Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan Says Clean Air Programme to Be Implemented in 13 Cities of AP

Kakinada:Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan said Gosthani River is severely polluted, going by results of the water samples collected from the river within the limits of Vendra village in Palakoderu mandal of West Godavari district.

Presiding over a review meeting with higher officials of the AP Pollution Control Board, the Deputy CM said BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) level has reached 15 mg/l, indicating an environmental emergency. In other words, the pollution is five times higher than the permissible limit. This is mainly because industrial sewage and chemical waste are being directly discharged into the river.

Pawan Kalyan said drones and video cameras will be used to monitor the pollution and fix responsibility on the industries discharging pollutants into the river.

The Deputy CM said that the National Clean Air Programme, taken up by the central government to improve air quality in the country, aims to reduce the levels of hazardous fine particulate matter by up to 40 per cent in the country’s most polluted cities. 13 cities in Andhra Pradesh have been selected under this programme. Nearly ₹400 crore have been allocated to improve the air quality in these cities.

Pawan Kalyan asked officials to utilise these funds judiciously, so that these cities benefit to the maximum extent.