Pune Launches Model Pollution Control Project

April 04, 2006

Photo Credit: Vikram Shenvi, NEERI

Local civic bodies and research organizations from the city of Pune launched a “Heavy Vehicle Diesel Retrofit Project” in collaboration with U.S. Government agencies on April 4, 2006. Senior policy makers, officials from the local urban body, research organizations and the U.S. Government were present at the event.

Speaking at the launch event, US Consul-General Michael Owens said: “This pilot will show that diesel retrofit technologies that are available now can make a major impact on diesel particulates and other pollutants when used on Pune buses on the streets of Pune. The data generated as part of this project will also provide important information for other cities in India and Asia on this alternative to reducing health damaging emissions from heavy duty diesel vehicles.”

The project has been designed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.EPA) and the United States Trade Development Agency (USTDA) with support from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC); the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI); the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).

A team of U.S. and Indian experts will work together to implement a pilot project in Pune, installing retrofit technologies on selected diesel vehicles. The team will test how these technologies perform in Indian buses under Indian conditions.

The project is modeled after similar projects in the U.S. designed to improve the emissions performance of existing diesel vehicles and equipment. Similar pilot projects are underway in Mexico City, Mexico; Bangkok, Thailand; Beijing, China; and Santiago, Chile.

With support from USAID, the U.S.EPA and the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests have been working together since January 2002 to improve air quality management practices in India. Under this initiative, Pune was identified as a demonstration city to pilot the application of urban air pollution control strategies that assist decision-makers in determining the most cost-effective means for reducing air pollution, especially particulate matter. Air pollution is a key concern in most Indian cities, with diesel trucks and buses causing maximum damage. These heavy-duty diesel vehicles emit small particles that have a significant adverse impact on human health. Emissions control technologies available today can be retrofitted on such vehicles to substantially reduce harmful emissions of particulate matter, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide.

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