Soon: 'Mission' to improve air quality

With the aim at tackling the pan-India problem of air pollution, India is set to announce a 'Mission' for air quality management soon. In all likelihood, the announcement would be made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This will replace the existing National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

A top government official told IANS: "The countours are being worked out, modalities are being set." He, however, refused to put a date for the announcement. It may or may not be ahead of the annual global climate change meeg to be held at Glasgow in November this year.

The Centre had launched the NCAP in January 2019 as a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner. It had targeted to achieve 20 to 30 per cent reduction in Particulate Matter concentrations by 2024, keeping 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration. There are 132 non-attainment cities under NCAP programme.

India is considered as the second most polluted country in the world with regard to air pollution. Some of the most polluted cities are in India.

Domestic firewood burning, construction dust and that from roads, open fields, agri-waste burning, industrial burning of coal and other fossil fuels, thermal power plants, brick kilns, vehicular emissions and diesel-powered generator sets are some of the prominent sources of air pollution.