Pollution in cities deeply influenced by emissions in surrounding areas

New Delhi: The focus in the fight against air pollutionwould be on implementation of city-specific action plans, the Environment Ministrytoday said.

Even as a consultation on a nationwide initiative zeroed in on the fact that pollution in cities was influenced by emissions from surrounding areas.

During the two-day stakeholder consultation on National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) which ended today, it was pointed out that there was a need for "multi-city, multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder coordination".

In its presentation, the ministry emphasised that measures to address industrial pollution, vehicular pollution and road dust needed to be a part of city-specific plans being formulated with the help of the ministry and could not be integrated in the NCAP, which basically provided a broad roadmap to address the issue of air pollution.

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The stakeholder consultation also provided an opportunity to interact with international experts from Europe, United States, China, Brazil, Japan and World Bank who also shared their models for tackling air pollution.

The ministry, which recently released the draft of the NCAP and invited comments from various stakeholders by May 17, was also criticised by Greenpeace India. It had said the absence of pollution reduction targets of 35 per cent in three years and 50 per cent in five years in the plan was a cause of "grave concern".

Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan had said in February that the ministry hoped to bring down air pollution in around 100 non-attainment cities by 50 per cent in the next five years under the NCAP.

"Assuring all technical and policy support, the Centre has emphasised that in the fight against air pollution, the focus will now be on the implementation of city-specific action plans," an official statement said.

During the consultations, suggestions included constitution of chief secretary-level committees in the states for multi-sectoral coordination, area-specific standards, satellite monitoring, enforcement issues and high-resolution inventory for Indo-Gangetic plains.

"During the discussions, it was also pointed out that studies show that pollution in cities is deeply influenced by emissions from surrounding regions other than local multi-sectoral pollution sources, necessitating the need for a multi-city, multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder coordination," it said.

The consultation also saw international experts sharing their experiences in the field of air quality monitoring, modelling, management and explained the measures taken in different parts of the world to improve air quality.

Success stories from across the world on control of air pollution and possibilities of their replication in the Indian context also figured in the deliberations.

Several international experiences were shared during the deliberations which included the Chinese representative who highlighted the advanced stack emission control technology, which has reduced power plant emissions in China dramatically.

The Brazilian example showed how improvements in the transport sector can reduce pollution in cities, as was the case in Sao Paolo while the Mongolian example highlighted how the improved cooking stoves can reduce PM 2.5 concentration.

The European experience showed the use of strategies to control emissions from ammonia in the agriculture sector while the US example reflected the improvements in vehicular technologies, inspection and maintenance systems and emission trading schemes, the statement said.

In its presentation on NCAP, the ministry indicated its commitment to collaborative and participatory approach for its effective implementation.

"It was however, also emphasized that source-based initiatives as measures to address industrial pollution, vehicular pollution and road dust need to be a part of city-specific plans being formulated with the help of Ministry as well as Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and cannot be integrated in NCAP document, which basically provides a broad roadmap to address the issue of air pollution in the country," it said.

The main objective of the two-day stakeholder meet was to carry out consultations with the state government bodies on the newly-formulated NCAP and to ensure their participation during the stages of formulation and implementation.

"It was acknowledged that issues arising from city-level pollution also need to be dealt with on a regional scale and coordination between different agencies across various states is required.

"It was also pointed out that there is a need to empower state-level agencies and provide them with a roadmap for implementation of NCAP.

"During the discussions, it was emphasised that the cities must assess their air quality, source contributions and derive action plans based on their local conditions and resource availability," the statement added.

Besides international experts, national experts from Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur), Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (Pune), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) also participated.

The two-day consultation was attended by representatives from more than 20 states and UTs.

Reference: https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/pollution-in-cities-deeply-influenced-by-emissions-in-surrounding-areas/63855316