PRM™) based mono-layer film with low gel content for film surface printing. Suitable for regular FMCG products' secondary packaging. Mono-polyethylene pouch with PCR content Combining Re'PRM™ resin with EVOLUE™ high-performance polyethylene resin. Offers enhanced sealability and improved pouch appearance, thus achieving a balance of sustainability and premium packaging aesthetics. Expand About Mitsui Chemicals Group Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (MCI) is one of the largest chemical companies in Japan. Our innovative technologies and materials, along with products that offer new functionality, are being used for a wide range of fields such as automotive, ICT, healthcare, environment and energy, and packaging in our society. The group has more than 20 affiliates in Asia Pacific, providing services and solutions to various industries in the region. About Mitsui Chemicals Asia Pacific Established on December 1997, MCAP is the Asia Pacific Regional Headquarter of MCI, covering ASEAN, South Asia, Nations along the Gulf in Middle East, and Oceania. Being the Asia Pacific Regional Headquarter, MCAP strives to drive business growth, provide robust functional services to regional affiliates or businesses, and deliver values to customers by leveraging on the strengths of all affiliates in Mitsui Chemicals Group.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mitsui Chemicals Group to exhibit at ProPak Asia 2025
SINGAPORE, June 04, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mitsui Chemicals Group will exhibit at the ProPak Asia 2025 from 11 to 14 June 2025, at Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC) in Thailand. With the growing focus on sustainability in packaging solutions, Mitsui Chemicals Group will present close to 10 products that can be applied to various sustainable packaging requirements. In addition, new prototypes will be on display for booth visitors to experience the different application structures using our products. Exhibition details: Date 11 to 14 June 2025 Venue BITEC, Thailand Booth Hall 99, T65 Prototypes on display: Recycle-ready polypropylene-based pouch Maximized single polymer material. High barrier sealable BOPP film to reduce overall virgin plastic use. Recycle-ready polyolefin-based pouch Suitable for acidic product packaging. Special EVOLUE™ grade to allow seal through contamination. TAKELAC™/TAKENATE™ combination to retain adhesion under aggressive environment. Dead fold film Polyethylene-based film modified using Mitsui Chemicals product. Retain folding property after removal of pressure. Suitable for diverse industries' applications. Printable PCR film Mechanical PCR (Re'PRM™) based mono-layer film with low gel content for film surface printing. Suitable for regular FMCG products' secondary packaging. Mono-polyethylene pouch with PCR content Combining Re'PRM™ resin with EVOLUE™ high-performance polyethylene resin. Offers enhanced sealability and improved pouch appearance, thus achieving a balance of sustainability and premium packaging aesthetics. About Mitsui Chemicals Group Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (MCI) is one of the largest chemical companies in Japan. Our innovative technologies and materials, along with products that offer new functionality, are being used for a wide range of fields such as automotive, ICT, healthcare, environment and energy, and packaging in our society. The group has more than 20 affiliates in Asia Pacific, providing services and solutions to various industries in the region. About Mitsui Chemicals Asia Pacific Established on December 1997, MCAP is the Asia Pacific Regional Headquarter of MCI, covering ASEAN, South Asia, Nations along the Gulf in Middle East, and Oceania. Being the Asia Pacific Regional Headquarter, MCAP strives to drive business growth, provide robust functional services to regional affiliates or businesses, and deliver values to customers by leveraging on the strengths of all affiliates in Mitsui Chemicals Group. View source version on Contacts For enquiries about this release, please contact:Eric LimCorporate & Marketing CommunicationMitsui Chemicals Asia Pacific, Sign in to access your portfolio
