The Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED) organised a national conference to foster regional cooperation and to encourage an information-sharing mechanism to combat the deadly air pollution existing in the Indo-Gangetic region.
The conference ‘Cities’ Dialogue: Air Pollution Abatement and Role of City Administration' aimed to start an inter-city dialogue for effective coordination to develop a response plan for air pollution abatement was organised here on Monday focusing on two cities.
It rolled out a platform for experience-sharing among the city of Ranchi and Lucknow to help assess the capacity of a local administration to tackle air pollution issues through urban planning. Asha Lakra, Mayor of Ranchi and Sanyukta Bhatia, Mayor of Lucknow, along with other guest speakers from various industries, environmental experts, scientists, academicians, media and doctors attended the conference.
Highlighting some points about the quality of air in Ranchi, Asha Lakra said, “Although Ranchi is not completely influenced by the outbreak of air pollution, it is still a major health hazard in the present times and we should not wait for a day when wearing oxygen masks will become a common trend among the masses. Ranchi Municipal Corporation is moving towards a major change with e-rickshaws being introduced in the city. A number of the existing city buses and auto-rickshaws that run on diesel and petrol are being connected with CNG with intent to turn the city into an eco-friendly smart city.”
In an attempt to control air pollution, people are being encouraged to use public transport and opt for car pooling. A Forest Conservation Committee has also been formed to prevent the erosion of forests in Jharkhand while as per the central government’s Amrut Scheme; parks are also being built in each ward of the city. “As part of the Ujjwala scheme, the government has replaced coal and charcoal with LPG and the state government has distributed several ‘chulhas’ across the state,” she further added.
Sanyukta Bhatia Mayor of Lucknow said that the government of Uttar Pradesh is already working in tandem with the national government to develop a long-term plan to improve the air quality in a sustainable way and also appreciated the effort of CEED to initiate a cities' dialogue to improve the air quality in the region.
Abhishek Pratap, Program Director, CEED said, “The conference has brought together two cities on a single platform to share their vision and to devise strategic solutions to ensure cleaner air to breathe.” The expert panel recommended a regional approach for air pollution control and city-specific intervention to clean up the nation’s air to be implemented as a matter of urgency.