Clean air programme 'good' start, but needs transparency of info: Greenpeace

NEW DELHI: The government's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to tackle air pollution is a "good" start, but it needs public participation from the planning level and transparency in terms of information, a green body said on Monday.


Greenpeace India, which accessed the NCAP's concept document through an RTI, said that there is an "ambiguity" on the planning given the lack of information in the public domain.


"It is good to see the government's growing concentration towards air pollution. However there is an ambiguity on the planning given the lack of information on public domain regarding NCAP.

"There has to be a transparency of information in the public domain and inclusive public participation starting from planning level," Sunil Dahiya, senior campaigner, Greenpeace India, said.

He pointed out that the concept note on the NCAP is a "big step" in the right direction to achieve breathable air across the country.

"We hope that the CPCB and Environment Ministry along with other ministries and departments come up with a detailed action plan soon and inform the public," Dahiya said.

The government has formulated the NCAP as a long-term and time-bound national level strategy to tackle increasing air pollution in the country in a comprehensive manner.

Greenpeace India said that the the draft in its existing form has no reference of specific management activities and source-based initiatives for implementation of air quality management systems.

"The draft needs more thinking and clarity in terms of articulating interim milestones for completing source apportionment studies to reduce 35 per cent and 50 per cent pollution in three and five years respectively along with specific targets for polluting sectors such power and industry," he said.

The green body in its Airpocalypse-II report released had highlighted that over 80 per cent of cities in India where air quality is monitored are severely polluted and it impacts 47 million children in the country.

Also, 580 million people in India do not even have a single air quality monitoring station in the districts they are living.

NCAP emphasises on increasing manual monitoring station from 684 to 1000 stations across the country and CAAQMS to 268 from existing 84 which is a good step, it said.

Greempeace India hoped that NCAP should not follow the precedent set by what is happening with the new emission standards for coal-based power plants (communicated in December 2015).

It said that even after the stipulated deadline (December 2017) not even a single power plant complies to the norms and we are still facing the public health emergency of high air pollution levels originating from the power sector.

"The fact that this concept note is not even available in the public domain raises concerns on how the government is going to make it a truly participatory initiative.

"It is important that all discussions and documents regard to NCAP to be available in the public domain and people are informed of planning, implementation and progress made through press briefings and other channels," Dahiya added.