Expanding our programme to seven cities in Uttar Pradesh (2021-ongoing)
Our program in Lucknow is a unique intervention that, if successful, could form a model for roll out in all Smart Cities country wide. This is being run in close coordination with the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), Smart City ICCC and the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC). A-PAG’s intervention in Lucknow is the first of its kind to combat air pollution.
Review meeting with the LMC
Our intervention is led out of the Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC). Pollution instances will be identified through a combination of camera based, as well as physical on-ground surveys. These issues will be assigned to the relevant officials for speedy resolution. The process will be centrally monitored and reviewed through the ICCC. Our work in Lucknow began with a dispersed sources pilot during 2021. Since 2021, over 26,000 issues have been identified in Lucknow city. The pilot was operational in 8 zones across the city, where A-PAG’s Project Management Unit (PMU) provided review and monitoring support to the LMC.
The successful implementation of the DSP in Lucknow led to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Urban Development Department and the Department of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (DoEFCC), Government of Uttar Pradesh, in early 2023. The Dispersed Sources Program has now expanded to include the Municipal Corporations of Varanasi, Ghaziabad, Mathura-Vrindavan, Prayagraj, and NOIDA, with the most recent inclusion being Agra in October 2023. Additionally, A-PAG conducted sensitization sessions on air pollution using our toolkit in all these cities, successfully adding to over 400 middle and junior-level officials. In the next 6-7 months, we plan to expand to more non-attainment cities in UP with support from the Chief Secretary.