Panellists at the Talk Show in Kohima on August 29. (DIPR Photo)
Talk show on International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies in Kohima
Our Correspondent
Kohima | August 29
The Nagaland Pollution Control Board (NPCB) hosted a “Talk Show on account of International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, 2025 under the National Clean Air Programme “The Air We Share: Bridging Policy and Public Action” at Capital Convention Centre, Kohima on August 29.
The Talk Show under the theme “The Air we share: Bridging policy with pubic action” aims to bring together key stakeholders- government officials, civil society, activists/social workers and youth to discuss challenges, share best practices and foster collaborative solutions for cleaner air.
NPCB stated that clean air is important for the health and day-to-day lives of people and it is vital to recognizes and acknowledge that improving air quality can enhance climate change mitigation and that climate change mitigation effects can improve air quality.
The International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, designated by the United Nations, highlighting the urgent need to reduce air population and promote sustainable practices for better air quality.
Air pollution is a critical environmental and public health issues, affecting millions of people worldwide, stated NPCB in a pamphlet.
UN Member States recognize the need to substantially reduce the number of environment pollution related deaths and illness by 2023, it stated, adding “The sixth International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies under the broader theme “Racing for Air” emphasizes the need to accelerate solutions and collective action to deliver clean air for all."
‘Kohima does not meet national ambient air quality standards’
Delivering keynote address, Er Aghali A Swu, Senior Environmental Engineer NPCB informed that in commemoration of the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies 2025, a global observers serve as a vital reminder of our shared responsibility to ensure access to clean air, which is a basic human right and an essential component of a healthy and sustainable environment.
She shared that the International Day of Clean Air from Blue Skies is observed annually that has been established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2019 to recognizes the critical importance of clean air for the health and daily lives of all people and also serves as a platform to raise awareness, encourage action and promote international cooperation to combat air pollution.
Highlighting on the theme for 2025 “Racing for Air”, she stated that it is a clarion call for urgency as it emphasizes that clean air is not a luxury but a necessity that every stakeholder be it from the government, corporations to civil society and individuals must join the risk for solution.
She said that Air Pollution is one of the most pressing environmental health risks of our time and the world’s largest environmental killer as its impact go beyond human health and contributed to climate change by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gasses that harms ecosystem, damaging crops, forests and water bodies besides economic productivity, increasing health care costs and reducing workforce efficiency.
Er Swu also highlighted that under the National Air Monitoring Program, the Magog Pollution Control Board has set up four manual air monitoring station and one Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station in Kohima.
She cited that the board monitoring the air quality since 2010 data collected over the years has revealed that Kohima does not meet the national ambient air quality standards and is yet to reach prescribed air quality standards of 60 micrograms per meter cube.
It has placed both Dimapur and Kohima as Non Attendance cities as they failed to meet the prescribed air quality standards for consecutive five years from 2011 to 2015 according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
She mentioned that with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, launching the National Clean Air Program in 2019, various stakeholders are involved to implement the various action plans and act mitigating the air pollution for Dimapur and Kohima cities by implementing various action plans to mitigate the air pollution.
She emphasized that achieving clean air is not solely the responsibility of the stakeholders but a shared responsibility that rests on each one of us that can be attained only through collective action by taking the responsibility of protecting our environment and committed to building a future where blue skies, clean air and healthy lives.
During the Panel Discussion on the theme “The Air We Share: Bridging Policy & Public Action” the panelists for the Talk Show were B.
Henok Buchem, Deputy Commissioner Kohima, Krodi Rhetso, Superintendent of Police Kohima, Hukato K Chishi, IFS, Member Secretary, Nagaland Pollution Control Board, Dr. Kezholenu Sakhrie, MD (Respiratory Medicine) and Aningle, BA 3rd Semester student from Oriental College Kohima.
The talk show was moderated by Rongsenben Longkumer, Junior Scientific Assistant, NPCB. Earlier, introductory session was chaired by Mvudzevi-ii Shuya, scientist ‘B,’ NPCB.
(With inputs form DIPR)
