CWG organizers adding green touch to venues

New Delhi, one of the greenest cities in the world, is trying to keep up with its green image for the Commonwealth Games.

New Delhi is on its last leg of the Games preparations.With the stadiums ready, the focus has shifted to beautifying the city.

But plans to create a green cover are running behind schedule.

The capital lost thousands of trees to Metro rail construction, flyovers and other Games-related projects.

Now with no time left to re-grow the greens, the government has turned to potted plants from nearby states, for an instant greening of the Games' venues.

So far, around a million potted plants have been used.

New Delhi Municipal Corporation horticulture director Subhash Chandra said: "We are planting herbs, shrubs, herbaceous plants, foliage plants, ground cover and shrubs to enhance the greenery part during the Commonwealth Games and perennials that can last five to six years".

At the same time, the Games Organisers too, are eager to leave a green footprint.

For example, the Thyagaraj stadium, which will host the netball event, generates its own electricity, using gas turbines and solar panels.

It also harvests rainwater, and is designed to keep the inside temperature cool.

Head of Thyagaraj Sports Complex O.P Bhatia said: "Thyagaraj stadium is the greenest stadium in the world.

"It doesn't leave any carbon footprint. We have the solar panel, and we have our own turbines. Whatever electricity we produce and the vapours we release, we use it for air-conditioning.

"Even our flooring is made from the rags and leftover (material)".

Even the Games mascot Shera is promoting the green drive.

A statue of Shera, made of 250,000 polythene bags, stands tall in New Delhi .

As part of the city's "say no to plastic bags" campaign, people are reminded by the mascot to use cloth or jute bags instead.

Delhi is the greenest metro city in India with more than 20 per cent area under forest and tree cover.

In the last two decades, its green cover has grown ten folds.

For every tree cut, the New Delhi government has made it compulsory to plant 10 saplings in its place.

Even though a lot of trees have been cut for Commonwealth Games projects, in the next few years, New Delhi is hoping to gain back its greenery.

Delhi airport T3 to have a million trees

Intricate landscapes, variety of plants, cacti and bushes will now adorn the Delhi International Airport. With the airport authorities rushing in to meet the deadline for integrated T3 terminal in June-end, they are leaving no stone unturned to make it a grand affair. The authorities are in the process to plant around a million trees and small plants to revamp the Delhi airport.

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The new Terminal 3 building, currently under construction and expected to cost US $2.6 billion will have the capacity to handle an additional 33 million passengers annually by the Commonwealth Games. On completion, the terminal will become the world's third largest passenger terminal after Dubai International Airport's Terminal 3 and Beijing International Airport's Terminal 3.

"The green project is already underway and by the end of June we are expecting to finish it. For external landscaping, about 320 different varieties of plants and trees will be used and 266 varieties of plants will be used for internal landscaping. Over 9,22,000 trees and plants will be planted for the entire project," said a Delhi International Authority Limited (DIAL) official.

There will be around 39 kinds of trees, 26 types of plants, 86 varieties of shrubs, 6 types of cacti that will be planted. Landscaping for an area of 70 acres outside the Terminal and 10,000 square meter inside the terminal building will be done. About 39 types of groundcovers and soft landscaping work will be carried out on the lawns covering 30,000 square metres.

The officials stated that most of the plants have been selected from plant nurseries across the country and a few varieties have been flown down  from abroad.
"A majority of the plants are from Indian nurseries, but exotic varieties of Orchids have been sourced from Thailand and Dioon Spinosa from Mexico," said the official. 

To complete the mammoth task, DIAL authorities are taking experts' help. EDAW, an international firm in Hongkong has done the landscaping work for the airport. And along with a Bangalore-based landscape architect company - Beyond Built - which is assisting from concept to commission process in the project, the authorities are expecting to deliver a state-of-the-art piece of work.

"EDAW was involved in the landscape design of Hongkong International Airport, Hongkong Disneyland and many other international projects. We hope that the project sets an example for other airports in the country," added the official.  "About 10,000 plants will be regularly maintained at a nursery near the terminal. The nursery will also be used for research and development in horticulture for the terminal landscaping later on," explained the official. 

Green helipads for Delhi CWG

The face of air traffic in the National Capital Region could change drastically in the coming months with a number of projects to be completed in time for the Commonwealth Games.

Among the proposals that are being fast-tracked include 'Green helipads' — the country's first, to be built at the Commonwealth Games village site, and finances for which have already been cleared. Two more helipads at AIIMS and a heliport in Rohini.

Besides, state-run helicopter firm Pawan Hans is in talks with governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for land to build 10-12 helipads.

“Our team of experts visited AIIMS recently to see if the trauma centre building could sustain the load. We have cleared the proposal and suggested some small changes like doing away with the boundary wall on the roof. If fast-tracked, the helipad could be operational within six months,” Pawan Hans chief R.K. Tyagi told HT.

This helipad is going to witness the maximum activity during the Games when VIPs, Games officials would travel to the venue. Delhi Police, which is likely to hire helicopters from the Indian Air Force for surveillance purposes, would also have access to the helipad.

Officials did not rule out the possibility of ferry services being operated, if the government gave its approval, for those who would be willing to pay. Officials expressed hope that they would get land to build helipads in each of the nine districts.

The heliport coming-up at Rohini would including helipads, parking bays, night landing facilities, maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities as well as a training academy.

Pawan Hans, which operates a fleet of 35 helicopters and another eight belonging to other agencies, has ordered another 12 helicopters and has plans to expand its fleet by 100 choppers in next few years, officials said.

GREEN Talkatora stadium inaugrated

Delhi’s Chief Minister Smt. Shiela Dikshit inaugurated the Talkatora sporting complex on Wednesday. Talkatora Stadium complex will be an environmentalist’s delight. Constructed with recycled building material, fly ash and heat reflective glass, the dome-shaped stadium is a perfect green zone.

The complex encloses the stadium and a facility block. The stadium has been connected to the block through a tunnel which will be used by athletes during the Games.

Talkatora, which is the venue for the boxing competition, and the stadium will accommodate 2,700 spectators and has a parking capacity for 500 cars.

Smt. Dikshit said efforts are on to make the Games a memorable event so that Delhi can host bigger sporting events in the future.

Elaborating on various infrastructure development projects, She said the city must seize the opportunity to present itself as "a major destination for international sporting events".

The Delhi government has undertaken several key infrastructure development projects as part of its preparation for the Games.

Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi Organising Committee Chairman Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, said India could now bid for the Olympics. "All Games-related projects will be completed as per their deadlines." Kalmadi said.

New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) chairman Parimal Rai while elaborating on the state-of-the-art facilities being provided at Talkatora Stadium said the complex had been upgraded with acoustic ceiling, score boards, sports lighting etc.

Speaking on the facility block, Rai said: "it is a multi-purpose air-conditioned building which has been constructed in accordance to the green building concept. Heat reflective glass has been used for the facade of this block. Rain water harvesting provisions as well as dual knob flushing system have been included in the design concept."

During the Commonwealth Games, each floor of the facility-block will be used for a specific purpose. For instance, the ground floor of the block will have athlete cubicles, medical office warm-up area and athlete lounge. The first floor will have a doping-control office, federation office, and technical official lounge, committee room, meeting room and changing rooms, among other facilities.

Around 104 CCTV cameras will be fitted on the periphery walls of the stadium. Natural resources and habitat have been integrated into the overall design of this stadium.

CWG Games "ecological code"

The landmark ecological code for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, aimed to ensure reasonable consumption of electricity and water in all the stadiums, was unveiled today.

Releasing the ecological code along with Delhi Chief Minister Smt. Sheila Dikshit, Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, Chairman Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi Organising Committee, said, "this measure would go a long way to limit the carbon footprint in Delhi and would strive to make the XIX Commonwealth Games pollution free."

Speaking at the milestone achievement, Mr. Kalmadi, said, "Releasing of the code is the first step towards ensuring that we are successful in our mission of conducting the first ever green games in the history of the Commonwealth Games."

Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Chairman, Green Games Sub-committee OC, CWG Delhi 2010 acknowledged the Organising Committee's initiative to launch the drive towards green games concept, educating people and creating awareness for environmental protection.

The Organising Committee is deeply and passionately committed towards preserving and restoring the environment and establishing a benchmark for low carbon sporting events and will be successful in showcasing Delhi 2010 as sustainable "Green Games", added Mr. Kalmadi.

In his concluding remark, Mr. Kalmadi, gently reminded everyone on the importance of preserving our environment. He said, " Paidh Hai to Sher Hai" which literally translates into that we will have tigers till the time we have trees.

Smt. Dikshit, Delhi Chief Minister stated that "all stadia are being constructed to ensure reasonable consumption of electricity and water in stadia during the games." "There is also focus on bio-diverse plantation to offset the carbon footprint", she added.

Dr. Shashi Tharoor, reiterated that the XIX Commonwealth Games would be the "greenest Commonwealth Games ever." He further went on to add that "the games would leave a legacy beyond roads and infrastructure; one of greater consciousness of the environment."

United Nations Environmental program to ensure Green games

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is involved in ambitious projects across the world to minimise the environmental impacts of international games.

The Canadian Government is partnering with the UN body for making this year's Vancouver Winter Olympics green.

''The athletes will not be the only ones going for gold - the game organisers are also shooting for the stars with a series of ambitious environmental goals,'' says UNEP. UNEP is also involved in partnerships to help green the Commonwealth Games which will take place in New Delhi in October 2010, as well as the Indian Premier League (IPL) for cricket. The Vancouver Organising Committee (VANOC) have been working with the UNEP over the last three years in a bid to enhance the event's environmental performance and increase green awareness. The Olympics organisers have focused on minimising the event's carbon impact, with clean technology choices, an expanded transport system for the city, green construction for the Olympic venues, and a commitment to offset direct carbon emissions from the Games. Some of the environment-friendly features of the Winter Olympic sites include low-flow toilets that use rainwater for flushing, energy-efficient grass-clad roofs and separate bins for compostable waste.

The Games' green performance will be reviewed by UNEP in an Environmental Assessment Report which will be published later in 2010. The report will look at areas such as the greening of the venues, sustainable transport and waste management, and Vancouver 2010's climate neutrality target and work with non-governmental organisations. VANOC is also planning to use the Games to inspire broader awareness and action on climate-change solutions. UNEP's work with Vancouver 2010 is one of several partnerships with major sporting events to help lower the carbon footprint of sports and raise green awareness. It is advising the organisers of the Sochi 2014 Olympics in Russia, and has also worked with Torino 2006 and Beijing 2008 - producing an Environmental Assessment of the Beijing Games that assessed how well the 2008 organisers fulfilled their eco-pledges. This year, UNEP is partnering with the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, where it is helping to fund solar-powered and energy-efficient street lamps, traffic lights and billboards in several host cities around the country.

CWG impact: 22 cr budget for street scraping

Looking to beautify the surroundings and have good roads around Commonwealth Games venues across the city, the Delhi government today cleared a proposal worth Rs 22 crore for undertaking street-scaping works.

(Read about Delhi's budget for 2010)

The proposal was cleared today in an Expenditure Finance Committee meeting presided over by Delhi finance minister A K Walia.

Talking to reporters after the meeting here, Walia said the MCD will undertake street-scaping of roads around the games venues for which an amount of Rs 21.95 crore has been sanctioned.

The work of street-scaping on Jagannath Marg and Lodi Road will cost Rs 3.40 crore and Rs 18.55 crore respectively.

The street-scaping works will also be undertaken around Thyagraj Stadium, Nehru stadium, Siri Fort Sports complex, RK Khanna Lawn Tennis stadium, Dr. Karni Singh stadium, Yamuna Sports complex and important sections of the Ring Road, the Minister added.

"The agencies concerned have been asked to implement all basic ingredients of the project with due care and commitment as the facilities to be developed would become a permanent feature in the Capital," Walia said.

Yamuna to get GREEN makeover

While Union Sports minister M S Gill last week said the Yamuna is so dirty that foreign visitors should be kept away from the river during the Commonwealth Games, plans are afoot to make the riverbed a tourist-friendly zone — keeping in mind environmental issues.

Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna said there are plans to make concentric layers or sub-zones on the riverbed. He said, “The peripheral layer will allow recreational activities for visitors, like picnics.”

Khanna heads the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which plans land-use of the area.

Maintaining too much construction on the riverbed will not be entertained, Khanna told Newsline that DDA already has a plan in place by which this can be done.

Khanna chaired a high-level meeting last week in which feasibility and implementation of the plan had been discussed. “There will be three layers on the riverbed,” he said. “At the heart of the riverbed, alongside Yamuna, will be a biodiversity zone. There will be no construction here, and visitors will not be allowed to enter. The next layer will be the ‘interactive zone’ — while heavily forested, people will be allowed to enter this area.

200 handicrafts kiosks at INA Market before Commonwealth Games

To give a fillip to the handicraft industry, Municipal Corporation of Deli (MCD) is planning to set up several kiosks at INA Market that will sell mostly handicraft products and food items. These kiosks will serve as a model market.

The civic agency also plans to set up such markets across the city — one in each ward, said MCD officials.

"A total of 200 kiosks will be set up in INA Market. Many of these kiosks will sell handicraft products. Since Dilli Haat is right opposite INA, these kiosks will cater to tourists visiting the area to buy souvenirs during the Commonwealth Games 2010.

However, the approval for setting up these model kiosks is yet to be taken from MCD’s standing committee, an official said.

These kiosks will have solar panels. A toilet that can function without water will also be put near the kiosks. The decision to set up the kiosks was taken in the licensing committee meeting of held last week. The civic body had received 1,31,000 applications for licence to operate such kiosks.

"To maintain a record of all street vendors, we are planning issue identification cards to all vendors," said Surender Gupta, chairman of the licencing committee of the MCD. The civic agency said it had completed the process of surveying all street vendors and registering them.

Eco-friendly buses to ferry Commonwealth Games athletes

Taking inspiration from the Beijing Olympics, Delhi government too is keen to display its commitment towards the conservation of environment to the world. It plans to introduce ‘hybrid’ electric buses during the Commonwealth Games to be held in October 2010.

These hybrid buses will run on CNG and electric energy, and the government plans to station them at all 11 Games venues to transport athletes and spectators. It may also possibly give joyrides to inquisitive visitors.

While Delhi already has a huge base for a CNG-propelled public transport system and it has recently introduced subsidies on the cost of battery-operated cars and two-wheelers, Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said these hybrid buses would be in addition to the eco-friendly transportation structure to be provided during the Games.

“Hybrid buses were a part of the system during Beijing Olympics. Delhi, too, has a green city agenda and the event (Commonwealth Games) could be used to extend our commitment to the cause,” he said.

With the Capital expecting to have at least 2,500 low-floor and semi-floor buses by October 2010, Mehta said this would be a part of the city’s green bus agenda.

He added that while the government was still contemplating on the idea, if it worked, the buses could also be made to operate on a particular route.

In a bid to ensure zero-emission transportation during the Olympics in Beijing, the Chinese government had about 500 eco-friendly vehicles running on alternative fuels. These included 53 electric buses, 25 hybrid buses, 75 hybrid taxis, 20 fuel-cell cars and more than 320 other electric vehicles.

A hybrid electric vehicle has two sources of power. While one converts fuel (CNG in this case) into propelling energy, the other, usually an electric motor powered by an advanced storage device, lowers the demand on the first source of energy. The arrangement usually allows one or both simultaneously, depending on the situation. While electric energy can be used alone to fuel the vehicle when on a plain terrain for a given period, the two power sources can be used together when negotiating tough turns and slants.

CWG 2010: Pollution watch

Despite all the efforts by authorities who are working overtime to make the capital cleaner and greener before the Commonwealth Games, the high levels of air pollution in the city might be a cause of discomfort to the visiting athletes.

With massive construction activities as a build-up to the 2010 sporting event, the city air is getting more and more polluted which the sport persons from many Commonwealth countries might find uncomfortable, according to health experts.

"Athletes, who breathe deeper and longer, can find themselves very uncomfortable. Higher level of suspended material could increase their stress level, and in turn affect their performance," said Dr A K Sood, senior health expert at Rockland Hospitals.

With Delhi government trying to advertise the games as 'GREEN' games, pollution poses a big challenge. Also, more troublesome is the fact that its SPM which immediately hinders with the respiration is at the most dangerous level. It is to be seen whether pollution actually impacts the performance of start like Usain Bolt and Jessica Ennis if they make an appearance.

Commonwealth Games vs Environmental activism

The “Games versus greens” debate is set to make a comeback. After allowing the felling of thousands of trees in the past three years for projects related to Commonwealth Games 2010, the Delhi government will start planting a fresh bunch of trees on the outskirts on Friday, name it after the showpiece event and call it “green”.

As Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit plants the saplings here at 4.30 pm, the Mayor of London will be doing the same in his city some 9,500 km away, alongside the launch of the Queen’s Baton Relay. To embarrass the government before the world at such a prestigious event, a group of activists will also be present at the venue in Delhi with black posters with the message: “This Games is Environmentally Black”.

“This tamasha has to be exposed to the world,” said Prof. Prabhakar Rao, an environmentalist with NGO Kalpavriksh. “They have cut hundreds of trees in the past three years; this kind of plantation drives do not compensate that loss at all.”

In the past three years, construction of flyovers, widening of roads, revamping of stadiums like Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, Talkatora stadium, Delhi University and others, and covering of the storm-water channels (nalas) to make parking lots etc have chopped thousands of full-grown trees of various families largely on the roadside.

The government mandates that for each tree felled, 10 trees will have to be planted as compensation. But due to lack of space, plantings happen on the outskirts.

“The micro-environment of the city is butchered for some feel-good city-forest miles away,” said Diwan Singh of NGO Natural Heritage First. “They have killed the river and chopped the trees for the Games. How can they call the Games green?”

Environment secretary Dharmendra said that the plantation drives were part of Delhi’s carbon offset plans. “Events like the Games involve activities that cause high carbon-dioxide emission. We need carbon-sinks like tree covers to neutralise that.”

While the activists are ready with their posters and a large group of youth and students to make the protest as spectacular as possible, the government is sticking to its own statistics. “In the past two years Delhi’s green cover has increased by 1.68 per cent,” Dharmendra said.

Delhi scientists pitch in to ensure ‘green’ Commonwealth

In a first of its kind initiative by Delhi based Indian Institute of Tropical Meterology (IITM), scientists of the institute will assess the quality of air in Delhi during the Commonwealth Games next year. Scientists will be able to predict pollution levels 24 hours in advance at 10 key locations.

The scientists will provide information on the level of carbon or particulate matter in the air and pollution levels through digital panels. The testing of the quality of air will be carried out using a system of air quality forecasting and research (SAFAR). SAFAR includes the setting up of 10 pollution monitoring stations to measure CO, O3, Suspended Particulate Matters (SPM 10 and PM 2.5 ), benzene and black carbon along with automatic weather stations within the model domain around 50 sq km area of the Games village in Delhi.

“Commonwealth Games promise to be a ‘green’ one and we have a commitment to ensure that the negative environmental impact of the games is minimised. The air quality monitoring systems will be set up at 10 locations and they will predict the pollution levels,” Dr Swati Basu, adviser to the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Project Director of SAFAR at IITM said the system will provide and display information on air quality on a real time basis and forecast the future level of pollution 24 hours in advance at various key locations of CWG-2010 through wireless, true colour digital display panels. Data will be collected on a particular day along with meteorological parameters that will be processed by our modelling team.

Green Games: Will use recycled paper

Taking a step further in their efforts to conduct a Green Commonwealth Games next year, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Wednesday announced that recycled paper and stationery will be used for official work during the event. “We are all out to make Commonwealth Games as Green Games. We would like to ensure only recycled paper, stationery and material be used during the game and this would be applicable in respect of functions, events and offices,” Dikshit told reporters here.

She was speaking at a workshop on ‘Ozone Layer Depletion and Climate Change’ earlier this week, organised by the environment department on the occasion of World Ozone Day.

“There is a need to work without ozone depleting substances and appliances. In case the ozone layer actually gets depleted, increased penetration of ultraviolet radiation will have profound impact on all living creatures including human and plant life,” she said.

Commonwealth Games 2010: Bamboo Curtains

As is case with any aspiring nation, low cost dwellings and slums are part of Indian metros. The disparity in income of those who have broken shackles and those who have just unearthed the secret, drive later to the economic hubs. The price they pay for their aspirations is a compromise of living standards, resulting in mushrooming slums. Delhi is NO DIFFERENT..!!

Low cost dwellings simply represent a class of economic transition which is making an attempt for better future. However, it sometimes present not so pretty picture. So what's the solution..!! Well, you certainly can't remove it. How about covering it and presenting a slightly better picture..!! The same can be seen in the plans of the government which is preparing enthusiastically for commonwealth games.

Realizing that uprooting slum clusters from all over the capital and rehabilitating its inhabitants is not a pragmatic solution, Delhi government has decided to screen the not-so-welcoming sights from the many visitors expected for the event.

Similar moves were made in Beijing during last year’s Olympics when screens were put up before not so pretty sections of the city which the authorities did not want the millions of visitors to China to see. Giant screens are also seen in several cities in Latin America to block out ugly sights from visitors.

However, living the theme of GREEN Games, Delhi's approach is innovative yet simple. The department of agriculture has decided to plant bamboo trees which can be used to screen the shanties and slums on the roadside of all those routes through which the Commonwealth convoy is expected to go.

Numerous preparations are under way to make the event a success giving all flyovers an aesthetic look, improving connectivity, increasing room availability, rehabilitating dwellers away from the Games site. It seems, Delhi is focussed on addressing as many issues as possible. Bamboo screening is one such innovative and practical approach.