Mayor: Hyd will be climate resilient

Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi on Friday in her speech at the United Nations Mayors virtual meet, said. “It is my great privilege to represent the ambition of cities from the Indian subcontinent to ensure climate resilient, just and equitable development. While we are not historic polluters, we are shouldering the burden of addressing climate change alongside global cities.”

She said Hyderabad was the most inhabited city in India, and with 64,000 hectares of urban forests, is planting over five million saplings to enhance the carbon sinks significantly. Hyderabad has employed a multi-pronged strategy to transform into a climate resilient and low-carbon city, she said, adding we expect to reduce our power demand by 15 percent by focusing on renewable energy.

“We look to the leadership of the UN Secretary General to encourage collaborative action,” she said, in a group comprising Secretary General António Guterres, and other mayors.