Pune is one of the 10 cities where MPCB will take up source apportionment and emission inventory study. The study being done by NEERI and IIT Bombay. 

While the Delhi Chief Minister Arwind Kejriwal is claiming that pollution has reduced by 25%, the latest data points to air quality ready to deteriorate in the coming weeks. The Delhi government recommends several mitigation measures for Delhi, and so does the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) for cities across India. But finally it is up to each State / city of how crucially they are looking at the issue, and how much priority is given for taking the mitigative actions, if at all.

We are in agreement with the last statement of the article and feel that as responsible citizens, it is indeed imperative to make our priorities known to our leaders by raising our voices and demanding a better standard of air quality from our representatives

Read the article for more details.

City based NGOs Parisar and CEE undertook a survey among citizens in Pune to gauge awareness and perceptions about air pollution. The discourse on air pollution is not new for Pune. Pune was listed amongst the most polluted cities in India in 2002 in one of the studies by EPCA (Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control Authority), set up by the Supreme Court to address the air pollution issues in the country. Several measures had been adopted by the city with directives from EPCA like shifting the auto rickshaws in the city from fossil fuel to CNG, implementing an upgraded PUC system, compulsory pre-mixing of 2T oil, among others but there was no long-term plan drawn out to address the air pollution more holistically.

Article by Parisar Team member Sharmila Deo featured in the official magazine of All India Institute of Disaster Management.