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New Delhi: Residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) from across Delhi on Monday shared their efforts to reduce air pollution at an event organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) India.
The event also saw the launch of a UNEP-developed guidebook for Delhi’s RWAs, detailing how they can help improve air quality.
Titled “Clean Air and Climate Action: Engaging RWAs for Sustainable Urban Communities”, the event was part of phase two of UNEP’s Air Quality Action Forum — an initiative to address air pollution in India.
Those who spoke included UNEP India head Balakrishna Pispupati, Central Air Quality Management (CAQM) technical member S.D. Attri, and ISKCON India communications director Yudhistir Govinda Das.
The guidebook, seen by HT, lists three main ways RWAs can act: reducing emissions at source, reducing exposure during high pollution episodes, and spreading awareness by engaging residents.
On source reduction, the guidebook focuses on proper waste segregation, reducing vehicular and construction pollution, and adoption of clean fuels. For awareness and community action, it encourages community-led monitoring teams, periodic health check-ups, and inter-RWA collaboration.
To reduce exposure on high-pollution days, the guidebook urges RWAs to prepare AQI-based action plans, shift community meetings and tuition classes to hybrid mode, and maintain emergency contact lists.
RWA representatives from Green Park, Sainik Farms, Vivek Vihar, Rohini and other localities attended.
“We wanted to focus on a bottom-up approach instead of only a top-down one,” said Sumit Sharma, programmes officer at UNEP India. “People are already doing so much at the local level, but their message needs to be amplified so they can learn from each other and replicate best practices.”
He added that under the Air Quality Action Forum, UNEP is reaching out to scientists, corporations and other groups for suggestions to improve air quality.
Vivek Vihar RWA president K.S. Bisht said any effective policy must be nationally oriented. “The approach for anything to be successful is always bottom to top. We also view air pollution in isolation while other aspects are neglected. A holistic approach is required.”
Maninder Singh, general secretary of UCO Apartments RWA in Rohini Sector 9, pointed to dust on Delhi’s roads as a major concern. “If that is addressed, it will have a huge impact. Dust particles are a major contributing factor.”
He also highlighted carbon emissions from air conditioners. “If we can reduce that, it will have a huge impact not just on Delhi but across the world.”
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