After three revisions, the city’s final air pollution action plan has been put in the public domain. The plan outlines the key areas the administration and regulatory bodies will focus on to improve the city’s air quality.
The Centre approved the action plan last month and it is currently in the first stage of implementation. Environment group Conservation Action Trust (CAT) accessed and made it public last Thursday. On Friday, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) published the plan on its website, but claims to have published it on October 7. “The expert committee has approved the plan for Mumbai. They are convinced that all elements specified by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) such as pollutants, sources, timeline to address the issues and the agency required to take action have been incorporated,” said V Shukla, additional director and head (air quality division), Central Pollution Control Board. “A number of city-specific directions have been issued to the MPCB while approving the plan. The broader framework is ready. The plan is in its nascent stages and will be revised based on inputs, micro-level action and studies during our quarterly review.”
Despite being revised thrice, air quality experts and environmentalists have slammed the MPCB for drafting the plan poorly. “The plan lacks clarity. It is a copy paste job from previously published reports of different state departments on vehicular pollution or parking policy. The plan is based on unscientific inputs for industrial emissions and inaccurate facts for pollution reduction from public transport,” said Debi Goenka, executive trustee, CAT. “As per the CPCB mandate, the action points mentioned in Mumbai’s plan should be better classified in terms of each sector, with quantified targets which can be monitored easily. Milestones, indicators and design elements of key action have to be clearly identified, instead of just saying encourage and promote,” said Anumita Roy Choudhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi.
{{/usCountry}}Despite being revised thrice, air quality experts and environmentalists have slammed the MPCB for drafting the plan poorly. “The plan lacks clarity. It is a copy paste job from previously published reports of different state departments on vehicular pollution or parking policy. The plan is based on unscientific inputs for industrial emissions and inaccurate facts for pollution reduction from public transport,” said Debi Goenka, executive trustee, CAT. “As per the CPCB mandate, the action points mentioned in Mumbai’s plan should be better classified in terms of each sector, with quantified targets which can be monitored easily. Milestones, indicators and design elements of key action have to be clearly identified, instead of just saying encourage and promote,” said Anumita Roy Choudhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi.
{{/usCountry}}Despite having 15 stations across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the plan provides air quality data from just two stations in Mumbai - Bandra and Sion. “Air quality data is not being disseminated to citizens in a timely and relevant manner. The current monitoring fails to provide a better understanding of unregulated sources of emissions. The data needs to be understood in context of health. No guidelines or methodologies have been provided,” said Ronak Sutaria, founder and director, UrbanSciences, an independent air quality monitoring group.
On Friday, anti-pollution campaigners met the MPCB, listing some of their recommendations. “Our major suggestions were 60% reduction in emission sources, moving out all industries from Chembur-Trombay zone, restricting the entry of diesel vehicles into the city and use of solar-powered buses,” said Bhagwan Kesbhat, founder, Waatavaran.
The MPCB said reducing the emissions is their next target, for which a roadmap has been prepared. “The action plan was developed on the basis of the CPCB’s template. We can’t incorporate details other than those specified by the Centre. Air pollution data is being published and sent to the CPCB regularly,” said VM Motghare, joint director (air quality), MPCB.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.