Nagpur: It has been three years since the launch of national clean air programs (NCAP), but Maharashtra has not identified pollution sources, revealing the latest analysis.
The state has the highest number of cities that have experienced air pollution rates exceeding national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS).
“Even though it has 25 cities like that, only 19 cities that have been included in NCAP and the regional government have set the emission reduction targets only for two cities in the state – Amravati and Aurangabad,” find researchers at the research center and clean air (Crea) in the report They ‘browse Hazy’s air: progress reports on national clean air programs (NCAP)’.
The analysis presented in the report is based on information collected through RTI applications, parliamentary processes, reports from other organizations, and the data available to the public.
The state government needs to complete the study of compulsory source distribution in 19 cities in March 2023, only a year before the deadline of the country to reduce the level of PM 2.5.
The author of the report, Crea analyst Sunil Dahiya said, “The study began in 2017 and is expected to be completed in 2019.
Such delays are waste of money and public resources, and will postpone the specific actions of the directed sector.” This report also highlights that at the end of Three years since the launch of the program, out of 1,500 manual monitoring stations targeted to be installed throughout the country, only 818 present at this time.
Maharashtra has 80 manuals and 41 continuous quality ambient air monitoring stations in 36 districts in the state.
In the air quality monitoring infrastructure, Dahiya said, “In industrial countries, the current monitoring infrastructure is not enough, and there is an urgent need to aggressively monitor air quality throughout the country.
While increasing the number of monitoring stations is one way to increase data transparency The quality of the air, another step that must be taken is to ensure that the industry shares data from monitoring stations installed in and around their facilities, because they are required to monitor air quality in accordance with the conditions of the Environmental Permit.
“Further report highlights that other than specific action plans City, there are no other plans that have been formulated below the time line specified by the NCAP – the state action plan, regional action plans, and the Transboundary action plan still have to see the light of the day.
“NCAP and clean air action plans for the city are dynamic documents that are expected to be updated and made more efficient in controlling the increase in air pollution levels with resolving research studies.
But, unfortunately, all schedules for the formulation of state and regional action plans and emissions and studies researchers Sources have passed, and Maharashtra has not formulated one of them until now, “Dahiya added.
The report recommends that the NCAP is legally binding responsible authority when setting an interim (which is temporarily temporary target) and the long-term target to reach breathable air is equivalent to the level of guidance that over the next decade.