Gujarat to launch pilot project to reduce particulate matter from Sept 16

GANDHINAGAR: In order to reduce the air pollution levels of the city, Gujarat government is planning to launch a pilot project of its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for particulate matter from September 16, an official release said. 163 industrial units of Surat will begin live trading from September 16 as a part of the first phase of the project.

The press release further stated that the cap-and-trade systems have been known to reduce other forms of pollution, such as programs that have successfully reduced sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). But, the Gujarat program will be the first in the world to regulate particulate air pollution, which is the single greatest threat to human health globally.

The 350 industrial units from Surat have been selected to be a part of the pilot project. Explaining the ETS, a note from GPCB says, “A central authority (usually a governmental body) sets a limit or a cap on the amount of a pollutant that may be emitted. The limit or cap is allocated or sold to firms in the form of emissions permits which represent the right to emit or discharge a specific volume of the specified pollutant. Firms are required to hold a number of permits equivalent to their emissions. The total number of permits cannot exceed the cap, limiting total emissions to that level. Firms that need to increase their volume of emissions must buy permits from those who require fewer permits.”

GPCB has put a cap of 280 metric tonnes on the total emission levels of the 163 industrial units for a month. A GPCB official further said that based on the emission figures available on the trading platform, those units that exceed their limit can buy permits from those who emissions are less. The official added that for this, an online trading platform has been created on National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited, and auction for the emission permit will be done on Tuesdays.