Prakash Javadekar stresses on importance of people's cooperation in reducing air pollution

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar yesterday said, government has taken a number of steps to tackle air pollution. 

In a Facebook Live event last evening, Mr Javadekar said, pollution is an issue in every country and the chief causes of pollution in India pertain to traffic, industries, waste management, dust and stubble burning. He said, the problem of pollution cannot be solved in a day and continuous effort is required to tackle each contributing factor.

 

Mr Javadekar said, the government took the huge decision to implement BS-VI in the country which will lead to decrease of pollution. He further said that from now only BS VI vehicles will be available in the markets as they reduce pollution as compared to BS IV.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said the transition to BS-VI standard is another revolutionary step in mitigation of vehicular pollution. In a tweet, Mr Javadekar said BS-VI fuel reduces Nitrogen Oxide emission by 70 per cent in diesel cars, by 25 per cent in petrol cars and reduces particulate matter in vehicles by 80 per cent.

 

He said, metros and CNG buses have contributed in bringing down pollution levels. He



added that e-buses and metros are coming up in all major cities which cause zero pollution. The Minister said over 2 lakh e-vehicles are being used in India currently. He said e-vehicles are becoming popular and he himself uses an e-vehicle.

 

The Minister stressed that people's cooperation is extremely important and everyone can contribute in reducing pollution. The Minister said, whenever possible, people should use bicycles or walk to their destinations. He also asked people to plant more trees as increased tree cover aids in reducing pollution. He stated that around 15 thousand sq km area has been converted into tree cover in the last five years.

Mr Javadekar said, Narendra Modi government had launched the national air quality index in 2014 which is another important step to address pollution. He said, acceptance of a problem is the first step towards finding a solution. He also asked people to download the SAMEER app which provides s on air pollution.

 

He said, the app gives complete information about the polluted areas in various cities across the country and identifies areas having heavy pollution with a red mark.