14 global cities including Bengaluru to clean toxic air

Team Udayavani, Aug 1, 2018, 12:31 PM IST

Bengaluru: The ‘Silicon Valley fo India’, Bengaluru on Tuesday joined 13 other cities, including London, to clean up the toxic air and check pollution in urban areas around the world.

Hosting the first meeting of the C40 Air Quality Network regarding the threat of toxic air pollution, Bengaluru brought experts and policymakers from 13 other cities from the world over to find solutions.

“Formed when London Mayor Sadiq Khan visited India in December last year, the network-enabled leaders to share information and work together to develop plans for how each city will clean up its toxic air,” an official statement said.

The C40 Cities is an organisation of 96 global cities to fight climate change and work towards a sustainable future. Co-chaired by Khan and Bengaluru Mayor Sampath Raj, the C40 Air Quality Network, a body of  20 global cities formed in December last year which aims to develop solutions for air pollution.

A total of 13 cities were part of the meeting: Berlin, Chennai, Dar-es-Salaam, Delhi, Johannesburg, Kolkata, London, Los Angeles, Portland, Quito, Salvador, Tel Aviv and Warsaw.

“The discussions and knowledge sharing on how other cities have dealt with air quality challenges are beneficial,” Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said on the occasion.

As part of the C40 Air Quality Network, the participant cities signed the ‘clean bus’ and ‘fossil fuel-free streets’ declarations, thereby relying on low-emission vehicles that run on electric power instead of traditional fuels like petrol and diesel, that contribute to high emissions.

Even as Bengaluru is implementing projects promoting the use of electric vehicles and plans to have an all-electric bus fleet in the city by 2030, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said the government is committed to implementing an air quality management plan for the capital who also holds the portfolio of Bengaluru Development Minister.

An estimated seven million people die prematurely each year due to air pollution, according to the World Health Organisation.