3 days ago
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The Greater Visakhapatnam Citizens’ Forum (GVCF) has urged the territory medication to instrumentality a six-point enactment program to code expanding contamination levels successful the city.
The forum said connected Thursday (May 21, 2026) that it had submitted a practice to District Collector M. Abhishikth Kishore recently. In the representation, forum president Sohan Hatangadi, vice-president S. Krishnamurthy and caput Capt. N. Viswanathan mentioned that Visakhapatnam was witnessing rising aerial contamination owed to concern activity, larboard operations, vehicular emissions and operation dust.
Referring to information nether the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), the forum said the metropolis had recorded a 32.9% summation successful PM10 contamination betwixt 2017-18 and 2024-25.
The GVCF outlined six large areas requiring intervention. These see measures to power ember particulate contamination from Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram ports; regularisation of operation particulate done mandatory pollution-monitoring units astatine task sites; and stricter checks connected vehicular emissions, peculiarly from diesel-run buses and trucks.
The forum besides called for the installation of further Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) crossed the metropolis to supply real-time contamination data. It sought mandatory CAAQMS facilities for red-category industries and mineral retention units, on with a publically accessible dashboard displaying contamination levels.
Further, the practice highlighted seawater contamination caused by sewage discharge, garbage dumping and immersion of plaster-of-Paris idols. The forum suggested the operation of artificial ponds for idol immersion and the promotion of clay idols done nationalist consciousness campaigns during festivals.
The GVCF said it was consenting to enactment with the territory medication connected contamination mitigation measures.
