State must ensure ‘ease of breathing’

Context: Last month, India’s think tank NITI Aayog reportedly proposed
that coal-fired power plants could pause the installation of flue gas desulphurisation
(FGD) technology, which helps to cut the polluting sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions
from the plants. This move was reported by the council of scientific and
industrial research-national environmental engineering research institute that
found SO2 emissions from the country’s coal plants were not adversely impacting
air quality. The NITI Aayog’s proposal is emblematic of the government’s
failure to down air pollution not in just Delhi and the NCR, but most of North
India and other critically polluted cities.

Key points

·      
National
Clean Air Programme: It was
launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in
January 2019. It is the first-ever effort in the country to frame a national
framework for air quality management with a time-bound reduction target. It
seeks to cut the concentration of course (particulate matter (PM) of diameter
10 micrometer or less, or PM10) and fine particles (particulate matter of
diameter 2.5 micrometer or less, or PM2.5) by at least 20% in the next five
years, with 2017 as the base year for comparison. It covers 132 non-attainment
cities which were identified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

·      
Current
Scenario: The country’s current, annual
average prescribed limits for PM2.5 and PM10 are 40 micrograms/per cubic metre
(ug/m3) and 60 micrograms/per cubic metre.

·      
New
Targets: The NCAP initially set a
target of reducing key air pollutants PM10 and PM2.5 by 20-30% in 2024, taking
the pollution levels in 2017 as the base year to improve upon.

·      
Effectiveness
of NCAP: Achieving Targets - An
analysis of the four-year performance of the NCAP by the Centre for Research on
Energy and Clean Air (CREA), concluded that only 38 of the 131 cities that
signed agreements with the Centre, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), and State
Pollution Control Boards achieved their annual pollution reduction targets.

Recommendations - The CREA noted that 37 cities have completed the source apportionment
studies (which list and quantify the significant sources of pollution in a
city). However, most of these reports weren’t available in the public domain
and no city action plan had been updated with information from these studies.

·      
Other
initiatives: System of Air Quality and
Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) Portal. Air Quality Index - AQI has
been developed for eight pollutants viz. PM2.5, PM10, Ammonia, Lead, nitrogen
oxides, sulphur dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide. Graded Response Action
Plan (for Delhi).

For Reducing Vehicular Pollution - BS-VI Vehicles, Push for Electric Vehicles (EVs), Odd-Even
Policy as an emergency measure (for Delhi).

National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) - Under NAMP, four air pollutants viz. SO2, NO2, PM10,
and PM2.5 have been identified for regular monitoring at all locations.

·      
Way
forward: Changing Approach - India
needs to change its approach and bring out effective policies to improve air
quality and reduce pollutants to levels considered acceptable by the World
Health Organisation (WHO).

Close Coordination Required - Curbing air pollution requires not only tackling its
specific sources, but also close coordination across local and national
jurisdictional boundaries. Regional cooperation can help implement
cost-effective joint strategies that leverage the interdependent nature of air
quality.