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    Clear the air about cleaning the air

    Synopsis

    An airshed is a common geographic area where pollutants get trapped, creating similar air quality for everyone. The Indo-Gangetic Plain is an airshed, one of the largest sources of PM2.5. All northern state governments and GoI must overcome politics and turf wars to make this plan a reality.

    Clear the Air About Cleaning the AirET Bureau
    Here we go again. Delhi and NCR's air quality was in the 'very poor' category on Monday with AQI breaching the 300-mark, thanks to a spike in crop fires in Punjab, local pollution and 'calm winds' - wind slower than 3 knots/5.56 km per hour - preventing dispersal of emissions. As part of this year's anti-pollution strategy, CM Arvind Kejriwal recently announced a 15-point action plan. This includes focus areas like controlling stubble-burning, vehicular pollution, open-burning and dust pollution. Many of these are being rolled out. The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage 2 has been initiated. But things are getting from bad to worse.

    While the plan's effectiveness will depend on how well it is implemented, the city desperately needs a long-term roadmap. Two steps can help: a year-round anti-pollution plan that includes monitoring local sources, focusing on solutions to reduce emissions and fixing departmental accountability. The second step is a cohesive airshed management plan to control pollution. An airshed is a common geographic area where pollutants get trapped, creating similar air quality for everyone. The Indo-Gangetic Plain is an airshed, one of the largest sources of PM2.5. All northern state governments and GoI must overcome politics and turf wars to make this plan a reality.

    The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) has recognised the idea of this regional approach and listed measures that cut across multiple jurisdictions. Unfortunately, the framework for formal adoption of integrated airshed management is not yet in place. This gap needs to be addressed quickly. As the National Green Tribunal stated earlier - clean air is a fundamental right of the people, and it is a constitutional and statutory duty of authorities to provide it.

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