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.”
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