Abstract:

In recent years there have been a number of interventions for AQM in South Asian cities which have led to improvements in ambient air quality. However, in most cases these interventions have been decided upon without going through a step-by-step scientific approach as propagated in text books on AQM. The process of decision-making has often been driven by civil society and / or judiciary, where decisions have been based on secondary and often partial information, rather than primary data subjected to a thorough scientific assessment. In many of the cases where primary data has been used for decision making, the data quality has been questionable. Yet, decisions have had to be made on account of the enormous health burden of poor air quality on society. This presentation discusses the challenges of reconciling theory and practice in decision-making for AQM by using examples from the region, and presents some lessons from the experiences.

Presentation: http://www.cleanairnet.org/baq2006/1757/docs/SW3_3.ppt