Lok Sabha Question No. 1112 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-22
Subject: Environmental Crisis
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Kanakmal Katara

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1112

TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.11.2019

## Environmental Crisis

## 1112. SHRI KANAKMAL KATARA:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the  country  is  facing  serious  environmental  crisis  at  present  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government is running public awareness campaign to deal with the said crisis and if so, the details thereof along with the success achieved as a result thereof; and
- (c) the details of regulatory norms being adopted to improve Environment Performance Index of the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a) &  (c)  Government  is  taking  all  efforts  for  the  mitigation  of  air  pollution  in  the country.  Central  Government  has  taken  a  number  of  regulatory  measures  for  prevention, control and abatement of air pollution in the country.

## Action Plans for Improvement of Air Quality

- (i) The Central Government has launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) under the Central Sector 'Control of Pollution' Scheme as a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner with  targets to achieve 20 %  to 30 %  reduction in  PM10  and  PM2.5 concentrations  by  2024  keeping  2017  as  the  base year  for  the  comparison  of concentration.102  non-attainment  cities  mostly  in  Indo-Gangetic  Plains  have  been identified based on ambient air quality data for the period 2011 - 2015 and WHO report 2014/2018.  The  city  specific  Action  Plans  have  been  approved  for  all  102  nonattainment cities for implementation on ground.
- (ii) The  Central  Government  has  notified  a  Comprehensive  Action  Plan  (CAP)  in  2018 identifying timelines and implementing agencies for actions identified for prevention, control and mitigation of air pollution in Delhi and NCR.
- (iii) Graded  Response  Action  Plan  (GRAP)  was  notified  on  January  12,  2017,  for prevention,       control  and  abatement  of  air  pollution  in  Delhi  and  NCR.  It  identifies graded  measures  and  implementing  agencies  for  response  to  four  AQI  categories, namely, Moderate to Poor, Very Poor, Severe and Severe + or Emergency.
- (b) Several steps have been taken for creating awareness amongst the general population. These steps are as follows.
-  SAMEER app has been launched wherein air quality information is available to public along with provision for registering complaints against air polluting activities.
-  Air  quality  information  collection  and  dissemination  are  done  from  a  centralized location. It provides real time air quality status to all stakeholders.
-  A dedicated media corner, Twitter and Facebook accounts have been created for access to air quality related information and to provide a platform for lodging complaints by general population.
-  Crowd sourcing of innovative ideas/ suggestions/proposals from public is done through CPCB website to strengthen efforts for improving air quality in Delhi-NCR.
-  The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is implementing Environment Education, Awareness and Training Scheme with the objective to promote environmental  awareness  among  all  sections  of  the  society  and  to  mobilize  people's participation for conservation of environment. Under the National Green Corps (NGC) programme of the Ministry, about one lakh schools have been identified as Eco-clubs, wherein,  nearly  thirty  lakh  students  are  actively  participating  in  various  environment protection and conservation activities, including the issues related to the air pollution.
-  Ministry is promoting peoples participation and awareness building among citizens for environmental  conservation  that  focus  on  promotion  of  cycling,  saving  water  and electricity, growing trees, proper maintenance of vehicles, following of lane discipline and reducing congestion on roads by car pooling etc.
-  For field feedback on air polluting activities in Delhi and major NCR towns, 46 teams of  Central Pollution Control Board have been deployed since October 7, 2019.
-  The initiatives taken by the Government for the abatement and control of air pollution in Delhi and NCR since 2016 have bore good results. As  per  Continuous  Ambient  Air Quality  Monitoring  Stations  (CAAQMS)  data,  the  number  of  'Good',  'Satisfactory', and 'Moderate' days has progressively increased to 159 in 2018, as compared to 152 in 2017 and 106 in 2016, and the number of 'Poor', 'Very Poor' and 'Severe' days has reduced to 206, compared to 213 in 2017 and 246 in 2016. In Delhi, reduction in PM2.5 levels in 2018 is 7.3% over 2017 and 14.8% over 2016. In Delhi, reduction in PM10 levels in 2018 is 8.6% over 2017 and 16.5% over 2016.

There is overall improvement in air quality of Delhi in 2019 (From Jan 2019 18th November, 2019) successively since 2016. Number of 'Good' to 'Moderate' days increased to 175 in 2019, as compared to 158 in 2018, and number of 'Poor' to 'Severe' days reduced to 147, compared to 164 in 2018.

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