KSPCB to evaluate city action plans for improving Bengaluru’s air quality based on latest studies
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) on Friday said they will be analyzing their city action plans using two recent air pollution source assessment studies in their efforts to improve air quality across the state.
While Bengaluru's deteriorating air quality is a cause for concern, studies released by the Center for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP) have revealed that measures targeted at polluting sources can help lower pollution levels.
According to CSTEP’s research released earlier this year, the transportation industry is the largest source (40–51%) of particulate matter, followed by road dust resuspension (17–51%). Construction dust, household gasoline, and diesel generators are among the other polluting industries.
Air has suspended particulate matter (PM) of different sizes. Many of these are a complex mixture of dust, pollen, soot, and smoke and they are hazardous. Of this, PM 2.5 is the smaller kind, with a diameter, of not more than 2.5 micrometers (fine particles). PM2.5 is considered to have a very significant health impact as it can stay in the air for days or weeks, and is small enough to invade the lung airways.
The studies, titled "Emission Inventory and Pollution Reduction Strategies for Bengaluru" and "Identification of Polluting Sources for Bengaluru," identified polluting sources/activities or hotspots for the city, which has been a major concern for air pollution regulators and policymakers.
On Friday, April 29, 2022, CSTEP held data dissemination and capacity building event for over 50 Karnataka government officials at Shangri-La, Bengaluru, where findings of the two studies were shared to ensure the implementation of solutions from the studies as well as empower government officials to make informed decisions.
At the workshop, Dr Shanth A. Thimmaiah, Chairman, KSPCB reflected on the need for micro action plans that will help pollution control boards to take effective, result-oriented action toward improving air quality. “The event is an opportunity to evaluate our work. CSTEP’s reports will be used as a base for studying and making clean air action plans for three other non-attainment cities through a Plan-Do-Check-Act approach,” he said.
Shri Vijay Mohan Raj, IFS, Principal Secretary, Ecology and Environment Department, Government of Karnataka, highlighted the need for air guilt—the guilt that comes from knowing that we are contributing to air pollution (and how)—to be felt by all and drive our actions. “To do this, data needs to be presented in simple formats that could be understood even by children. I hope that such reports can bring about last-mile changes to improve air quality,” he said.
CSTEP’s study findings revealed that Bengaluru can see possible concentration reductions of approximately 26.5%, ~13.5%, and ~9.6%, respectively, for high-, medium-, and low-emission reduction scenarios (measures clubbed with varying levels of compliance) for both PM10 and PM2.5 by 2024.
Key measures considered under the scenarios were improvement in public transportation infrastructure, diesel particulate filter installation in trucks, and a strict blanket ban on open waste burning. “Considering Bengaluru’s status as a non-attainment city, conducting a scientific assessment through source apportionment and emission inventory was crucial towards preparing efficient strategies,” said Dr. Pratima Singh, Research Scientist at CSTEP who led the study.
CSTEP—as an Institute of Repute under the National Clean Air Programme—is working with the KSPCB and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to help implement the recommendations. By training state government officials to use scientific methods to assess air quality through this event, CSTEP hopes to enhance the quality and effectiveness of policy decisions.
Ms Puja Tewary, India Coordinator, Climate and Environment Programs, Bloomberg Philanthropies, said, “Scientific evidence highlighted in the report could inform both line departments and KSPCB in preparing city micro action plans.” She reiterated that mutual collaborations among organizations are essential.
A ‘meaningful’ action plan could be prepared as a result of CSTEP’s studies, said Shri Gaurav Gupta, IAS, Chief Commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). “The studies highlight vehicular pollution and road dust as the main issues for Bengaluru. We are working on these sectors. Bengaluru is among the fastest-growing cities, and this is the main reason for air pollution,” he added.
Readers can access the study reports at https://cstep.in/publications.php
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
