Lok Sabha Question No. 1013 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-08
Subject: Pollution due to Urbanisation
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Asked by: Mahesh Sahoo

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1013

TO BE ANSWERED ON FEBRUARY 08, 2024

## POLLUTION DUE TO URBANISATION

NO. 1013.

SHRI MAHESH SAHOO:

Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the fact that urbanisation is leading to
- increased pollution in cities and towns;
- (b) if so, the steps taken/being taken by the Government to address the situation in collaboration with other agencies; and
- (c) whether  the  Government  is  considering  bringing  changes  in  construction materials and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE

## MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI KAUSHAL KISHORE)

- (a) to  (c)  :  India  is  undergoing  rapid  urbanization.  It  is  estimated  that  its urban population will almost double by 2050. While urbanization is positively correlated with economic growth and it is estimated that our cities contribute close to 2/3 rd  of the country's GDP, rapid pace of urbanization does come with

In  order  to  deal  with  such  environmental  challenges,  the  revised  National Mission  for  Sustainable  Habitat  (NMSH)  was  launched  by  the  Ministry  of Housing  and  Urban  Affairs  (MoHUA)  in  2021.  NMSH  is  one  of  the  eight National Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) post the Paris Agreement. The Mission targets goals in 5 broad areas - water and  wastewater  management;  waste  management;  mobility  and  air  quality; energy and green buildings; and urban planning, green cover and bio-diversity.

In order to meet these goals, MoHUA works with States and cities on a series of programs. While Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban (SBM-U) 2.0 is focused on improving  sanitation  and  waste  management  practices  across  urban  India, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 is aimed at  ensuring  good  quality  water  supply  and  better  sewage  and  septage management.  The  Smart  Cities  Mission  (SCM)  has  not  only  promoted  nonmotorized transport, walkability and cyclability, it has also made significant interventions in renewable sources of energy, electric mobility, green spaces development,  and  in  managing  environmental  pollution.  Metro  Rail  is  either operational  or  under  construction  in  27  cities  of  the  country.  MoHUA  has recently  launched  the  PM-eBUS  Sewa  scheme  to  introduce  10,000  electric buses in more than 100 cities.

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Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in January 2019 as a long-term, timebound, national level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem across the country  in  a  comprehensive  manner.  NCAP,  covering  132  cities,  targets  to achieve 20% to 30% reduction in concentrations of PM10 (particulate matter of diameter between 10 and 2.5 micrometer) and PM2.5 (particulate matter of diameter 2.5 micrometer or less) by the year 2024, keeping 2017 as the base year for comparison of concentration.

The 15th Finance Commission has recommended providing grants specifically aimed at air quality improvement in Million Plus Cities/ Urban Agglomerations with more than MillionPlus population (MPCs/ UAs), allocated ₹ 12,139 crore for FY 2021-22 to 2025-26. These funds are allocated to all MPCs/UAs of the States except for Kannur, Kochi, Kollam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thiruvananthapuram, and Thrissur in Kerala and, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu as ambient air quality is not a major problem in these eight UAs. MoEF&CC is responsible  for  monitoring  the  progress  and  allocating  funds  based  on performance, with the Ministry of Finance directly releasing the funds to State Governments.  Grants  are  to  be  distributed  based  on  improvements  in  air quality, particularly focusing on the reduction of PM-10 and PM-2.5 levels.

Apart  from  its  national  programs,  MoHUA  has  launched  the  ClimateSmart Cities  Assessment  Framework  (CSCAF)  to  help  improve  the  performance  of cities on climate parameters. 226 cities are part of the ongoing 3 rd  cycle of the assessment exercise.

The  Building  Materials  and  Technology  Promotion  Council  (BMTPC),  an autonomous organization under the aegis of MoHUA is mandated to identify, evaluate  and  promote  emerging  construction  systems  suiting  different  geoclimatic conditions of the country.  The Technology Sub-Mission (TSM) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban (PMAY-U) Mission envisages to facilitate the  adoption  of  modern,  innovative  and  green  technologies  and  building materials for faster and quality construction of houses. Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has also published Schedule of rates for new technologies with an objective to give impetus to their use.

MoHUA has established various strategic partnerships with Multilateral/Bilateral  agencies,  partner  organizations  in  these  fields  to  bring together  diverse  skills,  strengths,  and  resources  for  implementing  projects, sharing knowledge & good practices, and scaling up transformative action to prevent environmental pollution in the country.

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