In five years, no industries in J&K found violating pollution control norms

Srinagar, Feb 10: The efforts to reduce pollution in Jammu and Kashmir have yielded positive results with no industries in the UT have been found violating pollution control norms in last five years.
As per the official details, the result is the part of the ongoing implementation of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to improve air quality in areas that fail to meet national air quality standards.
The NCAP was launched in 2019 to control pollution in cities, including Jammu and Srinagar, by regulating vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, and waste burning.
Water quality monitoring has also been actively conducted across 124 locations, including rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and groundwater sources, to identify sources of pollution and take corrective actions.
According to official data, both the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Jammu & Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC) have been closely monitoring pollution levels in the region.
The bodies oversee regular inspections of industries in high-pollution sectors to ensure compliance with emission and waste disposal standards.
Jammu & Kashmir has also shown improvement in air quality under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched by the Government of India to reduce pollution levels across the country.
As per the official data, the air in Jammu and Srinagar has become cleaner over the past few years as the PM10 levels, which measure harmful particulate matter in the air, have decreased in both cities.
In Jammu, the PM10 level dropped from 170 µg/m³ in 2021-22 to 101 µg/m³ in 2023-24. Similarly, in Srinagar, the PM10 level improved from 111 µg/m³ in 2021-22 to 96 µg/m³ in 2023-24.
Although these numbers are still above the national standard of 60 µg/m³, the progress is encouraging, it added.
Officials said that the improvement in air quality is the result of several measures taken by the government as strict rules have been enforced to reduce pollution from vehicles, industries, and waste burning.
They said that the introduction of Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) fuel norms and the promotion of electric vehicles have helped in controlling emissions from transport.
Industries in various parts of the country, including J&K, have been asked to switch to cleaner fuels, reducing the amount of harmful gases released into the air, they said, adding that the steps have been also taken to prevent open waste burning by setting up better waste management systems.
To control dust pollution, the officials said the municipal bodies have been using mechanical road sweepers in different cities, including those in J&K.
Construction sites are being monitored to ensure they follow dust control measures with awareness campaigns are also being conducted to educate people about air pollution and how they can contribute to keeping the environment clean, they added.
They also said that Traffic congestion continues to be a major source of pollution, and construction activities add to the dust levels in urban areas.
The government aims to achieve a 40% reduction in pollution levels by 2025-26 so to make air more cleaner for breathing in coming years, they added.