Bhubaneswar, 26th May: SwitchON Foundation organized a city chapter meet at Bhubaneswar,Odisha to provide an overview on the city’s Clean Air policy and come out with an action plan for mitigating air pollution and climate crisis by engaging different stakeholders. The meet was attended by National and Regional level NGO’s, Govt. Officials, Urban local bodies, academicians and volunteers at large.
An info brief was launched by SwitchON Foundation on the Clean Air Action Plan in Bhubaneswar. It stated that as per Clean Air Action Plan, Bhubaneswar, 2018, Bhubaneswar has the highest vehicle stock with two-wheelers dominating the fleet and the highest number of private cars contributing to around 27% of the vehicular emission for PM 2.5 which is the highest in the city followed by residential pollution and dust.
According to the Portal for Regulation of Air Pollution in Non-Attainment Cities, CPCB the air quality of Bhubaneswar has been unhealthy since 2017. Between 2018 and 2020, the PM10 standards have been above the NAAQS permissible level (up to 103 ug/m3). The air quality of Bhubaneswar is ‘unhealthy’ to date ( up to 95 ug/m3).
SwitchON Foundation has formed ‘Odisha CAN’ which is a network of national and regional organizations, trusts, clubs and volunteer groups. Through this forum, SwitchON aims to create a mechanism in Odisha which will be a coalition of empowered local power structures, influencers, and community leaders to fight air pollution.
Vinay Jaju, MD SwitchON Foundation said, “There is a need for stringent implementation of the City Clean Air Policy bringing together different stakeholders of the city. Change is only possible through collaboration, engagement and communication.”
The objective behind the City Chapter Meet is to engage different stakeholders and work together in partnership mode towards a sustainable society. The primary idea is to engage the Organizations to take up activities in collaboration with SwithON and implement the project through participatory planning. This meet aims to develop a real time communication channel for integrating various responses from different stakeholders for rapid Action Response during crisis hours – including information dissemination plans on social media about pollution levels, contact details of control rooms and enabling reporting.
Dr. Hadibandhu Panigrahi, Sr. Environmental Scientist, Odisha Pollution Control Board said, “SwitchON Foundation is doing a praise-worthy job by creating a city chapter where multiple stakeholders come together to find innovative solutions and take concrete actions to improve air quality and protect public health. As government officials, we are committed to supporting this effort and working with all stakeholders to create a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future for life.”
25 organizations came together for the city Chapter meet. National NGOs like Ruchika Social Service Organization, Society for Children, Views India, DSS, NYK etc. attended the meet. The organizations discussed and debated on the City’s Clean Air Policy and came up with an Annual Action Plan.
Dr. Benudhar Senapati from Ruchika Social Service Organization said, “As partners, we believe that by collaborating with SwitchON Foundation we can pool our resources and expertise, and make a real difference in improving the air quality and protecting public health.”
Media Dossier
Contact: Vinay Jaju | M: +91 9331178105 | Email: VJ@SwitchON.org.in
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