PUNE The Central government’s Ministry of environment forest and climate change (MoEF&CC) has reviewed an action plan to improve air quality in Pune.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has presented an plan based on six action points of the ministry.
On Thursday, Dr Prashant Gargava, member and Naresh Gangwar, joint secretary the ministry held a video conference call, with all the environment, forest and climate change ministry officials of the states, and representatives of cities, included in the central government’s plan to improve air quality.
The Central government has disbursed ₹134 crore to the PMC to improve air quality. The amount has been given to Pune, PCMC, Pune and Khadki cantonment area.
As per central government guidelines, cities have to submit a time-bound programme to develop year-wise targets on ambient air quality for 2020-25, based on annual average concentrations of PM 10 and PM 2.5.
Mangesh Dhighe, environment officer of the corporation said, “We have already started working on the plan which was submitted to the ministry.”
He added, “Pune city’s air quality is moderate. Under the national clean air programme (NCAP), we are working on six components to improve air quality, such as mechanical sweepers, water sprinklers, awareness education activities, creating green corridors and electrical crematoriums.”
{{/usCountry}}He added, “Pune city’s air quality is moderate. Under the national clean air programme (NCAP), we are working on six components to improve air quality, such as mechanical sweepers, water sprinklers, awareness education activities, creating green corridors and electrical crematoriums.”
{{/usCountry}}“In meeting, officials instructed us to use other local-level funds to improve air quality of the city and not only use central government grants for this programme,” he added.
Pratap Jagtap, sub-regional officer of the Maharashtra Pollution Control board (MPCB), said, “It was a review meeting about action taken by cities to improve air quality. Pune corporation has taken all necessary steps to improve the air quality and we are monitoring the system.”
City’s air quality is determined by five components: PM 2.5, fine particulate matter; PM 10, particulate matter in the air with a diameter of 10mm or less, including smoke, dust, soot, salts, acids, and metals; ozone (O3), highly reactive gas composed of three oxygen atoms; nitrogen dioxide (NO2), highly reactive gases and carbon monoxide.
The central government has given instructions to take measures to control vehicular emissions, road dust re-suspension, biomass burning, control of industrial air pollution, treatment of construction and demolition waste, air quality monitoring network strengthening, monitoring of diesel generator sets, and shifting to liquefied petroleum gas from solid fuels.
PMC action plan includes:
• Formulation of city-specific plan for e-mobility and rapid augmentation of the charging infrastructure
• Execution of city specific plantation plans
• Gradual transition to e-mobility in the two-wheeler sector and specific allocations for creating a venture capital fund for e-mobility. Government-run buses for public transport, private buses, and three-wheelers to be converted to EVs and government office fleets older than 15 years to be shifted to EVs
• Maintenance and repair of roads on priority
• Introduce mechanical sweepers. SOP for addressing issue of disposal of the collected dust from mechanical sweeping
• Treated water sprinkling system with PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) pipeline along the roads and at intersecting road junctions; and spraying of water twice a day before peak traffic hours.