Hyderabad: GRIHA Council hosted its 2nd GRIHA Regional Conclave in Hyderabad, Telangana on Friday around the theme ‘Accelerating Climate Action in the Built Environment’. This was the second in the series of conclaves that are planned throughout the year, lining up with the annual GRIHA Summit, all centered around the same theme. The event was graced by the presence of Shri. Sridhar Babu Duddilla, Hon’ble Minister, Information Technology, Electronics & Communications; Industries & Commerce and Legislative Affairs, Government of Telangana.
The Hon’ble minister emphasized on the escalated pace of climate change and the need to sensitise ourselves to combat it, to secure the lives of our future generations. He shared about one of the initiatives of the Telangana government -the HYDRA policy –which is to conserve all the natural streams, water bodies and natural streams in the state to counter the problem of flooding, which is inevitably a result of rapid urbanization.
The technical sessions shared enriching insights by experts on the pivotal role that is played by policymakers and implementation of these policies, integration of “smart” in the various aspects of infrastructure development and shifting focus from conventional building materials to low carbon alternatives. Smt. Harichandana Dasari, IAS, Special Secretary to Government, Roads and Buildings Department, Government of Telangana highlighted that buildings should be designed by borrowing the traditional wisdom and learnings from our rich history, where past structures were built keeping sustainability, and relevance to regional context as core principles.
“Development cannot happen at the cost of the environment. Let us remind ourselves that we are standing in the hottest year of the past, and coldest year of the future. We need to build infrastructure that is in tandem with climate action. GRIHA Council is committed in acting as a catalyst in this journey.” said Shri. Sanjay Seth, Vice President & Chief Executive Officer, GRIHA Council & Senior Director, Sustainable InfrastructureProgramme, The Energy andResources Institute (TERI).
A publication titled “Mindful Impressions – Targeting 2070 Workforce” was launched at the event showcasing a compilation of the environmental impact of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) campuses across the country.