'NCAP must have sectoral targets and interim milestones'

NEW DELHI: The NCAP must have sectoral targets and interim milestones, asserted the environmentalists. NCAP is a project where the Centre and states would work together to fight against pollution.

"After missing multiple timelines since last December, we hope at least this time National Clean Air Programme will be announced. NCAP announcement will be a big achievement since not a single monitored location in the country complies with safe limits prescribed by WHO for air pollution and more than 80% locations registering pollution levels beyond Indian standards, making air pollution a national health emergency," said Sunil Dahiya, an environmentalist.

He explained that NCAP must have Sectoral target- which is a concern that the government has said that specific sectoral targets are not envisaged in NCAP. For effective NCAP, it needs to have a sectoral target with clear timelines for pollution/emission load reduction for next 3 years, 5 years and 10 years so that effective targeted absolute reduction in pollution levels are achieved across the country in a systematic and coordinated way.

The experts also said that NCAP must have emission reduction targets of 35% in three years and 50% in next five years as communicated by Dr Harsh Vardhan earlier this year.

Approximately 76,000 premature deaths could have been averted if the coal power plants in India would have complied to the emission norms notified by the Centre in 2015. NCAP must include the deadlines given by the Supreme Court for implementation of the thermal power plants and ensure that monitoring if the implementation takes place to ensure time bound implementation.