A-PAG (Air Pollution Action Group)
Air Pollution has taken a form of crisis in India. It is estimated that people of India lose close to 5 years in life expectancy to air pollution. In the landlocked regions of Indo-Gangetic plains the loss in life expectancy rises to 10 years. Dust and biomass burning contribute upwards of 20% to any city’s PM2.5 levels.
Due to their non-point nature, there aren’t many systemic interventions targeting these sources. Through the Dispersed Sources Programme, A-PAG works with cities’ urban local bodies (ULBs) to build capacity and bring about efficiency in the resolution of issues leading to dust and biomass burning at a hyper-local level.
Launched in 2021, the Dispersed Sources Program runs based on clear-cut and digitised processes that allow comprehensive identification of issues via third-party surveys, followed by allocation to a specific city official for resolution. This is backed by a process of monitoring & review through a dedicated Project Management Unit (PMU) provided by A-PAG, that works closely with the office of the Municipal Commissioner of the city. In 3 cities of Delhi-NCR (Delhi, Ghaziabad and Faridabad), A-PAG has been able to identify ~3.75L issues of air pollution and has been able to drive quality resolutions on more than 3L of these issues.
The Harish and Bina Shah Foundation grant enables several key processes crucial for the Dispersed Sources Programme including issue identification through third-party surveys and a comprehensive coverage of the cities through creation of ward-level route plans.
