New Delhi: Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa convened a high-level review meeting earlier this week to refine Delhi’s revised State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC). During the session, senior officials from the Department of Environment and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) shared climate projections extending up to the year 2050 and detailed the adaptive measures proposed across different priority sectors.
Addressing the gathering, Sirsa underlined the government’s commitment to accountability and results. “The people-centric government of Delhi is determined to ensure that every single policy undergoes rigorous, multi-layered scrutiny so that it yields visible benefits on the ground. Our goal is to move beyond rhetoric—each proposal must create meaningful relief for citizens,” he emphasized.
The revised SAPCC gives significant attention to a wide range of critical areas. Within the energy and power sector, officials showcased progress on LED saturation, smart metering initiatives, power-supply efficiency upgrades, expansion of renewable energy, and the roll-out of charging infrastructure to accelerate green mobility. Urban planning discussions focused on comprehensive waste-management strategies, including legacy-dump bio-mining, processing of construction and demolition debris, and e-waste recycling. These efforts were coupled with improvements in storm-water drainage and new measures to safeguard the Yamuna floodplain.
In the transport domain, the plan emphasizes expanding clean public-transport fleets, strengthening electric-vehicle charging networks, and rolling out strategies to discourage dependence on private vehicles. The health component highlights the establishment of early-warning systems for extreme heat events, bolstered disease-surveillance mechanisms, and adaptation pathways designed under the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health. Simultaneously, initiatives in forests, agriculture, and water resources will focus on afforestation, climate-resilient agricultural practices, stronger groundwater regulation, and rejuvenation of urban and rural water bodies.
Officials also presented the Integrated Yamuna Action Plan, the Heat Action Plan, and the Air-Pollution Mitigation Plan. The Environment Minister welcomed these cross-cutting frameworks, calling them vital to Delhi’s climate strategy, and directed departments to streamline monitoring mechanisms so that the public can access progress in a transparent and accountable manner.
Drawing attention to Delhi’s growing vulnerabilities—such as intensifying heat stress, looming water scarcity, recurring urban flooding, and rapidly rising energy demand—Sirsa stressed the urgent need to scale up resilience measures while simultaneously pushing for emissions reductions.
He further instructed officials to submit the final version of the refined SAPCC, along with its detailed implementation schedule, for approval by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change. Concluding the meeting, Sirsa asserted, “Delhi can remain future-ready only through decisive action—not tomorrow, but beginning today—because every resident of the city deserves to live in a healthier and climate-secure environment.”
