City Chapter Meet organized for Clean Air Action Plan in Burdwan

 

BBurdwan : SwitchON Foundation organized a city chapter meet at Burdwan, West Bengal 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 International, National and regional level NGO’s, Govt. Officials, Urban local bodies, academicians and volunteers at large. 

 

A study was launched by SwitchON Foundation on the state of Air Quality in Purba Bardhaman. As per the report, the trend of air pollution as recorded by the one SAAQM station in Bardhaman town paints an uncomfortable picture. The AQI has been ‘unhealthy’ since 2016. 

 

According to the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality in East Bardhaman has been consistently poor over the past few years. The Air Quality Index (AQI) has been recorded in the “Satisfactory” to "Unhealthy" and "Very Unhealthy" categories, which indicates a high level of air pollution in the region. In 2020, the average annual AQI in East Bardhaman was recorded at 212, which is categorized as "Very Unhealthy."

 

SwitchON Foundation has formed ‘West Bengal 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 West Bengal which will be a coalition of empowered local power structures, influencers, and community leaders to fight air pollution. 

 

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 SwitchON 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. 

 

25 organizations came together for the city Chapter meet. International NGOs like HRPA Society and Startup Foundation, National NGOs like Blossoms Foundation, Burdwan Foodies Club and Palla road Pallimongal Samity attended the meet. The organizations discussed and debated on the City’s Clean Air Policy and came up with an Annual Action Plan. 

 

Shri Paresh Chandra Sarkar, Chairman, Bardhaman Municipality stated, “SwitchON Foundation is doing a praise-worthy job by creating a city chapter where we can 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 all citizens.”

 

Sri Sandipan Sarkar of Palla road Pallimongal Samity NGO 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.”

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.”