Ms. Marylaure Crettaz, Dr. Shirish Sinha and Mr. Andrin Fink from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) office in India, visited our partner city of Rajkot on the 13th & 14th of August, 2018 to inaugurate some of our projects and meet with the officials of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC).

Inauguration of the Groundwater Recharge Structure on Race Course Road
Ground water availability in general is dwindling in Rajkot due to increased pumping for various purposes, particularly in the western part of the city. As a result, citizens are resorting to deeper borewells, tapping the deeper aquifer, which is not desirable. Ground water quality issues have also been observed in the eastern part of the city. At the same time, many areas of the city get flooded during the rainy season, impacting life in the city.

Ground water recharge systems, in combination with improvements to the storm water drainage system, have the potential to improve ground water availability and drain off excess rain water, thereby avoiding localized flooding. Improving availability of local water resources would also reduce the need for pumping water over large distances, thereby also resulting in a reduction of GHG emissions from electricity use.

Ms. Marylaure Crettaz, Head of SDC in India, Ms. Binaben Acharya, Mayor of the RMC and Mr. Banchinidhi Pani, Commissioner of the RMC, inaugurated the ground water recharge system with a traditional ceremony, on the Race Course Road where two bore wells, 5 feet apart and 200 feet deep, have been constructed. It is one of the five locations that have been identified for implementing a mix of measures, including ground water recharge.

Tree Planting at the 145 kWp Solar PV Installation at the Aji Water Treatment Plant
The Aji water treatment plant consumes on an average, approximately 100,000 units of electricity, every month. The installation of the 145 kWp grid connected Solar PV system, co-funded by the RMC, results in the generation of 580 units of electricity per day, which is equivalent to 18 percent of the total power consumption in the plant and has the potential to reduce 174 tons of CO2 equivalent GHG emissions resulting from the avoided use of conventional energy.

The Aji water treatment plant consumes on an average, approximately 100,000 units of electricity, every month. The installation of the 145 kWp grid connected Solar PV system, co-funded by the RMC, results in the generation of 580 units of electricity per day, which is equivalent to 18 percent of the total power consumption in the plant and has the potential to reduce 174 tons of CO2 equivalent GHG emissions resulting from the avoided use of conventional energy.

On the 15th of July, 2018, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Vijaybhai Rupani remotely inaugurated the solar PV installation. For the first time in India, solar panels have been installed at a water treatment plant. The CapaCITIES team along with Mr. Banchinidhi Pani, Commissioner of the RMC, visited the site on the 14th of August, 2018 and planted a few saplings to mark the occasion.

Visit to Smart Ghar 3 Project Site
The team visited the Smart Ghar 3 affordable housing scheme site, where the Building Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) is implementing energy efficient cooling systems through shaft assisted ventilation. BEEP is a bilateral cooperation project between the Ministry of Power, Government of India, and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) of the Swiss Confederation. The RMC has already proposed a 100kWp grid connected solar PV system for common utilities at this site.

Inauguration of 30kWP Solar PV System at the Krantiveer Khudiram Bose Township
The Krantiveer Khudiram Bose social housing complex consists of 5 buildings with a total of 140 dwelling units. At full occcupancy, common amenities, i.e lifts, lights and pumps, will consume 3000 units of electricity per month. To encourage the adoption of solar PV in social housing, a 30 kWp grid connected solar PV system has been installed.

Ms. Marylaure Crettaz, Head of SDC in India and Mr. Banchinidhi Pani, Commissioner of the RMC, inaugurated the solar PV system, during the visit. The engineers from Trom Solar, who have been commissioned for the installation, described the system to everyone present at the inauguration.

Presentation by the Transport Expert
Our national transport expert, Mr. Sandeep Gandhi from Sandeep Gandhi Architects presented the findings of his technical study on ‘Existing BRTS Corridor for Last Mile Connectivity and Pre-Feasibility of Potential Electrification of the Corridor’, to the CapaCITIES team and RMC officials at the RMC premises. Recommendations were provided, with further discussions to take place between the expert and the RMC officials.

Meeting with the Mayor of the RMC
The team met with Ms. Binaben Acharya and her associates. A brief introduction on the CapaCITIES project and the activities being carried out, was provided by Ms. Marylaure Crettaz and Dr. Shirish Sinha. The team from the RMC expressed their gratitude and continued support.