Orientation Workshop on Urban Air Quality and Transportation Challenges in Southern Region: An agenda for action

Venue: Mercure Hyderabad KCP, #6-3-551, Somajiguda, Hyderabad

Date: October 26 (Wednesday)

Time: 9.30 am – 4.00 pm

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) organised an Orientation Workshop on Urban Air Quality and Transportation Challenges in Southern Region: An agenda for action on October 26, 2016 in Hyderabad. The objective of this workshop was to engage with regulators and relevant stakeholders from Southern region - Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala who are involved with framing and implementation of urban air quality and transportation policies and are promoting policy and public awareness to achieve clean air, public health targets and sustainable urban mobility practices. Many cities have already initiated and implemented a variety of measures to reduce air pollution and are progressing to evolve the next generation policy measures. This forum helped to capture the learning from assessment of air quality management capability and clean air action in different cities of India. This will help to inform and evolve strategies for future policy action.

This forum brought together 77 participants including regulators, medical professionals, academia, researchers, civil society groups and media from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The speakers and panelists include Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, CSE; N. Raveendhar, Senior Environmental Scientist, Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB); M. Siva Reddy, Joint Chief Environmental Engineer, Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB); B. M. Prakash and M. N. Yoganand, Environment Officers, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB); P. S. Livingston, District Environmental Officer, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB); C. V. Rajendran, Executive Director (Maintenance and Works), Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC); Gokul Gopalakrishnan, Joint Regional Transport Officer, Motor Vehicles Department, Government of Kerala and M. C. Nanjundappa, Deputy Chief Mechanical Engineer, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). 

The orientation workshop began with a CSE presentation on status of clean air action in cities: setting the agenda in which the dynamic assessment of top to populous cities – Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Jaipur done by CSE was presented. This included the assessment of urban air quality management capability and capacity to implement clean air action plan to meet clean air targets and establish base line of action in cities in terms of air quality monitoring and planning, pollution source and health assessment; clean air action plan to address vehicles technology and fuels; public transport, walk and cycle, restraint on cars; industrial/ power plant sources; dust control in construction and trash burning. The ten cities have been ranked under five stages of progress. The lowest is stage I which is common minimum programme followed by stage II to III indicating intermediate stages based on level of progress and top stage V indicating going beyond best practices and norms to make impact and achieve clean air. Indicators have been developed to define each stage. Based on various indicators and assessment, the cities reached to stage III - air quality monitoring and management (Delhi Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad), public transport (Kolkata Mumbai, Bengaluru), walking and cycling (Chennai and Bengaluru), restraint on personal vehicles (Kolkata, Jaipur and Bengaluru), controlling in-use emissions (Delhi) and dust control from construction (Delhi and Bengaluru). 

The first session was followed by two panel discussions on urban air quality monitoring and management challenges and initiatives and transportation strategies for clean air. The panel discussion on urban air quality monitoring and management challenges and initiatives included panelists from TSPCB, APPCB, KSPCB and TNPCB. Raveendhar presented and shared about the initiatives of TSPCB; Reddy about APPCB; Prakash and Yoganand about KSPCB; and Livingston about TNPCB. The second panel discussion on transportation strategies included panelists Rajendran, who shared about KSRTC challenges and initiatives; Gopalakrishnan on transportation initiatives from Kerala; and Nanjundappa about BMTC. This forum helped to capture the learning from assessment of air quality management capability and clean air action in different cities of India and evolve strategies for future policy action.

For more information, please contact: 

Priyanka Chandola 
Programme Manager 
Right To Clean Air Campaign
Centre for Science and Environment 
Tel: 011 - 29955124 
Mobile: 9810414938 
Fax: 011 – 29955879 
Email: priyanka@cseindia.org