KOCHI: Kochi will have a "green belt" around it if the city administration has the will to implement an environment management programme under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) project.

The Kochi Corporation authorities are likely to adopt the recommendations made by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for environmental protection in the Greater Kochi Region while initiating the latest project, sources said.

The programme has been envisaged as a two-way process. It includes pollution control near the source as to attenuate the concentration of pollutants and regulation near the receptor for mitigating pollution exposure of sensitive receptors.

Reduction in industrial and vehicular emissions, organised and controlled refuse burning wherever applicable and plantation of trees are some of the major recommendations included in the carrying capacity study in the Greater Kochi Region.

The study coordinated by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has recommended installation of additional control devices to reduce emission from various processes in industrial units. It has suggested evolving a land-use plan evaluation, cleaner technology and fuel gas treatment for reducing air pollution by vehicles.

Emission norms

Strict adherence to vehicular emission standards, use of good quality fuel and proper traffic management are some of the other technological and management suggestions forwarded by the investigating agencies involved in the study.

The study has recommended plantation of trees along heavy traffic avenues and along major industrial estates in the region. Trees, according to the study, help a lot in attenuating the impact of pollution.

According to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Greater Kochi Region needs more trees, especially along heavy traffic avenues and along major industrial estates. Species suitable for pollution control, and preferably indigenous, fast growing and self-rejuvenating ones, should be chosen for this purpose.

Plant species suitable for pollution control should be selected after conducting scientific studies.

Experts have suggested that the location of industries should be uniformly distributed in the region for maintaining uniform quality of air.

It would be better to locate the industries in the southern part of the region for ensuring uniform level distribution of emission.

Many industrial units in Ernakulam feature in the category of "major air polluting industries". In the transportation sector, all major transportation corridors, particularly in urban areas, have been listed in the critical zone category.

The two-wheelers have been listed as main culprits in high emission.

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