International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies (Swachh Vayu Diwas) was observed on September 7, 2024, in Jaipur. A. The event was marked by the presentation of the Swachh Vayu Survekshan Awards, which recognize cities for their air quality management under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). B. The occasion was graced by prominent figures including Union Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Chief Minister of Rajasthan.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Video Presentation:
    • A video highlighted the NCAP program's progress, featuring improvements in air quality across 131 NCAP cities.
    • Positive results include declining air pollution trends in 95 cities, with 51 cities showing over a 20% reduction in PM10 levels since the base year 2017-18.
    • 21 of these cities achieved a reduction of more than 40%.
  • Document Release:
    • The 'Compendium on Viable Technologies and Practices: Lessons from NCAP Cities' was released.
    • It showcases successful initiatives by cities to improve air quality based on local contexts.
  • Tree Plantation:
    • As part of the "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" campaign, 100 saplings were planted at the ‘Matri Van’ in Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre.
  • Awards Presentation:
    • Category-1 (Population over 10 Lakhs): Surat, Jabalpur, and Agra
    • Category-2 (Population between 3 and 10 Lakhs): Firozabad, Amravati, and Jhansi
    • Category-3 (Population under 3 Lakhs): Raebareli, Nalgonda, and Nalagarh
  • Municipal Commissioners of the winning cities received cash prizes, trophies, and certificates.

ABOUT THE AWARD

  • Purpose: An initiative by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to rank cities based on their implementation of city action plans and air quality improvements under NCAP.
  • Guidelines: Released in September 2022, aiming to rank 130 cities on their progress in reducing air pollution by up to 40% by 2025-26.
  • OBJECTIVES:
    • Implement measures to control and reduce air pollution.
    • Strengthen air quality monitoring.
    • Increase public awareness and capacity building.

NATIONAL CLEAN AIR PROGRAM

  • Objectives:
    • Implement measures to control and reduce air pollution.
    • Strengthen air quality monitoring.
    • Increase public awareness and capacity building.
Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Award, 2024 explained for UPSC
  • LAUNCHED: January 2019, aiming to improve air quality through city-specific action plans.
  • Funding: ?10,422.73 crore allocated by the

TARGETS

  • It seeks to reduce concentration of PM by 40%. (Earlier PM 10 and PM 2.5 by at least 20% to 30% by 2024) with 2017 as the base year for comparison.
  • It is being implemented in targeted 131 cities which did not confirm to National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) consecutively for five years.
  • The country’s current annual safe limits for PM2.5 and PM10 are 40 ug/m3 (micrograms/per cubic metre) and 60 ug/m3.

PERFORMANCE & CHALLENGES

  • Achievements:
    • Establishment of PRANA portal for air pollution regulation.
    • Operational 531 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS).
  • Challenges:
    • Inconsistent implementation by states and delays in CAAP
    • Lack of standard operating procedures and underutilization of allocated funds.
    • Shortfalls in manual and rural monitoring stations.