While Guwahati’s air quality is still not alarmingly polluted, monitoring and dissemination of information on the same has become imperative for the better health of the city.
International non-governmental organisation (NGO) Clean Air Asia (CAA) has proposed to set up a low-cost system to monitor air pollution in Guwahati and make the data accessible to all, according to officials.
This has been done with a view to encourage public engagement with respect to air pollution data. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has partnered with CAA to tackle the menace of air pollution.
The monitoring system would help the residents to become conscious about the air quality in their city and to be able to take action. During our meeting, GMC officials had also emphasised on the need for sensitising people with regard to the air quality index in the city,” said CAA’s India director, Prarthana Borah.
With this monitoring system, city residents would have the information on the quality of air on a day-to-day basis and would know if they should avoid going out on a day with particularly poor air quality index.
A GMC official told G Plus that they have emphasised on involving the public for action on air pollution since the knowledge and awareness among people is still not adequate.
Guwahati has been chosen to implement the air action plan initiative under which several measures will be undertaken by the GMC to improve the air quality index.
Authorities informed that Guwahati was one of the 30 cities across India where an assessment was done based on the guidelines as prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India with regard to air quality levels.
Further, Guwahati was chosen to implement the air action plan since it did not meet all of the CPCB’s guidelines.
For the air action plan initiative, CAA was entrusted with the responsibility to prepare a draft road map with concrete measures to curb air pollution, informed GMC officials.
The NGO has now submitted its final proposals and currently discussions are ongoing between GMC and CAA officials regarding the implementation of various measures.
Further, an agreement finalising the proposals will soon be signed between the two parties.
“If we get some donors to support the project, we can help set up a low cost monitoring network, then assess the data and use it for public engagement. We can help the GMC to use the data in a proactive way,” added Borah.
CAA, with its headquarters in Manila, works in the field of bettering air quality in Asian cities and began its operations in India two years ago.
Links between waste management and air pollution
Since solid waste management has been a primary cause of concern for the GMC for long, it is another focus area where CAA would be aiding the municipal corporation.
In their report to the GMC, CAA officials have also looked at the connection between air quality and waste.
"We have studied the quality and type of waste which is generated in the city and its link to the environment and pollution. We can see the links between air quality and waste and maybe help the GMC through capacity building and other measures,” mentioned Borah.
The city generates close to 500 metric tonnes of solid waste per day. The civic body has leased out the responsibility of primary garbage collection and street sweeping in all 31 wards to different NGOs. New tenders were issued in August end last year after the term of previously working NGOs had expired. The NGOs were chosen after the fresh tenders and took charge from the beginning of September.
However, due to lack of coordination between the NGOs and GMC, waste collection has been irregular in certain localities.
Further, the burning of garbage is also a contributor in worsening the air pollution scenario.
Apart from the focus areas of public engagement and waste management, CAA has also proposed a long term three-year plan with scientific studies from the perspective of policy for bringing down air pollution.
Need participation from all stakeholders: Experts
Experts working in this field are of the opinion that even though Guwahati’s pollution levels have not reached an alarming stage yet, it is imperative to take measures to maintain a good air quality index especially keeping in mind the fragile ecology of the place.
“We need to take continuous measures to keep air pollution in check. Since pollution affects every citizen, participation from all stakeholders is required for effective implementation of policies,” said DN Das, chief environmental engineer at Pollution Control Board of Assam.
According to a report by the Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC), the air quality monitoring station at Bamunimaidam revealed the presence of respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) well above the prescribed limit since 2008.
The presence of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen was, however, within the permissible limits at all the monitoring stations.
The report goes on to say that Guwahati has one of the highest black carbon pollution levels in the country which is due to rapid urbanization and poor environment quality control.
