Thanks to sustained efforts of the municipal corporation, Guntur city has been ranked third in the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2023 in the population category of 3-10 lakh. The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) had framed the guidelines for ranking cities under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) for financial years 2022-23 to 2025-26.
Guntur Municipal Corporation Commissioner Keerthi Chekuri said the city got the third rank because of the continuous efforts in reducing pollution and increasing green cover.
The civic body increased greenery from 17% in 2021 to 30% in 2023. Earlier, median on only 10 km stretch of roads had plants. It has now increased to 23 km. Avenue plantation was spread over 20 kms earlier, which has now reached 30 kms.
The commissioner added that the construction of roads, using sweeping machines, mist sprayers, managing dry and wet waste, converting waste into energy and compost, maintaining cleanliness apart from repairing potholes and others contributed to reducing pollution in the air in the city.
Under NCAP, 131 cities are being targeted for improving air quality. Swachh Vayu Survekshan, a new initiative by MoEF&CC, is proposed to rank cities on the basis of air quality and also on implementation of activities approved under the city action plan in 131 cities.
Out of the total 131 selected cities for these rankings from across the country, there are 47 cities under category 1 with more than 10 lakh residents, 44 cities under category 2 with a population between 3 lakh and 10 lakh and 40 cities under category 3 with three lakh residents.
The objectives of Swachh Vayu Survekshan include: spread awareness among all sections of society; inform citizens about health impacts; comparing air quality conditions in different cities; and achieve the goal of clean air for all.
