UN-Habitat Plan For Jaipur

• 01 Jun 2022

For Prelims: UN-Habitat, Green-Blue economy

For Mains: Key challenges associated with rapid urbanization and various recommendations

Why in News?

Recently, 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.

• The urban problems which persist in Jaipur are the same for other cities.
• UN-Habitat has based its findings on sustainable cities integrated approach pilot project and a “sustainable urban planning and management” component was implemented in partnership with the Jaipur Development Authority and Jaipur Greater Municipal Corporation.
  • The project has received funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF-6) to estimate the carbon sequestration potential of Indian cities.

What is the Findings of the Project?

• 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 Urban Sustainability Assessment Framework (USAF) developed under the Sustainable Cities Integrated Approach Pilot (SCIAP) project, implemented by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and UN-Habitat.
• 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.

What are the Recommendations of UN-Habitat?

• Experts recommended measures that increase the 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.
  • Experts also recommended that linking the distance from the main city to the development charges imposed on citizens could be considered as an indirect measure to curb development on the city’s outskirts.
• To improve the situation of public transportation, fare integration for different modes of transport and enhancing the non-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.

What is the UN-Habitat?

• The United Nations Human Settlements Programme is the United Nations programme for human settlements and sustainable urban development.
• It was established in 1978 as an outcome of the First UN Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat I) held in Vancouver, Canada, in 1976.
• 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.
• The twin goals of the Habitat Agenda are:
  • Adequate shelter for all
  • The development of sustainable human settlements in an urbanizing world

What is Global Environmental Facility(GEF)?

• It is an independently operating financial organization.
• GEF is a multilateral financial mechanism that provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit the global environment and promote sustainable livelihoods in local communities.
• It was set up as a fund under World Bank in 1991.
• In 1992, at the Rio Earth Summit, the GEF was restructured and moved out of the World Bank system to become a permanent, separate institution.
• Since 1994, however, the World Bank has served as the Trustee of the GEF Trust Fund and provided administrative services.
• It is based in Washington DC, United States.
• It addresses six designated focal areas:
  • Biodiversity,
  • Climate change,
  • International waters,
  • Ozone depletion,
  • Land degradation and
  • Persistent Organic Pollutants.
• The program supports an active portfolio of over 200 investments globally.
• GEF serves as a financial mechanism for:
  • Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
  • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
  • UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
  • Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
  • Minamata Convention on Mercury
• India is both donor and recipient of GEF.

Way Forward

• According to the Census of 2011 approximately 31% of population of India lives in cities and it is estimated that it contributes more than 6o% in the GDP of India and in the upcoming years it is estimated in different reports that it will comprise of approximately 70% population with increased GDP contribution.
• The increasing population of urban areas also increases urban challenges like congested space, proliferation of slums etc. Thus, there is a need to pursue sustainable model for the inclusive and healthy development of the cities.

UPSC Civil Services Previous Year Questions (PYQ)

Q. With reference to the role of UN-Habitat in the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future, which of the statements is/are correct? (2017)

1. UN-Habitat has been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities to provide adequate shelter for all.
2. Its partners are either governments or local urban authorities only.
3. UN-Habitat contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and to promote access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1 only

Ans: (b)

Exp:

• The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), established in 1978 by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), is the lead bagency within the UN system for coordinating activities in the field of human settlement development.It is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• UN-Habitat partners comprises of national governments, local authorities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community organizations and the private sector. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
• UN-Habitat focuses on the following priority areas:
  • Shelter and social services;
  • Urban management;
  • Environment and infrastructure;
  • Assessment, monitoring and information.
• UN-Habitat aims to achieve the Millennium Declaration’s Goal that envisages improvement of the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2020 through focusing on urban governance, housing, environmental management, disaster mitigation, post-conflict rehabilitation, urban safety,water management and poverty reduction. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Source:TH