MUMBAI, Oct 19 (NNN-PTI) – India is considering plans to cut down particulate matter (PM) concentration, by 20 to 30 percent, in efforts to reduce air pollution, federal Environment Minister, Prakash Javadekar, said yesterday.
The environment ministry, through the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), is taking a holistic approach to reducing air pollution in 122 cities in the country, the minister said.
In India, the major causes of air pollution include emissions from vehicles and industrial activities, dust from construction and demolition sites, biomass burning, poor waste management and stubble burning among others. In particular, plus geographical and meteorological factors, pollution in northern India worsen during winter, he said.
In efforts to reduce air pollution, the minister said, India introduced higher emissions control standards nationwide, in Apr, to cut vehicle pollution.
According to him, as a result, India’s poor-quality air days reduced to 56 in the first nine months this year, compared to 156 in the same period of 2016.– NNN-PTI
