Better Implementation of India’s Environmental Laws for Controlling Air Pollution
Date : February 20, 2023
Over the years, the problem of air pollution has reached gigantic scale in India with many of the world's most polluted cities being located in India. The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 was the first comprehensive legislative recognition of the problem of air pollution. There is a critical need to ensure that the Air Act is implemented in letter and spirit....
HCFC Phase-out Management Plan – The SME Foam Sector
Date : April 18, 2022
India recently commenced stage II of the HCFC Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP-II) under the Montreal Protocol. As part of the Plan, India seeks to phase out the consumption of HCFC-141b by 2020. HCFCs are primarily used in the foam sector as a blowing agent. While most large-scale foam manufacturers in India have been able to shift to alternate solutions like cyclopentane, around 422 Small and Med...
Correcting the Divergence Between Diesel and Petrol Pricing
Date : April 18, 2022
This report evaluates the case for reducing the existing price differential through a revenue neutral equalisation of the central excise duties that are levied on diesel and petrol. It assesses the impact of the revision in excise rates on state government finances, truck freight, farmers, car manufacturers and bus operators and passengers, and concludes that a move towards parity of excise rates ...
Public Awareness on Air Pollution
Date : April 18, 2022
Indian cities have some of the most polluted air in the world, according to most global air quality databases. A majority of cities, including both mega cities as well as smaller cities are emerging as pollution hotspots with ordinary citizens facing severe health impacts. It is clear that public participation plays a key role in the successful implementation of air quality interventions. For this...
Regional Collaboration Among States in the Indo-Gangetic Plan to Mitigate Air Pollution
Date : April 18, 2022
The Indo-Gangetic plain is characterized by high population density, pollution causing activities like brick manufacturing and mining, and thermal inversion in the winter, all of which contribute to severe levels of ambient air pollution in the region. According to WHO estimates, several of the most highly polluted cities in the world lie in the Indo-Gangetic plain. This establishes that air pollu...
Clean Air Action Plans, Pathways and Source Apportionment Studies
Date : April 13, 2022
Recognizing the need to combat dangerous air pollution, the Indian government launched the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) in 2019 to reduce outdoor air pollution (particulate matter) in 132 non-attainment Indian cities i.e. cities where air quality is worse than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. India is severely affected by air pollution–it caused 1.24 million or 12.5% of the total...
Capacity Building and Outreach Activities for Improved Air Quality Management in India
Date : January 19, 2022
Indian cities also need to tap into the emerging global learning curve. Evolved measures need to be absorbed into policy and public awareness campaigns in India to address pollution and other climate impacts....
Air Quality Management in Indian Cities
Date : January 19, 2022
Air pollution is a growing problem in India, especially in urban areas. While Delhi has been the predominant focus of media attention, air pollution is a challenge endemic to many other cities. About half of India’s cities have extremely high PM levels and several other cities are seeing an increase in other pollutants, like nitrogen oxides and ozone. This adds to the multi-pollutant crisis and ...
The Air Pollution Knowledge Assessments (APnA) city program
Date : January 17, 2022
With rapid urbanization and migration, major metropolitan cities as well as tier-2 cities are witnessing a rise in population, infrastructure needs and energy needs. This in turn is increasing pollution levels and worsening the quality of air. There have been attempts to quantify the impact of air pollution and its sources for metropolitan cites like Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai. But there is li...
Low-Cost Air Quality Monitors in 50 Indian Cities to Provide Real Time and Credible Air Quality Data
Date : January 15, 2022
Cities need good quality data on pollution levels, affected areas, sources and related information to be able to design strong air quality management plans. But a number of Indian cities are still outside the ambit of air quality monitoring, whereas other cities (like New Delhi) have a disproportionately high number of real-time air quality monitoring stations. Increasing the availability of air q...