Guwahati: From switching to electric cars to cooking gas and solar power - over 1.6 lakh residents in Majuli Island district are set to see major changes in their lifestyles to make it the country's first carbon-neutral district by 2020.

The state government has lined up a series of interventions to be implemented year-wise under the Sustainable Actions for Carbon Resilient Development (SACReD) project launched in 2016, months after the 480-sqkm island was declared a district.

Official sources said 1,000 households have already been provided improved cooking stoves, 50 solar pump sets for farmers and 300 vermi-compost pits while two lakh trees were planted last year.

The plan for this year includes four solar-micro grids by the power department, solar rooftop at Majuli College and Kamalabari Xatra, LPG connections to all households, solar streetlights, zigzag technology to six brick kilns, 1,000 solar pump sets and plantation of another 20 lakh trees, apart from training to farmers.

The state government has already announced several infrastructure development projects and steps to check erosion The project is being implemented by various departments with IORA Ecological Solutions as the consultancy agency.

"The interventions have been planned to counter the emissions the island is likely to have due to development projects like better transport, cutting of trees for infrastructure development and wastes to be generated. The plan includes use of zigzag technology in the six brick kilns which can reduce at least 20 per cent emission, promote LPG for cooking to all households and vermi-compost to manage wastes," the chief executive officer of the firm, Swapan Mehra, told The Telegraph on Saturday.

Thebaseline emission assessment conducted in sectors such as energy, transport, residential/commercial and agriculture projected estimated emission of greenhouse gas (without considering tree cover) in 2016 to be 342,531.94 tonnes CO2-e (carbon dioxide equivalent) and with tree cover it was estimated to be 208,358.33 tonnes CO2-e.

In 2020, the GHG emissions without tree cover is projected to be 378,594.24 tonnes CO2 -e and with tree cover around 241,965.43 tonnes CO2-e.

The plan for 2019 includes seven solar micro-grids, green-rated office for the Majuli district administration, retrofitting of 500 scooters with electric engines, 300 new electric cars.

In 2020, the project plans three solar micro grids, solar rooftop for the administration building, 200 electric cars, carbon cess on transport in the Brahmaputra, retrofitting of 1,000 scooters with electric engines, 400 agriculture solar pumps sets and plantation of another 21 lakh trees.