New Delhi, 23 Jan: Urban-centric measures currently employed to combat air pollution overlook rural sources, according to experts, who recommend the creation of regional air quality plans, inspired by successful models in Mexico City and Los Angeles.
\nA collaborative effort between the University of Surrey, England and Delhi\u2019s regional government officials has identified rural sources such as crop burning, wood stoves, and power plants as major contributors to urban smog.
\nProfessor Prashant Kumar, Director of the Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) at the University of Surrey, emphasised that air pollution transcends city boundaries, necessitating a regional approach.
\nA study by Kumar and experts in Delhi stated that current urban-centric measures, such as enhancing public transport or controlling industrial emissions, overlook these rural sources.
\nThe GCARE proposes the creation of regional air quality plans similar to successful models in Mexico City and Los Angeles.
\nTo enhance monitoring, the experts suggest generating \u201csmog forecasts\u201d using satellite technology to detect pollution sources and predict interactions with weather conditions.
\nThe establishment of \u201cAirshed Councils\u201d is also proposed to facilitate coordination among local, regional, and federal agencies. (PTI)
\nOne of the authors of the study, Anwar Ali Khan from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, emphasised the important role of neighbouring states in collaborative action, the need for a scientifically sound action plan, and improved monitoring.
\n\u201cWe need an action plan with a sound scientific basis, and we need better monitoring. This requires cities, governments, and others to work together. A joined-up approach is the only way to defeat this deadly health hazard,\u201d he said.
\nAnother author, Mukesh Khare, Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, highlighted the importance of shifting from city-specific to region-specific emission reduction targets.
\nEstablishing an \u201cairshed\u201d is deemed critical for effective air quality management and planning, he said. PTI<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi, 23 Jan: Urban-centric measures currently employed to combat air pollution overlook rural sources, according to experts, who recommend the creation of regional air quality plans, inspired by successful models in Mexico City and Los Angeles. A collaborative effort between the University of Surrey, England and Delhi\u2019s regional government officials has identified rural sources […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-233139","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-national"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233139\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}