Indian and European air quality experts come together to strategize city Local Action Plans and support the drafting of India's National Air Quality Strategy

Indian and European air quality experts will gather to brainstorm around possible preventive and mitigation actions for air pollution emissions in India, and will strive to find solutions to improve the local air quality, at a two-day conference on the ' EU India Air Quality Initiative' on May 21 & 22, 2018 at Hotel Grand, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. The workshop is being organised by AETS, France along with TERI, and is supported by the European Union (EU) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC). The event will mark the culmination of the three-city workshops organised in 2017 in Goa, Raipur and Bangalore, where the EU shared its best practices and experiences in addressing the issue of air pollution.

The EU is engaging with the Government of India to improve air quality by contributing to the drafting of a national air quality strategy and local action plans, with particular focus on urban settings. Through this project the EU has engaged with the MoEFCC and their executive agencies (CPCB and SPCBs) establishing a positive dialogue in various fields of action in terms of air quality management in India. Pilot cities were selected for development of Local Action Plans aligned with and supported by EU best practices and discussions with officials started to enable the drafting of a national air quality strategy for India. "The impact of air quality on human health is undeniable and I am pleased that the EU is contributing to its improvement", said Ambassador Tomasz Kozlowski before the conference.

In the EU India project, the present status of air quality issues and management has been assessed along with a gap analysis involving key stakeholders in India and mapping opportunities and challenges via use of local knowledge, research institutions, and direct engagement with donors and think-tanks. Three urban cities - Goa Raipur and Bangalore - were selected in consultation with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), using a multi-criteria approach. Training sessions were given to the SPCBs on baseline assessment including emission inventory work and design and implementation of local action plans and associated monitoring schemes. During workshops, efforts were made to showcase best practices, emission control technologies, monitoring and modelling techniques, and sustainable business models by European stakeholders. Finally, efforts were also made to engage with both India and European academic and research institutions for the fostering of innovative solutions and adoption of the state of the art in terms of solutions being put forward. A report on the EU-India project will be released at the conference.

The government's newly announced National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) will also be up for discussion in the two-day conference. It will also propose multiple strategies to address this menace. TERI is an important stakeholder in formulating and implementing this programme, and will help to build the policy framework to tackle the issue.

The event will include effective dialogues on the various successful EU measures that can be adapted to control emissions in cities.

Media is invited to join the discussion with international and national air quality experts on the current state-of-play of air quality across Indian cities. Mr. N. Sundaray, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dr. Ajay Mathur Director General (TERI), and Mr. S.P.S Parihar Chairman, CPCB, will share their insights on the strategy to improve air quality. Ms. Henriette Faergemann, Counsellor, Environment, Energy & Climate Change at the EU Delegation to India will elaborate on the EU's collaboration with the Indian government to tackle air pollution.

What: European Union and India Air Quality Conference

Where: Hotel Grand, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi

When: 21 - 22 May 2018 (agenda attached)

Who: Speakers include:

• Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General, TERI
• Ms Henriette Faergemann, Counsellor, Environment, Energy & Climate Change at EU Delegation to India
• Shri S.P. Singh Parihar, Chairman, CPCB
• Shri N. Sundaray, Joint Secretary, MoEFCC

Contact:

TERI - Pallavi Singh: pallavi.singh@teri.res.in
Delegation of the European Union to India - Poonam Kapila : Poonam.kapila@eeas.europa.eu
Edelman - Sneha Dev: sneha.dev@edelman.com