Pollution-hit B’lore seeks respite in greenhouse plan

Pollution-hit B’lore seeks respite in greenhouse plan
Financial Express

BANGALORE, APR 18: India’s IT capital, Bangalore, that has also got the dubious distinction of being the seventh most polluted city in the country, has taken a step towards clearing the bad air by becoming the first city in the country to prepare greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has started the project to evaluate the quantum of GHGs emitted in Greater Bangalore.

There are six GHGs - carbondioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sluphur hexafluoride - that are subjected to the Kyoto Protocol that called for reduction of GHG emissions worldwide. The clean development mechanism, one of the three mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol, allows Annex 1-developed countries to buy certified emission reduction units from developing countries like India.


Currently, several entities in the country are involved in selling CERs to developed nations, but KSPCB chairman HC Saratchandra said India did not have actual area-wise computations on GHGs. “We don’t have any account on the extent of GHGs in the environment and the sectors contributing to GHGs,” he said.

To begin with, KSPCB will study the quantum of greenhouse gases emitted in three sectors - transport, power and sewage treatment plants - in the city. Saratchandra said the board had taken up the project jointly with Enzen Global Solutions, a business solutions organisation focused on global energy and utility business. In fact, enviornment experts said it is high time Bangalore prepared an inventory of GHGs.