DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Chief Secretary T V S N Prasad on Monday said the state government will soon roll out a Rs 10,000-crore project funded by the World Bank to address air pollution. The Haryana Clean Air Project for Sustainable Development will be implemented in the state in a phased manner with the first phase being implemented in the districts falling in the National Capital Region (NCR) and replication in entire

state later, he said.

The announcement was made in a meeting of the governing committee of Haryana Clean Air Project for Sustainable Development held under the chairmanship of the chief secretary here on Monday, according to an official statement. Prasad said this ten-year comprehensive project would be funded by the World Bank.

Underlining the significance of the project, Prasad emphasised the need of collective efforts by all stakeholders to eliminate the problem of air pollution. It was informed by the officials in the meeting that the project has three focus areas aimed at comprehensively addressing air pollution, the statement said.

The initial phase involves enhancements to Haryana's air quality monitoring infrastructure. This encompasses the establishment of a cutting-edge laboratory and the modernisation of four existing ones. Additionally, a dedicated programme management unit will be established to oversee the project's implementation, it added. The initiative also includes training programmes for stakeholders engaged in air quality management, the release said.

"Recognising the multifaceted sources of air pollution, the project allocates the bulk of its resources to directly address the issues of transportation, industry, construction and road dust, biomass burning and household pollution through sectoral interventions," the statement read.

The project targets promoting cleaner vehicles on roads by electrifying public transportation fleets for intra-city and inter-city travel. It aims to incentivise the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) for private use, especially three-wheelers and four-wheeler taxis.

To phase out older, more polluting vehicles, higher incentives would be offered for scrapping them in exchange for EVs. Additionally, a model for setting up automated testing stations (ATS) will be designed to monitor vehicle health, the statement said.

As part of the project, industries will also be encouraged to operate on clean energy by providing them financial incentives to switch to clean fuels for boilers and promoting the use of cleaner diesel generator sets through retrofitting or purchasing generators that comply with stricter emission standards.

Addressing the significant contribution of this sector to air pollution, initiatives will focus on increasing green spaces in urban areas through the establishment of biodiversity parks and green belts. The project also aims to combat stubble burning by promoting in-situ crop residue management practices. This involves raising awareness about the benefits of bio-decomposers to accelerate the decomposition of crop residue, reducing the need

for burning.

Prasad said the Haryan government has taken significant strides in strengthening its institutions for air quality measurement and monitoring.Four state sample-testing laboratories have been established in the state. Apart from this, 29 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQM) stations and 39 Manual Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (MAAQM) stations are operational in different districts, he added.
(editor@dailyworld.in)