Action plan to tackle air pollution in six towns

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Bhubaneswar: Acting on an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the state government has decided to prepare an action plan to check air pollution in six towns, official sources said Thursday.
Hearing a petition, the NGT October 8 had asked 23 states and UTs to prepare action plans to curb air pollution in 102 cities, of which six are from Odisha. The air quality in these cities is not compliant with the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). The tribunal had asked the states to prepare the action plan within two months failing which the chief secretary of the concerned state will be held responsible.
“The states and Union Territories where the air quality is non-compliant with NAAQS must prepare appropriate action plan within two months so that the air quality is brought within the prescribed norms within six months from date of finalisation of the action plan,” the tribunal said in its order, a copy of which is available with Orissa POST.
The six towns in the state where the air quality is non-compliant with NAAQS are: Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Balasore, Angul, Talcher and Rourkela.
The state government has formed a six-member Air Quality Monitoring Committee (AQMC) comprising directors of environment, transport, industries, urban development and agriculture departments, and member secretary of Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) to prepare the action plan.
“The action plan will include components like identification of source and its apportionment considering sectors like vehicular pollution, industrial pollution, dust pollution, construction activities, garbage burning, agricultural pollution among others.
The action plan shall also consider measures for strengthening of Ambient Air Quality (AAQ) monitoring and steps for public awareness including issuing of advisory to public for prevention and control of air pollution and involvement of schools, colleges and other academic institutions and awareness programmes, the order said.
The action plan will indicate steps to be taken to check different sources of pollution having speedy, definite and specific timelines for execution, it added.