There is an urgent need to invest in areas such as storm water drainage, flood control, urban heat management, and cool roof policies to improve Mumbai’s quality of life, experts said at a seminar on ‘Making Mumbai Future Ready - The Sustainable Way’

The seminar organised by IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IMC) on Thursday focused on key themes like rain water harvesting, urban forestry, waste water recycling, rural sustainability, Individual carbon footprint, media and sustainability, usage of plastic and disaster planning and management; each speaker at the seminar presented observations and case studies on relevant topics and shed light on the issues faced by today’s generation.

Ram Gandhi, ex-President and Governor, IMC said; “Climate change’s impacts are evident to all, and there is an urgent need for everyone to work together to preserve it for future generations.

According to Bittu Sahgal, Environmental Activist, Writer, and the Founder, Sanctuary Nature Foundation, the ‘Biosphere is self-repairing’ and there is a need to be climate ready to bring positive changes in the environment.

He mentioned that there is a need to preserve the environment for future generations, and the real challenge lies in addressing the long-term economic issues today as the world has been focused on short-term gains for decades.

Rajesh Choudhary an expert on Environment & Sustainability and Water Conservation spoke about restoring water through roof-water harvesting and grey water recycling in urban areas. Planned water harvesting and grey water recycling can reduce flooding of streets in urban areas and reduce the wastage of water to a large extent.

Neelakantan Aiyyar, Social Impact Assesor (ISAI) Consultant and Treasurer with the NGO Keshavsrushti highlighted the importance of converting organic waste into nutrient-rich compost to foster environmental sustainability and improve urban living conditions. He advocated for developing Miyawaki Forests in urban and rural areas.

Anjali Parasnis, Technical Coordinator, 2030 WG, World Bank highlighted the importance of restoring urban resilience and importance of green infrastructure, creating buffer zones around cities, restoring natural water bodies and addressing microplastic invasion in food and water resources to prevent health hazards.

Prachi Shevgaonkar, Founder & CEO, Cool The Globe App for Climate Action mentioned that adapting small sustainable actions in our day-to-day life to quantify carbon emissions makes a huge impact in the long run. Initiatives like Cool The Globe App has enabled people to intentionally track sustainability actions with monthly targets, and these smart initiatives inspire us to contribute even more to a common aim.

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