Workshop on air quality management held in Jalandhar
A capacity-building workshop on air quality management was organised under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) at Hotel Ramada
in Jalandhar.
The workshop was conducted under the guidance of Dr Krunesh Garg, chief environmental engineer, Jalandhar.
The NCAP is a national initiative by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, Government of India, aimed at reducing air pollution in 131 most polluted cities across the country.
Jalandhar city is one of the nine cities in Punjab selected under the NCAP, alongside Ludhiana, Amritsar, Khanna, Mandi Gobindgarh, Dera Baba Nanak, Dera Bassi, Naya Nangal and Patiala. The city has received an allocation of Rs 45 crore from the Centre under this initiative to reduce air pollution and improve air quality.
The workshop saw participation from officers of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Municipal Corporation Jalandhar, Traffic Police, Department of Forests, Department of Transport, and representatives from key air-polluting industries in the city.
Topics covered included the effects of dust emissions from roads, vehicular pollution, industrial sources, and the burning of solid waste. Strategies for reducing suspended particulate matter (SPM) levels in the city were discussed, along with measures to accelerate progress in improving air quality.
Dr Garg concluded the event with a detailed lecture on the activities carried out by the PPCB to control air pollution in the state. He emphasised the critical need to eliminate use of single-use plastics and urged all departments to take concrete actions to reduce pollution levels in Jalandhar. He also called upon the Municipal Corporation to take proactive measures for effective solid waste management.
