New Delhi, Oct. 21: An environmental panel set up by the Supreme Court today launched an app through which people in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh can alert city officials about garbage fire, construction dust and other sources of air pollution.
People can upload images of pollution on the app, named HawaBadlo (change the air), so that officials in charge of specific geographical locations can take action. The app was launched by the Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA).
"The app seeks... citizens' participation in reporting incidents of leaf and garbage-burning, building and construction dust, and unpaved road dust," said Bhure Lal, the chairperson of the EPCA.
After the officials take action on the complaints, they will have to upload pictures of the steps taken by them. Through the app, the EPCA will generate weekly reports on the status of complaints and the action taken by the authorities.
The app is available on the Android and iOS systems.
"We expect the app to act as a mechanism for accountability, public information and public engagement," said Sunita Narain, the director-general of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) who is a member of the EPCA.
In an order issued in December 2015, the Supreme Court had directed the Delhi government to strictly enforce Central Pollution Control Board norms and ensure that solid waste is not burnt.
A CSE official said if the app proved useful in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, it would be made available in other states as well.
An environmental analyst who requested not to be named said the response and actions by city officials to complaints were likely to improve only through higher investments in human resources and more funds to manage air pollution.
