ENVIRONMENT

#ENVIRONMENT

■  Marginal decrease in pollution even after three years of launch of NCAP-

● National Clean Air Program (NCAP):

✅It is a long-term, time-bound, national-level strategy to tackle the increasing air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner.

✅Its objective is to  comprehensively  manage plans for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution, besides augmenting the air quality monitoring network across the country.

✅It was launched in 2019 to address air pollution in 102 cities, to which 30 more cities were added later.

✅These 132 cities are called non-attainment cities as they did not meet the national ambient air quality standards for the 2011-15 under the National Air Quality Monitoring Program.

✅The NCAP has set a target of reducing key air pollutants PM10 and PM2.5 (ultra-fine particulate matter) by 20-30% by 2024, taking the pollution levels in 2017 as the base year.

● NCAP Tracker:

✅It is a policy tracker with updates on NCAP  implementation and its effectiveness.

✅It analyses the air quality data compiled from government-run monitoring stations and reviews the programme’s progress in achieving the 2024 national clean air targets.

✅It is a joint project by news portal 'Carbon Copy' and a Maharashtra-based start-up 'Respirer Living Sciences'

✅It is designed to track India's progress in achieving the clean air targets

✅It has ranked Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh as the most polluted city out of the 132 non-attainment cities listed under the NCAP with highest levels of PM 2.5 and PM 10.

✅Delhi was the second most polluted city in the list of cities with the highest PM 2.5 level and fourth in cities with the highest PM 10 level.

● Air pollution in India:

✅Air pollution in India has been deteriorated significantly over the past two decades

✅It is the second largest risk factor contributing to the country’s disease burden.

✅According to IQAS 2019 World Air Quality Report, India is home to 21 of the 30 most polluted cities in the world.

✅The Lancet Planetary Health report has found that over 50 percent of deaths attributed to air pollution in India occur in just five Indian States.

● Causes  of Air Pollution in India:

✅Vehicular emissions

✅Emissions from Brick kilns, factories, various manufacturing plants,etc

✅Garbage burning at landfills

✅Crop residue burning by farmers especially in Punjab, Haryana, West UP

● Impact of Air pollution:

✅On Environment: it causes acid rain, eutrophication of water bodies, Ozone depletion, global warming,etc

✅On human health: it causes various diseases like  respiratory infections, heart disease, and lung cancer

✅On Economy: it reduces agricultural crop and commercial forest yields which ultimately impacts nations’ economy

● Initiatives taken by government for combating air pollution:

✅Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB) : apex organisation in the country in the field of pollution control.

✅National Air Quality Index (AQI): It is an index for reporting daily air quality.

✅The higher the index’s value, the greater the level of air pollution

✅It measures 8 elements in air namely Particulate Matter 2.5,Ozone,Carbon monoxide, Ammonia,Lead,Nitrogen oxide, Sulphur dioxide and PM 10

✅FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (hybrid &) Electric vehicles) scheme: It has been launched to give impetus to adoption of e vehicles in order to counter vehicular pollution

✅Adoption of BS VI vehicles for better engine efficiency and lesser vehicular emission

✅Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana:  LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) is provided under this scheme in order to reduce indoor air pollution caused by burning of wood and other unclean cooking fuels

✅Banning of Firecrackers in Delhi NCR to reduce increased level of air pollution in the area

● Challenges associated in addressing  of air pollution problem:

✅Lack of governance

✅Lack of political will

✅Lack of public participation in government programmes

✅Lack of adequate data related to air pollution which hinders national level monitoring of it

SOURCE - INDIAN EXPRESS