The State of Global Air 2019 Report from a study conducted by US based Health Effects Institute states that China and India together were responsible for over half of the total global attributable deaths, with both countries facing over 1.2 million early deaths from all air pollution in 2017. Indian citizens across the country, and especially in and around the national capital are facing huge adverse health impacts due to this crisis.
The Indian government launched the National Clean Air Program in January 2019 to mitigate air pollution and match the ambient air quality standards in a prescribed time frame. The NCAP, formulated under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change mandates States to prepare action plans for 102 non-attainment cities to enable mitigation on priority.
Parisar is pushing for formulation of the plan and is actively engaging with the Pune Municipal Corporation and liasoning with other stakeholders to start off the process. Having worked in transportation sector for over two decades and gained experience and expertise, Parisar is able to give crucial inputs in areas where action needs to be taken to reduce vehicular emissions. Parisar’s long standing demand for a robust public transportation as well as a non-motorised transport system for the city aligns well with the mitigation measures for air pollution. Parisar aims to campaign for various demands which help to further the cause of improved air quality for the city. Parisar is networking with several groups working on Air Pollution across the country and advocating policies that are best suited to the city of Pune.