The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Action plan to control air pollution may be shelved

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 22, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Action plan to control air pollution may be shelved

By G. Krishnakumar

KOCHI, JUNE 21. The Air Action Plan formulated by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for Kochi city is likely to be shelved for want of financial assistance from the Government.

The Government has not given its final nod to the project despite the board submitting a detailed plan proposal last year. The action plan that envisages improvement of the public transport system and upgradation of private emission testing centres in the city is likely to be put on hold as the Government has not yet earmarked funds for its implementation during this year, sources said.

The air action plan assumes significance in the wake of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) listing Kochi among highly polluted cities in the country. Kochi was placed 13th in the list of cities with high levels of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) and Respirable Dust Particles (RDP). A study conducted by the CPCB last year had found that emission from vehicles had been one of the major sources of pollution in the city.

The air action plan is the second in the projects to be shelved for want of support from the Government. The board's proposal for implementing the zoning atlas for siting of industries in Ernakulam district could not take off following opposition from various quarters including political parties.

The Centre had also asked the Government to submit a comprehensive action plan for containing air pollution in Kochi on the basis of data obtained through the national ambient air quality monitoring programme initiated by the CPCB. The study found that the air pollution in 26 select cities in the country was "critical". Some of the cities included in the list include Bangalore, Bhopal, Chennai, Dhanbad, Hyderabad, Indore and Jaipur.

It is learnt that the action plan prepared by the Board had recommended to the Government that the improvement of the public transport system would help in reducing the use of private vehicles in the city. The plan had cited that computerised emission checks and periodic inspection of vehicles should be introduced in the city on a regular basis.

The action plan has included a recommendation that the Government should prescribe smoke density standards for petrol vehicles. The board has suggested that the Government notify the emission norms to be implemented in the city.

Sources said the Government had expressed doubts over the feasibility of some of the recommendations made by the Board in its air action plan for Kochi. These include reduction of industrial and vehicular emissions and introduction of a cleaner technology to control pollution. The action plan had recommended organised and controlled refuse burning wherever applicable and plantation of trees to check air pollution in the district.

The action plan has recommended fuel gas treatment for reducing air pollution. The decision to recommend fuel gas treatment was made on the basis of data collected during the carrying capacity study conducted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The draft report of the study submitted last year had found that more than 1.6 lakh two-wheelers were in use in the Greater Kochi Region resulting in high emission levels of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.

The lack of funds for the project has also put on hold the board's decision to purchase two new mobile automobile emission test vehicles for Kochi city. The Board was supposed to have issued a series of recommendations for controlling air pollution in the city on the basis of tests conducted using these mobile testing units.

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