Pilot Projects for Climate Change Adaptation in Southeast India

As part of the BMZ fast start finance project “Up-scaling Community Based Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation (CapCoast II)”, adelphi together with GIZ-ASEM, the Academy of Gandhian Studies (AGS) and AVVAI Village Welfare Society, developed and implemented 35 pilot projects to showcase

The project focused on reducing the vulnerabilities of communities in the two Indian states Tamil Nadu (TN) and Andhra Pradesh (AP). The target sites for project implementation were coastal districts in communities which are severely affected by climatic variability e.g. by flooding, cyclones, coastal erosion and droughts, followed by loss of livelihoods and migration.

The realized pilot projects are community-based, integrated and innovative solutions that simultaneously address climate change impacts, livelihood improvements and environmental sustainability. A great number of these measures are water-related. Overall, the list of pilot projects ranges from flood-proof water supply systems and pond renovations to the construction of flood protection bunds and road drainage systems. Furthermore, the pilots were accompanied by capacity building activities (e.g. on the operations and maintenance of the measures, technology transfer) and the development of 40 site-specific local adaptation guides.

In addition, the project built upon the existing work of the BMZ-supported project in Gujarat to plan the climate proofing of Eco-Industrial Estates: Next to an introductory training and publication, a set of round tables at the eco-industrial estates supported the discussion on climate change related risks and opportunities for local businesses.