Against the backdrop of the challenges outlined in each sector, this pollution source-wise comprehensive action plan has been developed for industrial town of Durgapur. Keeping in view the air pollution reduction targets in the city detailed strategies have been identified to indicate the nature, scale, scope and depth of action needed for effective reduction to make an impact overtime. In view of this instead of listing only broad action points, detailed indicators and action points have been included for all sectors to guide implementation.
This plan has integrated and built on the on-going action and action plans of the state government in each sector that are already underway. Action plan has also been improved further based on emerging good practices. In several sectors good practices have emerged that need to be leveraged and aligned to meet the clean air objective. This creates a good template for upscaling and replication in other cities. This action plan has integrated all ongoing efforts to chart the roadmap.
Special care has been taken to ensure that sufficient indicators are included in the plan itself to indicate the nature and scope of the strategies outlined for each sector that are needed for implementation to make an effective impact. For instance, often it is not clear how different aspects of transportation and urban planning are linked with air pollution control. It is important to ensure that clean air action plan ensures convergence of planning for road building, public transport infrastructure and non-motorized transport planning to guarantee that people-oriented design is integrated all across to prevent lock in of pollution in the infrastructure itself. Similarly, actions in renewable energy sector, urban forestry and a plethora of clean energy and industrial emissions management strategies have been integrated.
Alignment of inter-sectoral action will be critical to leverage the available resources of funding for maximum impact. In all sectors—transport, industry, power plants, construction industry, municipal solid waste management, air quality monitoring, road building and traffic management—budgetary resources have been earmarked for investment, or, investments from other private or bilateral sources are coming in. If these investments are better informed and aligned with this clean air action planning process and objective, significant change at a scale is possible.
This plan also opens up the opportunity for developing fiscal strategies based on polluter pay principle to generate additional resources for funding of the plan. For instance, in other cities such as Delhi, fiscal measures such as environment compensation charge on trucks, big diesel cars and diesel fuel have helped to create dedicated funds that are now available for pollution control efforts. Such measures can be adopted to top up the resource needs in addition to the state and central government funding. In areas where the action depends on private sector participation and investments the detailed guidelines under this plan can guide such investment. This plan has identified the agencies responsible for implementation of each action point and has also indicated the timeline for implementation. This can be monitored for reporting and compliance.
Source-wise clean air action plan and compliance strategy for Durgapur to meet clean air standards. The following table indicates the short, medium, and long-term action along with agencies responsible.
Based on the National Air Quality Index Graded Response Action Plan has been framed for daily response to air quality changes. This has predefined the set of measures to be taken for different air quality categories—satisfactory, moderate, poor, very poor, severe, and emergency. Once notified these measures will come into force automatically. Available data shows that in most non- compliant cities, barring hotspot areas in industrial cities, the daily levels vary between moderate to poor; sometime touching the very poor level. The GRAP measures will be implemented accordingly. GRAP also includes the advisory for people to take precaution for self-protection.
For proper implementation and oversight the high-powered committee will coordinate with the city level authorities in each of the six non-compliant city for direction, compliance monitoring, and reporting. Each concerned department in a city will appoint a high level officer as a nodal official for coordination, implementation, and periodic reporting.
Grand Trunk Rd, Near Bus Stand, City Center, Durgapur, West Bengal 713216
http://durgapurmunicipalcorporation.in/
2546107