India will achieve reduction of PM10 concentrations up to 40 percent by 2025-26: Ashwini Choubey

New Delhi: Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey has said steps are being taken to achieve the reductions up to 40 percent of PM 10 concentrations by 2025-26 under the National Clean Air Programme.

In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, the Minister said under the Programme, cities are required to take measures to improve air quality inter-alia include solid waste management, control of pollution from biomass burning and air pollution from construction and demolition activities.

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in January, 2019, with an aim to improve air quality in 131 cities (non-attainment cities and Million Plus Cities in 24 States by engaging all stakeholders.

The Minister said government also provides financial assistance to States/ UTs under National Ambient Air Quality Programme (NAMP) for monitoring of ambient air quality in towns and cities.

Presently 1340 Monitoring Stations have been set up for monitoring ambient air quality in 489 cities and towns of the country.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched the scheme ‘Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban 2.0’ which aims at setting up of setting up of solid waste management processing facilities in 152 cities/towns which includes 131 cities covered under NCAP.

MoEFCC has notified Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 which provide statutory framework for the management of solid waste in the country.

Rules mandate the local authorities and village panchayats of census towns and urban agglomerations, to allow only the non-usable, non-recyclable, non-biodegradable, non-combustible and non-reactive inert waste and pre-processing rejects and residues from waste processing facilities to go to sanitary landfill sites.

Replying over the issues of plastic pollution, the Minister said, to address the issue of plastic pollution with effective measures, MoEFCC notified the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016.

The Ministry has issued notification in August, 2021 for phasing out of 12 Single-Use Plastics (SUP) since1st July, 2022.

“The plastic packaging waste, which is not covered under the phase out of identified single use plastic items, is to be collected and managed in an environmentally sustainable way through Guidelines for Extended Producer Responsibility notified by MoEFCC on 16th February 2022” he said.