New Delhi: Six cities in Odisha have been included under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), a webiner on International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies mentioned.
The six cities in Odisha are Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Angul, Talcher, Balasore and Rourkela.
The death rate due to air pollution is reportedly similar here compared to Delhi at 65.3 per 1 lakh population.
Speaking at the programme, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Centre is committed to reduce air pollution levels in 122 cities.
A brochure on integrated measures to combat air pollution under NCAP was also launched during this webinar.
Air Quality Index (AQI) monitoring was setup in 2014. It uses 8 parameters like PM2.5, PM10 and others to track the pollution level.
Javadekar explained how measures such as BS-VI emission norms are helping reduce pollution. He highlighted the importance of adopting electric vehicles, public transport and recommended using zig-zag technology in brick kilns to reduce pollution.
In January 2019, The environment ministry had launched NCAP with a target of reducing air pollution levels by 20 to 30 per cent reduction in terms of PM10 and PM2.5 levels by 2024.
