New Delhi (NVI): As mega cities across the globe struggle to deal with the air pollution, an innovative project in Kolkata to deploy more electric buses and ferries has put the city on a list a list of places that are reducing their annual emissions.
Setting an exambple for other Indian cities, the West Bengal capital has not oinly improved its rank in reducing emissions as per national levels but also internationally.
Recently launched The Cities 100 report states that Kolkata, which ranked fifth on the list, is just behind megacities Chengdu, Delhi, London and New York in terms of reducing carbon emissions.
The report highlights the forward-thinking and innovative climate action projects in cities around the globe – and they’re often surpassing national targets.
“Kolkata averaged a PM 2.5 concentration of 85.4 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) of air in 2018, more than eight times the recommended limit of 10 µg/m³,” as per the report that was launched in November last year.
The report showed that Kolkata was investing in and improving its public transport options.The city plans to deploy 5,000 electric buses and fully electrify the ferries on the Ganges River by 2030, it said.
In fact, air pollution was just one factor that pushed the West Bengal State Government to transition to electric transportation. It also makes financial sense, since battery-operated buses are cheaper to run, with a third of the operational costs of a diesel bus.
As of 2019, 80 electric buses have been introduced to the city, with another 100 planned for 2020. These 180 electric buses will lead to an annual reduction of 14,086 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
The Cities100 report says others can learn from Kolkata. In this case, the government provided 60% of the funds for the initial 80 electric buses and helped install the charging infrastructure.
The report also noted how partnerships can foster rapid transitions. For example, the long-term vision both at the state and national levels enabled Kolkata to set out the strategy to transition its entire bus and ferry fleets to electric.
