Pirhadi: Experience of Former Environment Managers Should Be Used
The head of the Health, Environment and Urban Services Committee of the Tehran City Council stressed the need to draw on the experience of seasoned environment managers.
According to Mehr reporter, Mehdi Pirhadi at the unveiling ceremony of the book "Tehran's Green Heritage, Memoirs and Experiences of 20 Years of Tehran's Environmental Managers", referring to the importance of passing on the experience of past managers, said: "Environment is not a political issue, but it is related to people's daily life, and any amount of effort in this area can help improve the quality of life of citizens."
He stated that many long-term environmental managers and experts stay away from executive and advisory capacities after the end of their responsibilities, adding: the experience of these people should be used in municipalities, ministries, companies and other groups of the country.
Developing a system for identifying and monitoring polluting sources
Referring to the actions of the Tehran City Council in the field of environment, Pirhadi said: One of the fundamental issues is the identification and monitoring of polluting sources, for which a system with a people-based approach is planned.
He continued: According to this plan, the pollutants in different neighborhoods and areas of the city will be collected in one system so that after the investigation, a decision can be made about how to remove the pollution. If credit is needed, the municipality will submit a budget proposal to the council for a decision.
The head of the Health, Environment and Urban Services Committee of Tehran City Council, referring to the formulation of the comprehensive raw water plan for the capital's green spaces, said: Water shortage has been one of the major problems of Tehran's green spaces in the past decades, and the reduction of water resources has weakened the trees and increased their vulnerability to pests.
Referring to the use of wastewater for irrigation of green spaces, Pirhadi added: In this plan, existing water sources, reservoirs, transmission lines, and treatment plants have been taken into consideration, and significant credit has been provided in the budget for its implementation.
Stating that 14 local water treatment plants are being established in 22 districts of Tehran, he said: due to the existing restrictions, the municipality has undertaken the implementation of a part of these plans and the related memorandums have been followed up by the Gardens Organization.
Pirhadi also informed about the compilation of Tehran's green space comprehensive plan and said: In this plan, the water needs of different areas, water supply sources, climatic and soil conditions, and plant species suitable for each area have been taken into consideration.
30% fee waiver for green buildings
Referring to the approval of the green building in Tehran City Council, he stated: In this plan, three signs of "Zarin Cypress", "Simin Cypress" and "Servo Sabzin" are provided for the buildings, and the buildings that comply with the established criteria will be subject to a 30% tax exemption.
The head of the Health, Environment and Urban Services Committee of Tehran City Council added: In the drafting of this resolution, water and energy have taken a significant share of the criteria, and topics such as construction materials, saving energy consumption and the use of gray water have also been seen in it.
He continued: After the approval of this plan in the Tehran City Council, the matter was followed up for the use of other executive bodies and its generalization to the provinces of the country.
Valuable trees of Tehran as natural heritage
Pointing to the need for special protection of Tehran's old trees, Pirhadi said: "The damage to the old tree of Imamzadeh Yahya showed the necessity of developing special rules for the preservation of the city's valuable trees."
He added: In the resolution proposed by the council, Tehran's valuable trees have been considered as the city's natural heritage, and the registration and protection of these trees is followed in cooperation with related collections.
Referring to the existence of about 2,000 valuable trees in Tehran, Pirhadi emphasized: Due to their age and natural value, these trees require special methods of maintenance, and the way to care for them should not be the same as ordinary trees.
Documenting the experience of managers for future use
In the continuation of this ceremony, one of the attendees, referring to the experience of working with the former environmental managers of Tehran Municipality, considered the publication of the book "Tehran's Green Heritage" as an action in the direction of recording experiences and preserving organizational memory.
Stating that the former managers have explained their experiences during their time in this book, he said: environmental obstacles and challenges of Tehran, structural and institutional issues and managers' solutions to solve these issues have been written in the form of narratives.
Appreciating those involved in compiling the book, this official added: In the past, different managers have led a part of the path of formation and development of the General Directorate of Environment and Sustainable Development of Tehran Municipality, and the actions of this group today are the result of the efforts and experience of the previous managers.
He continued: In addition to following up on environmental requirements in different departments of the municipality, this group interacts with non-governmental organizations and uses people's capacities to advance environmental programs.
Referring to the approvals of the Tehran City Council in the field of environment, this attendee said: the experiences gained and the approvals of this field can be used for other big cities of the country.
In the end, he emphasized: recording the experiences and narratives of managers in the form of a book will help future managers to advance environmental programs better by recognizing the challenges of the past and using lessons learned from the past.