GRIHA Council hosted its second regional conclave in Hyderabad on 30 August 2024 to “Accelerate Climate Action in the Built Environment”
Hyderabad: The Telangana State government’s HYDRA enforcements, chaired by Chief Minister Anumula Revanth Reddy in Greater Hyderabad, have been erasing buildings and infrastructure in restricted areas of water bodies.
It has also become a hot topic of discussion for the last two weeks as it involves the properties of celebrities, industrialists, politicians of opposition, alliance, and ruling parties.
Telangana IT, Industries, and Legislative Affairs Minister Sridhar Babu Duddilla, referring to the 2021 incident in Hyderabad that saw several low-lying areas inundated and destroyed by heavy rains, said that we want to ensure that Hyderabad does not face situations like Wayanad and Uttarakhand.
“HYDRA is one of the best initiatives of our government that is being criticized by some and appreciated by many. This initiative is to ensure that the streams to the water bodies do not have any hindrance,” said the Minister while addressing the audience at the GRIHA Council Regional Hyderabad Chapter Conclave held recently in Hyderabad.
The Conclave that saw deliberations which centered around the theme ‘Accelerating Climate Action in the Built Environment’. This was 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 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.
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.
In the concluding ceremony, 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 to acting as a catalyst in this journey.” said Shri. Sanjay Seth, Vice President & Chief Executive Officer, GRIHA Council & Senior Director, Sustainable Infrastructure Programme, The Energy and Resources 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. In his address, Shri. T Gopalakrishna, Deputy Commissioner, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Regional Office, Hyderabad, Ministry of Education, Government of India, commended GRIHA Council’s initiative to involve the school children of NVS as brand ambassadors to achieve the key goals in sustainability. An online tool on GRIHA for Existing Schools (GRIHA ES) rating was also launched during the event.
GRIHA Council signed two Memorandums of Understanding during the event, one with Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), represented by Shri. Ashish Kapoor, Chief Architect, BMRCL and one with Vellore Institute of Technology, represented by Dr. Madhumati A, Director, V-SPARC, VIT. The event concluded with a cultural performance to segue into an evening of networking among the attendees.