Question

Consider the following statements regarding Air Pollution and related initiatives: Which of the statements given below are correct?

1. The "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)" launched by the Government of India aims to reduce particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10) concentrations by 20-30% in 131 non-attainment cities by 2024 (with 2017 as the base year)
2. The "Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD)" data from ISRO's satellites is used to monitor air pollution levels over India 1 (SAFARY":
3. The "System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR)" is developed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
4. The "Polluter Pays Principle" is enshrined in the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

• A. ഇവയൊന്നുമല്ല
• B. എല്ലാം
• C. i, ii എന്നിവ
• D. i മാത്രം

Answer 1

Answer:

C. i, ii എന്നിവ

(1) The "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)" launched by the Government of India aims to reduce particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10) concentrations 20-30% in 131 non-attainment cities by 2024 (with 2017 as the base year).

• Correct. The NCAP, launched in 2019, initially set a target of 20%-30% reduction in PM${10}$ and PM${2.5}$ concentrations by 2024 compared to the 2017 levels in 102 (later increased to 131) non-attainment cities. (Note: The target was later revised to a 40% reduction by 2026, but the initial premise in the statement is accurate for the original programme.)

(2) The "Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD)" data from ISRO's satellites is used to monitor air pollution levels over India.

• Correct. Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) is a measure of the extent to which aerosols (suspended particulate matter) prevent light from passing through the atmosphere. Satellite sensors from ISRO (like the Ocean Colour Monitor-2/3 on Oceansat/EOS-06) and other international agencies (like NASA) are extensively used to retrieve AOD data, which is a key parameter for monitoring and estimating particulate matter (air pollution) on a large, synoptic scale over India.