Friday 03 September 2010 Government 2.0: The Road Ahead
India revises air quality standards

The revised ambient air quality standards provide a legal framework for the control of air pollution and the protection of public health

New Delhi: With pollution level rising across the country, India on Wednesday revised the national ambient air quality standards after 15 years.

"We have notified the ambient air quality standards in India which is equivalent to the European level and exceeds the standard prevalent in the US," Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said.

The revised ambient air quality standards provide a legal framework for the control of air pollution and the protection of public health and any citizen can approach the court demanding better air quality, reports IANS.

Under the revised National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), 12 pollutants will be measured compared to six in the previous to calculate the level of air pollution.

The revised NAAQS notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) have been prepared by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in consultation with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.

"The most important part of the revised standards is that distinctions between industrial and residential areas have been removed. Now, industries have to conform to the same standards as residential areas and will be compelled to take necessary measures to check air pollution," Ramesh said.

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Enforcement is the second step and without this step the first step is of no use. Regards

This is a very very possitive deccesion taken by the Government of India, but it will require more untiring efforts from the ministry to implement these measures and to ensure that the norms laid down are followed inch by inch. Moreover, I also feel some strigent actions are required by the Government to check the encroachments on preserved areas if they really have to protect the reamining green belt of the nation.

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