BBMP bets big on schools to boost city’s green cover

Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will collaborate with over 650 schools across the city this year to roll out a series of eco-friendly initiatives, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced on Monday.

The effort aims to promote tree planting to boost Bengaluru’s green cover and raise environmental awareness among students through institution-led action plans.

"There are around 6,000 schools in the Greater Bengaluru area, including 4,500 private institutions. So far, 650 schools have agreed to form climate action clubs as part of their curriculum,” Shivakumar said at a press conference.

Each club will be led by a teacher and include at least 25 students. The BBMP will support these clubs by providing certificates, badges, and other resources.

The civic body will launch a dedicated web portal on Friday to facilitate new registrations. Some of the planned activities for the clubs include water usage audits, waste management drives, energy conservation efforts, and tree counts on school campuses. Clubs will also be tasked with drafting climate action plans.

The BBMP’s Climate Action Cell also has plans to organise city-wide events such as quizzes and debates to engage and connect club members across schools.

During the press briefing, Shivakumar also announced that the BBMP will recognise 15 individuals for their contributions to different sectors.

"The BBMP has received 175 nominations for the BluGreen Awards from residents'  welfare associations, schools, government agencies, NGOs, and corporates. These will be evaluated by a 15-member jury, and 15 winners will be selected,” he said.

The BBMP, he said, has earmarked Rs 28 crore towards creating ward-level climate action plans. "We will shortlist one ward per assembly constituency. In the first phase, the South, East, Mahadevapura, and Bommanahalli zones will be covered," he said.