Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) to help Bihar build ‘green’ buildings

Following is a report by IANS published in http://www.thaindian.com:

Patna, Jan 24 (IANS) A German government agency is going to help Bihar build ‘green’ buildings and win carbon credits in the process, which it can sell in developed countries.

A team from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), the German development agency, visited Bihar some time ago to prepare a report on how to help the state develop buildings that are energy efficient, a state government official said.

Another GTZ team is scheduled to arrive here next week “to go ahead with the project for constructing more and more green buildings”, Bihar Art and Culture Department Secretary Vivek Singh told IANS.

“GTZ will provide us expert help and other specialised services. The state government will construct green buildings across the state,” he added.

The project will start with building a museum in this state capital and a convention centre at Rajgir, a historic town in Nalanda district, Singh said. The next item on the agenda will be refurbishing the Moinul Haq sports stadium.

Once these new and old buildings show how they are saving energy through their design and maintenance, those energy savings can be translated into carbon credits that can in turn be sold in the international market.

Developed countries that have to reduce their carbon emissions under the Kyoto Protocol buy these credits to offset their emissions of greenhouse gases, which are leading to climate change.

Singh said that GTZ would also help the state government sell the carbon credits.