BENGALURU: Even after spending a whopping Rs 427.43 crore, Bengaluru fails to meet prescribed air quality standards under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). The city had received Rs 541.1 crore under the 15th Finance Commission’s Million-plus City Challenge Fund, of which 79% has been utilised so far for air-quality improvement.
Replying to a question by Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) Kirti Vardhan Singh on Monday stated that Bengaluru has been classified as a “non-attainment city” under NCAP, indicating that it has not met the prescribed national air quality standards. As part of the programme, a source apportionment study was conducted to identify major pollution sources and guide mitigation strategies.
The city’s action plan focuses on road dust control, management of construction and demolition activities, decongestion of traffic junctions, greening of open spaces and medians, and promotion of clean mobility. Authorities have also deployed mechanical road sweeping machines and introduced mitigation measures at identified pollution hotspots, Singh said.
The response also added that nine high-emission zones have been identified in the city, and targeted action plans have been prepared to address pollution sources in these areas.
To oversee the implementation of the measures, a City-level Monitoring and Implementation Committee, chaired by the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru, has been formed. A State-level Monitoring Committee, headed by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department, is also monitoring the programme, the Ministry stated.
The state government has also prepared an Emergency Response Plan for Bengaluru to tackle severe pollution episodes with graded response measures depending on the level of air pollution.
Additionally, PC Mohan said that Bengaluru monitors air quality through 26 stations, including 11 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) operated by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). Data is shared through Central
Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) SAMEER app and daily Air Quality Index (AQI) bulletin. PM10 levels have fallen 21.7% and further added that no ‘bad AQI’ days have been recorded recently.