Chandigarh: The 27th February, 2023
National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is a Government of India initiative, managed by Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and Central Pollution Control Board. It is a flagship programme for better air quality. The Union Government launched the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) on 10th January 2019 to address air pollution in 102 cities, to which 20 more cities were added later in the year. These 122 cities are called non-attainment cities. It is a focused and time bound scheme to implement various sectoral policies, strengthen monitoring and enhance public participation in more than 100 cities for effective air quality management. The goal of this scheme is to meet prescribed annual average ambient air quality standards at all locations in the country in a stipulated timeframe (long-term). The aim of NCAP is to achieve tentative national level target of 20%–30% reduction of Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentration by 2024. These interim targets are in line with global experiences which highlight those city specific actions led to 35%–40% PM2.5 reduction in five years for cities. Under this programme, Chandigarh is also considered a Non- attainment City because the air quality parameters specifically the Particulate Matter i.e. PM10 and PM2.5 level in the city is above permissible limits. For the cities to achieve their air pollution reduction targets, MoEF&CC is providing financial and technical guidance to all the non- attainment cities. In this regard, all the SPCBs/PCCs are the nodal agency for the NCAP all over the country.
There are many stakeholders departments in Chandigarh to implement the programme which include Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, State Transport Authority, Department of Urban Planning, Chandigarh Transport Undertaking, Chandigarh Traffic Police, Department of Forest and Wildlife, Engineering Department of U.T. Administration etc.
Major works which are implemented and being implemented in Chandigarh are utilisation of mechanical street sweeping machines, water sprinklers, greening and paving activities in various parts of the city, installation of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations, dissemination of air quality index among general public and awareness activities etc.
In December 2022, Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee has released funds of Rs. 1.72 Crores to the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh (MCC) being one of the major stakeholder departments to achieve the desirable limits of the air quality parameters in achieving the desired air quality targets in Chandigarh.
An amount of Rs. 1.72 crores has again sanctioned to MCC by Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee for the procurement of the Mechanical Street Sweeping machine and Anti Smog Guns. Mechanical Street Sweeping Machine which is powered by motor and has suction cups is used to clean roads and other surfaces very efficiently. The machine uses a hose to move dirt and debris from the surface being cleaned, whereas, Anti smog gun is a device that spews fine water droplets through high pressure propellers in air making a canopy effect andhelping particles from air get increased in mass and settled by inertia. These equipments help in the reduction of the Particulate matter in the atmosphere hence helping in achieving the clean air goal.
