City Biodiversity Index: Tamil Nadu Introduces Rs 2 Crore Urban Biodiversity Conservation Project
Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Aiming at assessing and strengthening biodiversity in urban areas, Tamil Nadu government is all set to introduce a City Biodiversity Index across all 24 municipal corporations. State Environment and Climate Change Minister VK Rajeev announced the decision on Monday, noting that the scheme costs Rs 2 crore from the state budget.
The project is expected to be climate resilient move. The state is also expanding air quality monitoring by establishing sensor-based continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations at 80 locations across the state at a cost of Rs 8 crore, the minister said.
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The new system will continuously track major air pollutants and data will also be made available to the public through electronic display boards.
The government has also suggested that it will establish five mobile environmental monitoring vehicles at a cost of Rs 7.5 crore for real-time monitoring and rapid response. The vehicles will be deployed for industrial inspections, pollution-related incidents and public complaints with all modern environmental analytical instruments.
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The state government also plans to offer incentives to industries securing voluntary green-rating certification, based on Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze grades, to encourage cleaner production, green technologies, natural resource conservation and sustainable industrial development.
