Rohit Aggarwala resigned from his position as commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection on Wednesday, according to an email obtained by THE CITY.
As the head of the DEP, Aggarwala’s portfolio included oversight of the vast drinking water system, the sewers and projects for flood protection and mitigation, among other items.
Appointed to the role by Mayor Eric Adams in 2022, Aggarwala also served in a dual role as Chief Climate Officer, overseeing the city’s climate policy portfolio.
“Serving New York City as both the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection and as the City’s Chief Climate Officer has truly been the honor of a lifetime,” Aggarwala wrote in the email.
His final day at the agency will be Jan. 31.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has made a number of appointments , but several agencies were left with long-term leadership in limbo, including the DEP. Mamdani had neither officially reappointed the commissioners serving under Adams nor appointed a new commissioner.
Aggarwala is the latest of several top agency officials to step down from their posts in recent weeks where that situation was the case.
In addition to Aggarwala, Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol , Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber , Department of City Planning Commissioner Dan Garodnick and Administration for Children’s Services Commissioner Jess Dannhauser all stepped down, too.
City Hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but at a press conference in early January Mamdani referenced the hiring process
“We are putting together an administration that is dedicated to building a new era in our city, and so we are continuing to make decisions on retention and recruitment,” Mamdani said, when asked about accepting the resignation of Strauber.
DEP plays a crucial role in influencing the city’s quality of life and affordability. The agency delivers clean drinking water to New Yorkers through upstate reservoirs and massive pipelines that travel down to the city. It manages the sewer system, runs a noise monitoring program and works to prevent neighborhood flooding through outreach programs and physical projects.
“Throughout my four years here, the best part of my job has been working with the thousands of men and women who make up DEP,” Aggarwala wrote in an email to agency staff. “No other agency touches every person in New York City the way DEP does.”buyout program and implementing Local Law 97, which limits the carbon large buildings can emit.
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