The Clayton Caller: Mumbai: Friday, September
07, 2018.
Despite having the most polluted cities
in the country, has no mitigation plans for even a single city.
Details obtained by Greenpeace India
under Right to Information (RTI) have revealed shocking facts about ‘missing’
action plans for 17 cities in the state. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
had identified these cities as ‘non-attainment’ based on ambient air quality
monitoring. Major pollutants like particulate matter 10 and nitrogen dioxide
crossed dangerous levels in those cities between 2011-15.
As part of National Clean Air Programme
(NCAP), nonattainment cities had to submit individual action plans to curb air
pollution. Replying to an RTI query, CPCB stated that the cities were told to
submit plans before August.
In a reply on August 20, the board said
none of the 17 cities has an implementable action plan ready. The board’s
records suggest that even though seven out of those cities had submitted plans,
CPCB told the cities to revise and resubmit them.
The cities include Mumbai, Pune,
Amravati, Aurangabad, Jalna, Kolhapur and Latur. “The submitted plans were
merely responses to directions of CPCB sent to (MPCB) in July 2016. Important
aspects like scientific approach to identify polluting sectors and including
time-bound targets for improving air quality were missing,” said Sunil Dahiya,
senior campaigner at Greenpeace India.
In its report ‘Airpocalypse’, the
environment group pointed out that 25 cities in the state have toxic air.
“While CPCB has identified 17 polluted cities based on 2011-15 data, we
analysed air pollution data of 2015 and 2016, which shows that 25 cities exceed
permissible annual limits of PM10,” said Dahiya.
The (WHO) report, released in May, warned
that after Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra was on the verge of becoming one of the
country’s most polluted states. As per WHO data, air quality in at least six
cities of the state was almost four-toeight times worse than standards set by
the global organization. Last winter, pollution levels in the state became as
bad as those in Beijing.
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