State to initiate action plans to curb pollution

State to initiate action plans to curb pollution

Mangalore Today News Network

February 8: A senior government official has informed press people that the state government is working on an air quality atlas for Karnataka to locate the pollution hotspots of the state as well as gain information about the pollution levels there. This is a joint initiative of the Ecology and Environment Department of Karnataka and the Karnataka State Pollution Board. 

Kanwerpal, the department secretary, said that the plan encompasses a move to identify the pollution hotspots of Karnataka, enabling various departments under the State Implementation Plan to act upon the condition and intervene in a bid to reduce the pollution levels of those areas. 

At an All India workshop on “Urban Air Pollution and Forecasting,” Kanwerpal said that the department is working hand-in-hand with KSPCD. He said that an index will be created on 12 pollutants to enhance public awareness of the quality of the air they breathe. 

He also informed that the Union Government has declared 88 industrial sites in India, including Mangalore, Bhadrawati, Peenya, Raichur, and Bidar, as being the most polluted areas. The industrial hubs of Mangalore and Bhadrawathi are considered “critically polluted.” 

Kanwerpal said that a moratorium stating that there will be no industrialization and environmental clearance of any kind for a period of 8 months has been declared in these five polluted areas. He also said that the state has initiated action plans to deal with the pollution.