Air pollution in 13 Andhra Pradesh cities to be cut

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) has prepared an Action Plan to reduce air pollution within 13 municipal towns of the state. Under it, average annual level of PM10 will be brought down from 70–80 microgram per cubic metre to less than 60 microgram per cubic metre in next five years concluding 2025–26. These towns are district headquarters and part of 132 non-attainment cities in the country.

APPCB chairman Aswini Kumar Parida said Andhra University will assist towns of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Rajamahendravaram, Kakinada and Eluru in this regard, while IIT-Tirupati will help out Vijayawada, Guntur, Ongole, Nellore and Tirupati. National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), Tirupati, will deal with municipal towns of Chittoor, Anantapura, Kadapa and Kurnool. The three organisations will undertake studies to identify hotspots and carrying capacity of towns concerned.

The board has prepared city-level action plans involving municipalities / municipal corporations and transport, industry and agriculture departments for implementing all micro-level interventions. There will be close monitoring by implementation committees headed by respective district collectors. Funds available under different government schemes in urban sectors will be dovetailed with resources of municipalities and corporations to execute pollution-control plans.

Parida said CSR funds available with local industries will also be utilised, while the state government will provide Rs. 639 crore as gap funding during the next five years till 2025–26. Rs 274 crore is being earmarked for Visakhapatnam and Rs232 crore for Vijayawada. Of Rs 639 crore, Rs 506 crore are XVth Finance Commission grants for Vizag and Vijayawada. Rs133 crore will be provided out of National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) for the remaining 11 municipal towns. Massive environment awareness campaigns will be undertaken involving youth, communities and civil society organisations.

APPCB has appealed to all industries within the state to make available their CSR funds for the Clean Air Andhra Pradesh (CAAP) programme. This way they can become part of Ecosystem Restoration process for providing clean air to people in municipal towns close to their industries.