Air Pollution
Delhi Air Quality Improves To ‘Poor’, CPCB Directs Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, To Submit ‘Action Taken’ Report
Central Pollution Control Board has asked for a report of the actions taken by Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to prevent illegal dumping and burning of construction, demolition and municipal solid waste
New Delhi: Delhi recorded ‘poor’ air quality on Monday with high wind speed expected to keep the pollution level in check as the CPCB directed the pollution control boards of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to submit an action taken report on the steps taken against violation of norms. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the overall air quality index (AQI) in the city was 242 on Tuesday.
An AQI between 100 and 200 comes under the ‘moderate’ category, 201 and 300 is considered ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, while that between 401 and 500 ‘severe’. In a notice issued on Monday, the CPCB asked Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) to apprise it of the action taken to prevent illegal dumping and burning of construction and demolition waste and municipal solid waste.
It has also directed the state boards to apprise it of action taken against operation of illegal industries. The CPCB also asked the states’ pollution boards to apprise it of penalty levied and prosecution filed in court for violations related to construction and demolition activities, pollution control regulations in industries and use of DG (diesel generator) sets, among others.
The DPCC, the HSPCB and the UPPCB have been directed to submit the report for the month of December within a week.
CPCB chairperson S P S Parihar said,
The report shall be followed by submission of a bi-weekly action taken report every Tuesday and Friday to the CPCB.
The city’s air quality was severe till Sunday but with improved wind speed of 20 km/hr, it improved significantly and was recorded in the ‘poor’ category, authorities said. As many as 26 areas recorded ‘poor’ air quality while it was ‘moderate’ in five, the CPCB said.
In the National Capital Region (NCR), Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida recorded ‘poor’ air quality, it said. The overall PM2.5 level, fine particulate matter in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, in Delhi was at 115, while the PM10 level was at 201, it said. The Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) said the overall air quality index over Delhi is “poor”. It said,
The SAFAR forecast is suggestive of a marginal increase (in pollution) for the next two days but the level will remain in ‘poor’ to lower side of ‘very poor’ category.
The pollution level is expected to increase slowly. The surface wind speed is still high but may decline from Wednesday, the SAFAR said. It further added,
Humidity is also high but without any appreciable change in temperature, and hence working adversely, it still cannot marginalise the positive impact of wind speed in dispersing pollutants.
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.