Establishment of fresh air quality standards

Government has notified National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 12 pollutants in 2009 to protect public health and environment from air pollution.  Review of the existing standards, criteria governing these standards as well as incorporating new parameters with advances in scientific research is a continuous process. With changes in fuel, technology and demographics as well as advances in air pollution measurement techniques, risk and exposure assessment, review of Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are carried for better improvement in public health. Review of NAAQS has been sanctioned to a joint team lead by IIT Kanpur.

Government has launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as a national level strategy to reduce air pollution levels across the country. NCAP aims to meet prescribed annual average ambient air quality standards across the country in a stipulated timeframe. Accordingly, list of non-attainment cities i.e. cities exceeding national standards for 05 consecutive years is updated annually and such cities are directed to prepare and implement city action plans for improvement in air quality.

Under NCAP, City Specific Clean Air Action Plans have been prepared and rolled out for implementation in 132 non-attainment and million plus cities. These action plans focus on city specific short/ medium/ long term actions to control air pollution from sources such as vehicular emission, road dust, burning of biomass/ crop/ garbage/ Municipal Solid Waste, landfills, construction activities, industrial emission, etc.

National Knowledge Network of leading academic institutions in States have been constituted to facilitate exchange of technical knowhow on air quality management. Institutes of Repute (IoR) have been identified for local technical capacity building.

This information was given by Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change in Rajya Sabha today.