As part of the IURC programme in India, the city of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh will focus on Air Quality Management and will have the opportunity to cooperate with Indian and EU cities, create global networks and exchange best practices.
On Tuesday, 15 March 2022, Mr Rahul Awasthi, Urban Infrastructure Specialist from Kanpur Municipal Corporation, and the India team of IURC met online to identify key challenges regarding air quality in the city, detail out the topic of cooperation and discuss the way forward in the programme. Kanpur is currently receiving a grant from the State and Central Government for Air Quality Management.
In 2021 the city prepared a micro plan that identifies key actions for air quality management and serves as a guidance document. While several projects are ongoing, the two parties decided to focus on traffic management issues. Specifically, a smart parking concept will be developed, which can be used as a guiding framework for provision of parking throughout the city to reduce traffic congestion and emissions. Going forward, Kanpur will share details regarding the status of parking in the city while IURC team will initiate the formulation of the Urban Cooperation Action Plan (UCAP). Furthermore, it is expected that one city official will have the opportunity to visit a European city as part of the exchange visits.