Pressing need to improve urban eco-system: Government

New Delhi March 3 (IANS) With half the country s population on course to live in urban centres in the next 15-20 years there is a pressing need to improve the entire ecosystem of urbanisation the government said on Thursday.

Herein lies the challenge in urban governance and political and economic system Secretary Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Rajeev Kapoor said while inaugurating the 8th GRIHA Summit here.

The Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) developed by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) together with the MNRE has been endorsed as the national rating system for green buildings in India in 2007.

It is an indigenous green building rating system developed specifically to suit Indian climate and construction practices.

Buildings are a crucial element in the Indian growth story and we need to take care of them as they are responsible for more than 40 per cent of energy use 25-30 per cent of the waste generated and a substantial quantum of water use Kapoor said.

--IANS
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