Daikin Expands Office Operations in Pune

Daikin Airconditioning India Pvt. Ltd. is thrilled to announce a significant milestone in our journey of innovation and service excellence. Daikin Airconditioning India Pvt. Ltd. (DAIPL), the fully owned subsidiary of Daikin Industries Ltd., Japan & the market leader in the air-conditioning market in India today inaugurated its new office at 704 & 705A, 7th Floor, Orville Business Port, West Avenue Road, Opposite konark Epitome Viman Nagar, Pune

 

This new office space mirrors our commitment to the potential of Maharashtra & its discerning customers. With gaining Daikin confidence across Maharashtra, it is imperative that we reflect the commitment of quality & elegance in our operations. This new premises will house departments such as – all product Sales, Service, Technical Support & other Support functions, that will act as an enabler for both channel partners & customers. We see Maharashtra as our top potential market, so we will continue to invest in developing the market with a view to dominate the overall AC market. Today, the Daikin products bring with them with strong technology from Daikin Global that offers lower cost of ownership and topped with unmatched quality and durability.

 

On this occasion, Mr. Kanwal Jeet Jawa, Chairman & Managing Director, Daikin India said, “As we celebrate this remarkable centenary, we reflect with pride on Daikin’s journey from its inception in 1924 to becoming a global leader in the HVAC industry. This milestone is not just a testament to our pioneering spirit and technological advancements but also to the unwavering trust and support of our esteemed customers, partners, and dedicated employees.” 

“In India, Daikin has established itself as a household name synonymous with quality and innovation. Our journey in India has been marked by significant achievements, including the establishment of state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, introduction of cutting-edge products, and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.” 

“As we commemorate 100 years of excellence, we reaffirm our commitment to driving innovation and sustainability in the HVAC industry. Our future initiatives will focus on enhancing energy efficiency, reducing our environmental impact, and leveraging advanced technologies to meet the evolving needs of our customers in India.” 

“With India demonstrating a robust upward growth & business trajectory, we have plans to get aggressive in our approach across Maharashtra and the new products remain a key step towards strengthening Daikin’s endeavor to capture significant market share.” 

With this new office, we are committed to provide unmatched consumer experience with network of highly trained sales, service and maintenance through our strong dealer network & employees. Daikin India has grown over 28 % in the last year, and it aims to reach a revenue of INR 16,000 crores by 2025, prompting us to launch a host of new products & increase our dealer network extensively. With robust infrastructure & housing development, we are witnessing a high demand for smart & energy efficient air-conditioning solutions. We are planning to invest in heavy marketing & promotions across Maharashtra to secure 30 % market share end of FY 24-25.”

Daikin India operationalised its new facility at Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, spread across 75.5 acres to reaffirm its commitment for excellence and innovation; positioned to cater the increasing demand for air conditioning products manufactured in India, for domestic and international consumption. Daikin as the principal investor in the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) program in the AC category, implemented by the government to encourage domestic production of air conditioners.

CII to launch ‘Clean Air Better Life (CABL) Pune’ Program to improve air quality in Pune.

As per CII report in 2021, clean air can save India 3.5% GDP every year. Air pollution undermines the very image of cities as economic engines of modern society and most urban centres in India, 131 cities in total as per CPCB (2023), do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

We need to change this in Pune city which also features on this list but at the same time, it ranked as the second-best city to live in India according to the Ease of Living Index 2020. If the air quality in Pune deteriorates further, it is a big risk for the business continuity and attracting as well as keeping the talent pool on which the very industries thrive.

Pune is ranked as the seventh-largest metropolitan economy with a strong industrial base and has the sixth-highest income per capita in India. Already a leader in manufacturing, engineering and automotive industries, Pune has fast emerged as a new startup destination and Information Technology hub in recent years.

The CABL Pune Program aims to act as a complementary force to the Government of India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to tackle pollution across the country in a time-bound manner. The CABL Pune Program, which builds on CII’s visionary work to tackle air pollution using evidence-based and multi-stakeholder collaborative approach, will be inaugurated on 10th August at MKSSS’s College of engineering for women, Pune by Shri Vikram Kumar Commissioner, Pune Municipal Corporation, Ms Jennifer Rumsey, Global CEO – Cummins Inc, Mr Ashwath Ram, Chairman, CII Cleaner Air Better Life; Managing Director, Cummins India, Ms Seema Arora, Deputy Director General, CII, Dr Madhuri Khambete, Principal, Cummins College of Engineering for Women (CCEW).

Programme is part of CII’s National Initiative ‘Cleaner Air – Better life’ whose vision is to provide cleaner air and a better quality of life to every Indian citizen by involving leaders and all concerned stakeholders to take concrete steps to curb air pollution across India.

To build traction for clean air among public and private agencies in Pune, a multi-stakeholder collaborative platform in the form of a ‘Clean Air Forum Pune’ is being set up. The Forum will have participation of all important stakeholders- Civil Society, Maharashtra Government Agencies, Educational & Research Institutions and Pune Industries for improving air quality in Pune.

The initiative will deliver innovative pilots, will drive voluntary commitments from stakeholders towards reducing air pollution, influence adherence to existing policies and scale advocacy towards newer policies. This new clean air initiative is a partnership between Pune Municipal Corporation and CII to position Pune as leader amongst all NCAP cities. CII initiative ‘Cleaner Air Better Life: Pune’ aims to improve air quality in Pune with a comprehensive set of interventions, management frameworks and decision support systems that enable leaders in Pune to meet this objective.

On World Environment Day, Quest Global commences its pledge in Pune

Contributing to a better tomorrow and giving back to communities where we live and work has always been part of the DNA at Quest Global. On the World Environment Day, Quest Global, one of the world’s fastest growing engineering services firms, launched the Quest Global Pledge – to plant 500,000 trees globally, by 2025. The organization has announced that it will plant 500 trees across Pune in the next three months along with a local NGO partner, Y4D Foundation.

The tree plantation drive was launched at the campus of Madhyamik Vidyalay, Mahalunge (Padale), by the honorable Chief Guest, Ravindra Dharia, President – Vanarai. Vanarai is a national organization working towards sustainable rural development. Sanjiv Pande, VP & Global Head, Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility for Quest Global, Praful Nikam, President – Y4D Foundation, Arun Gholap, Associate Director – Y4D Foundation, the school’s principal and volunteers joined the chief guest to plant 50 trees at the school campus.

Vanarai’s Ravindra Dharia said, “Tree plantation is a critical undertaking by corporate players for ensuring a sustainable future. It helps to minimize the risk of floods, enhances air quality, and reduces the urban ’heat island’ effect. I am delighted that Quest Global is taking up this initiative for preserving the much-needed green-cover.”

Addressing the gathering, Sanjiv Pande, VP & Global Head, Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility for Quest Global, said, “The Quest Global Pledge is our way of creating an environmental imprint that lasts for generations to come. We emphatically believe sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It is about doing more good. I am positive this initiative will go a long way in spreading awareness amongst the students about the importance of environmental conservation.  I am thankful to the Y4D Foundation and the Mahalunge school staff for their partnership.”

Run for the Oceans 2022 expand its footprints in Pune with Together ‘Impossible is Nothing’

adidas’ Run for the Oceans campaign has grown from its strength to expand its footprint across regions. The event has returnedonce again this year, and has pushed off boundaries as more and more people enroll to Run for the oceans. adidas brought together its running community to make a difference and contribute towards the cause of ‘End Plastic Waste’.

Expanding its awareness across different states, more than 100 runners from Pune’s Run Buddies Club ran for the cause “End plastic Waste” on 5 June 2022. adidas Runner Mumbai Coach Sebastian D’Souzaled the event by educating runners about sustainable way of living with message highlighting the cause to end marine plastic waste. The communities showcased their enthusiasm for saving marine lives by cleaning beaches and letting our oceans be plastic free. The event kicked off with a flag off for the top runners.

adidas is upping the pace for change. The introduction of the 2022 adidas X Parley range will see the collaboration to care about the sustainability movement. Not just Regional running communities but also people across the globe can do their bit by signing-up to the challenge by logging their activity between May 23 – June 8 on adidas’ Runtastic app. This RFTO will make every ten active minutes of running contribute to pick up one plastic bottle from the oceans. People from all parts of the global sporting community are invited to hit the beaches and unite to help protect the oceans from plastic waste.

About adidas adidas is a global leader in the sporting goods industry. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany, the company employs more than 61,000 people across the globe and generated sales of €21.2 billion in 2021.

Ecological restoration needs a planned and informative approach in order to succeed – say Experts at BNCA’s Conference

With growing population pace of development and the destruction of nature in the last six decades, India o needs to come up with a planned program for the protection and conservation of the environment, opined renowned environmentalist and Board Member of the Society for Ecology Restoration in Asia Ramesh Venkataraman.  A study on conservation forests, rivers, wetlands, villages and cities should be done and a policy should be chalked out he added.  

The Department of Landscape Architecture and Center for Ecological Landscapes (CEL) at MKSSS’s  Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture for Women (BNCA), organised a collaborative dialogue ‘Towards an Ecological Landscape (TEL-4)’ between experts, researchers, academicians and the professionals where they shared their insights on ecological restoration, its impact on biodiversity and the challenges faced. 

Preserving ecosystems and restoring their degradation is the need of the hour and to achieve that everyone has to play their part. The scope and role of stakeholder community in ecological restoration projects will prove to be impactful in combating the various challenges faced in restoring degraded ecosystems and preventing mass extinction. The TEL-4 theme was intended on similar lines where the resourced persons presented their experiences of working on ecological restoration projects in various parts of State of Maharashtra & from across India.

Dr. Anurag Kasyap said that the fact that  present decade (2020-2030), is being declared as the decade of Ecological restoration by UN, makes such deliberations all the more important to plan  how we can shape the future  of biodiversity.

Dr. Sharveya Dhongde, Head of Academics at BNCA said that the conference would help us chalk out a definitive path in this direction.

Day one of the program began with an introductory session by Dr. Swati Shahasrabudhe, BNCA where she gave a brief about the series of TEL dialogues held in 2015, 2017, 2019 and explained the theme of TEL – 4, 2022 which focused on the experiences, narratives and stakeholders’ perspectives from the ecological restoration aspect. The deliberations by various experts pointed out to the fact that public participation was the key to success of ecological restoration projects. About eight different projects and case studies were presented by various experts from across India. Apart from this ,  two experts presented the role of technology in ecological restoration .

Mr. Ramesh Venkatraman in his keynote presentation explained what exactly the term ‘Ecological Restoration’ means and how is it different from the other approaches that we are quite familiar with, like afforestation and reforestation.  He said that the status of restoration in India is a relatively new discipline because looking at most of the projects happening on the ground, they are about 10 to 15 years old so we are quite young in terms of restoration as a discipline as compared to other countries globally. The number of projects that we can call as genuine restoration projects are quite few and the majority projects are small. There is a need for well planned, strategic, scaled up and integrated response to the degradation challenges as compared to the ad-hoc and small size response. We need the involvement, active support and engagement of multiple stakeholders. Saying this he mentioned a list of key stakeholders which included the government, scientific community, education system, restoration practitioners, indigenous communities, funding agencies and climate change managers and explained in detail what role each of these stakeholders play in bringing about successful ecological restoration.

These  researchers and experts included Pravin Thete, a researcher of Baneri Bora, Natasha Zarine, who is working for Khamandi restoration in  Aurangabad , Farhaad Contractor who transformed a neglected desert land of about 500 acres in to fertile land, Pradeep Chavan of Kalpavriksha, a research institute on Vanaspati in Bhimashankar area, has spread awarenss  about Ranmeva (wild vegetables) among the youth in Bhimashankar ,  Environmentalist Kaustubh Pandharipande an expert on the revitalization of the grasslands in ‘Varhada’ in Maharashtra explained the process of community involvement,  Architect and urban planner Biley Menon who has successfully set up the ‘Adyar Environmental Park’ project on a 350-acre landfill site in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Aparna Watwe, who elaborated on saving of Panchgani tableland near Mahabaleshwar, Vijay Dasmana, who played a pivotal role in setting up the ‘Aravali Biodiversity Park’.

Tanish Gangurde presented on Environmental Rehabilitation and Measuring Carbon Footprint in Clean Energy  while Rohit Pansare Geographic Information System, Remote Sensing Technology with the help of Satellite and Environmental Rehabilitation.

Prof. Neha Adkar was the compeer for the event. 

Decade of Change: PIC Online Climate Conference 2022

Pune International Centre (PIC), is an International Think Tank based in Pune, engaged in Public Policy research and analysis. PIC is hosting a Virtual Conference this week titled ‘Decade of Change: India in the Climate Challenged World’ on 18^th and 19^th February 2022. Prof Amitav Mallik, Trustee, PIC is the Convener for the Conference.

Pune’s very own Mr Ravi Pandit, the Chairman of KPIT Technologies, will be giving the Keynote Address and Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Delhi will deliver the Valedictory Address. The Two-Day Online Conference will be organized by the PIC’s Energy, Environment and Climate Change (EECC) group. The Conference will have 4 online sessions, 2 sessions on each day. It will bring 21 distinguished speakers with diverse experience and deep expertise together. The Concluding Remarks on the first day will be delivered by Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, President, PIC and the concluding remarks on the second day will be by Dr Vijay Kelkar, Vice-President, PIC. 

Today the ‘Planetary Well-being’ and ‘Human Survival’ are both facing their biggest challenge of Global Warming and the resultant Climate Change. The number of weather-related disasters to hit the world has increased five-fold over the past 50 years and this figure will keep increasing year on year if we don’t change the way our world works. It is clear that what humanity does within this ‘Decade of Change’ will determine the fate of next generations. Building upon the PIC Climate Economic Conference held in January 2021, this year’s conference will explore what the ‘New Future’ looks like in a decarbonized world moving toward ‘Net-Carbon Neutrality’ and how to enable it. The PIC Climate Conference, February 2022, will try to provide momentum towards restoring humanity’s relationship with nature by presenting what ‘Changes’ are required for creating an environmentally friendly and environmentally responsible World.

The conference aims to bring together scholars, experts, economists, environmentalists, businessmen, concerned citizens and youth voices to address these pressing issue of our times. The conference includes themes like India’s challenges and opportunities in this decade, Converting promises to Action and Climate Action Pathways to 2050. The last session will be a Panel Discussion focusing on Targets India should set for 2030. 

Prof Amitav Mallik, the Convener of the Conference said that “There is a Promise and Peril in our future. The promise comes from the new proven low carbon technologies and policy making approaches such as ‘Doughnut Economics’. However, converting promises to action will require strong political resolve, comprehensive planning, and flawless execution along with global co-operation. The peril lies in not being able to adapt but also in the kind of society that might emerge if our values and institutions do not change as Climate change becomes more severe…” Please visit PIC website to register https://puneinternationalcentre.org/ 

TEFF wins Energy Globe National Award for sustainability

As more than 187 nations and hundreds of cities from India participated in the event, The Eco Factory Foundation brought laurels to our country by winning the prestigious Energy Globe Award (India league) presented by the Energy Globe Foundation, Austria for fostering Sustainable Living

The Energy Globe Foundation, Austria, recently bestowed The Eco Factory Foundation (TEFF) with the Energy Globe National Award. Over 30,000 projects nationally and globally were submitted to the Energy Globe Foundation, Austria. And by winning this award, TEFF has added a feather to its cap and put India on the global map of sustainability.  The award received this year is for the year 2020.

The intriguing part being the vision of Glasgow COP26 Summit and TEFF goals align in many ways. The host of COP26 vow to secure global net-zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach, adapt to protect communities and natural habitats, mobilise finance and work together to deliver. We are glad to inform you that TEFF is amongst the handful of Indian organisations that has been relentlessly working towards achieving these goals. And winning the prestigious Energy Globe National Award is a testament to that. 

More than 187 countries were a part of this event. However, TEFF’s work spok​​e volumes as they were able to successfully create global awareness in terms of sustainability. TEFF, which is founded by Mr Anand Chordia, showcased the best-practice solutions focused on energy efficiency, the use of renewable energies, and careful stewardship of resources. Also, our future-oriented solutions were considered as a part of a regular global discourse conducted by experts.

Sharing his feelings after winning this award, Mr Anand Chordia, Founder – TEFF, said, “I have always believed in the saying – “be the change you want to see in the world”. With that, our motto has been – waste to wealth and waste to health. We are living in an era where everyone is moving towards organic/sustainable living. Keeping that in mind, TEFF is working towards providing sustainable lifestyle solutions to rural and urban populations. It is a huge honour to receive this award, and more so when it comes against the backdrop of Glasglow Summit. It reflects our hard work and our zeal for moving towards safeguarding our planet. This is just the beginning; we still have a long way to go. Till then TEFF will do its best to spread the essence of sustainability.”

Six Actions to Limit Global Warming to 1.5°C

The Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) today set out the actions which nations and companies could take during the 2020s to deliver the Paris agreement and limit global warming to 1.5°C.

Current national decarbonisation pledges (known as Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs), made as part of the Paris climate accord, fall far short of those needed to prevent global warming from exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. An additional 17-20 Gt of CO₂ reductions and a 40% reduction in methane emissions would be needed to achieve that objective. But the ETC’s report Keeping 1.5°CAlive: Closing the Gap in the 2020s, describes technologically feasible actions which could close that gap to a 1.5°C pathway and which could be catalyzed by agreements at the upcoming COP26 climate summit in November in Glasgow.

Many of the actions entail minimal cost and would spur further innovation and support green economic development; and all of them could be given impetus at COP26 via commitments from leading countries and companies, without the need for comprehensive international agreement. But two high priority actions – ending deforestation and reducing emissions from existing coal plants – will need to be supported by climate finance flows from rich developed countries.

The recommendations cover six areas: cutting methane emissions, ending deforestation and other nature-based solutions, moving faster beyond coal, accelerating road transport electrification, decarbonizing key industrial and other “harder to abate” sectors, and achieving improvements in energy efficiency. 

“To keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees alive, the world must act now to halve emissions over the next decade, and work towards net zero by the middle of the century,” said COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma. “This report sets out a clear and credible action plan of achievable emissions to get us on a 1.5-degree pathway. Ahead of COP26, we urge all countries to submit enhanced plans to reduce emissions and take action on coal, cars, trees and methane.”

“Current national commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are a useful step forward but far from sufficient to limit global warming to an acceptable level,” commented Adair Turner, Chair of the Energy Transitions Commission. “But we have the technologies to achieve far faster reductions, often at nil or low cost, and this report shows how. And much of what needs to be done does not require comprehensive international agreements but can be driven forward by coalitions of leading countries and companies. COP26 must be the catalyst to seizing this opportunity.”

Nigel Topping, UK High Level Climate Action Champion, COP26, said: “The ETC highlights the critical actions for nations and companies to Keep 1.5°C. Alive. Rallying leadership and global support is at the heart of the Race to Zero and the ETC’s recommendations demonstrate that it is technically and economically feasible to achieve collective action in the next decade. Momentum is building and it is now crucial that we focus on rapid deployment in the 2020s, if we are to limit global warming to 1.5°C.”

The six categories of action identified by the ETC are:

1. Significant and rapid reductions in methane emissions. The latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that methane emissions have accounted for around 40% of past global warming, and reducing these emissions is the most powerful lever available to limit global warming as soon as possible. But many NDCs place insufficient focus on methane. Low-cost actions could cut fossil fuel related emissions by 60% by 2030, while emissions arising from agriculture and waste management could potentially be cut by 30%
2. Halting deforestation and beginning reforestation. Halting deforestation, beginning reforestation, and improving other land use practices could reduce emissions by 6.5Gt per year by 2030. Achieving this will require financial support from rich developed countries and should be a priority use of committed climate finance
3. Decarbonizing the power sector and accelerating the phaseout of coal. Coal-fired electricity generation is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, but it is increasingly uneconomic against renewables. An immediate ban on the construction of new coal-fired power plants, combined with a phaseout of existing coal plants could deliver 3.5 Gt of additional emissions reductions per year by 2030. All rich developed countries should commit to total phase out by2030, and climate finance flows from developed economies should support a gradual phase out in developing countries.
4. Accelerating the electrification of road transport. The shift to electric vehicles (EVs) promises to save consumers money in fuel costs and maintenance while eliminating one of the largest sources of air pollution. A ban on selling internal combustion engine light duty vehicles, instituted by 2035, would cement this shift.  Commitments by major fleet operators to fully electrify their vehicle fleets at still earlier dates would be a powerful driver of change. An additional 2.3 Gt per year of emission reductions could result from such actions by 2030.
5. Accelerating supply decarbonization in buildings, heavy industry, and heavy transport. Eliminating emissions from these sectors will extend beyond 2030. But progress in technology and cost reduction is making possible faster reductions than most NDCs currently assume. Commitments by leading companies and countries in steel, cement, shipping and aviation could deliver an additional 1 Gt per year of emissions reductions, with a further 1 GT per year potentially delivered through accelerated electrification of electric heat.
6. Reinvigorating energy and resource efficiency. Despite big opportunities to achieve low-cost emissions reduction via improvements in energy and resource efficiency, recent progress has been disappointingly slow. But progress could be accelerated via action at COP26, building on existing initiatives to spur efficiency improvements in buildings and appliances. 

Sumant Sinha, Chairman and Managing Director, Renew Power, said: “Country NDCs fall well short of what is needed to limit global temperature rise by 1.5°C. More ambitious goals with targeted actions in the energy sector, with specific actions across electricity, transport, industries, and buildings are needed. These must be backed by speedy deployment of zero-carbon power, proven emission reduction technologies, creation of the right policy environment to ensure technology diffusion in all sectors. The steps we take now will determine the kind of planet we leave as our legacy.”

To read the full Keeping 1.5°C Alive: Closing the Gap in the 2020s report, please visit: https://www.energy-transitions.org/publications/keeping-1-5-alive/

BNCA conducts Clean Air-Inside Out session on the occasion of the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies

On the occasion of the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, Maharshi Karve StreeS hikshan Sanstha’s, Dr.Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture’s Department of Environmental Architecture and Planning (DEAP) organized a webinar ‘Clean Air- Inside Out’. Dr.Prasad Modak, Environmental Management Centre LLP and Ekonnect Knowledge Foundation, Prarthana Borah, India Director, Clean Air Asia and Dr.Victor Shinde, Water Management Specialist (NIUA) were the speakers for this webinar and discussed how ‘Integrated Approach is necessary to address Air pollution’. Dr.Anurag Kashyap, Principal, BNCA took lead in organising the session.

Dr.Sujata Karve, Professor, Head of Department (EA), BNCA moderated the webinar , Prof. Namrata Dhamankar made introductory remarks and Professor Prajakta Kulkarni co-ordinated on the occasion.

Namrata Dhamankar, welcomed the eminent speakers and said the very first International Day of Clean Air for blue skies will be held on September 7th, 2020. The day aims to raise public awareness at all levels- individual, community, corporate and government—that clean air is important for health, productivity, the economy and the environment. DEAP students have been working on this subject and have also written research papers on indoor air quality and worked on air quality on city environment in their planning studies.

Dr.Prasad Modak, Environmental Management Centre LLP and Director Ekonnect Knowledge Foundation discussed the standard cycle of air quality management which involved many components including public involvement. Along with air quality we need to focus on other components like water management, urban green, climate etc. Managing urban environmental quality is a complex subject. The reason it becomes complex is because there is no defined air quality manager for the city. While we have numerous plans developed for polluted cities, in spite of being good the implementation of it is a huge task of how to coordinate between multiple agencies. In this perspective he further defined five key points- Managing air quality needs mobility expansive consideration, essentially a ‘systems thinking’ is needed. Do we have to limit air quality, Urban air pollution challenges cannot be addressed unless we expand the scope beyond the city boundaries, Embedding climate change considerations in city air quality action plans is critical, Cities should follow circular principles. Circularity is critical for a sound urban metabolism. Air quality is one component and the Action planning process must be participatory, blending with capacity building. 

He concluded by adding points on indoor air quality. He said as people spend a considerable amount of time indoors, either at work or at home, malls or theatres indoor air quality plays a significant part in their general state of health. It is based on standards, codes, guidelines, engineering control and source modification.

Speaking about the challenging and opportunity aspects of Air Quality management Prarthana Borah, India Director, Clean Air Asia said that the air quality management challenge is vague and we need to see it as an inter-sector approach. It is important to understand that air pollution is not something that can be solved overnight and all countries that have managed to achieve the problem have done it over a period of time. While addressing air pollution, an integrated approach is needed because along years, with the improvement of scientific knowledge and awareness, other effects related to air pollution were taken into account. Damage to forest and human health became increasingly evident and it became clear, the causes of those effects were correlated among them, and had to be addressed simultaneously. She further explained the three steps of opportunity including assessment, clean air action planning and implementation and also city air action plan- role of youth.

Dr.VictorShinde, Sector Coordinator for Water and Environment, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) shared his view on ‘Planning approaches for mitigating pollution’. Air pollution is a major global environmental risk to our health. While talking about the measures taken to address the problem, he said there is an increase in the number of air quality monitoring stations, increase in green cover, regulations and policies by the government and incentivizing low carbon mobility. We need to move away from the reactive solutions to transformative solutions.

He further addressed the master planning thrust areas including systems approach to air pollution mitigation, Strategizing tree plantation, Re-imagining and Re-designing the urban form, Greening the built environment, Incentivizing green growth and Nudging civic behavior.

The vote of thanks was proposed by Dr.SujataKarve, Professor, Head of Department (EA), BNCA.