E-Paper
Emission inventory to be prepared for four NCR cities of Haryana
Gurugram The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) will, for the first time, carry out source apportionment studies for four NCR cities in the state — Gurugram,
Gurugram The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) will, for the first time, carry out source apportionment studies for four NCR cities in the state — Gurugram, Faridabad, Panipat and Sonepat. The studies will result in an ‘emission inventory’ for each city, detailing the various sources of air pollution and their individual emission shares.
While such studies have been commissioned by the government in Delhi, they have not yet been carried out in its satellite towns. “In Delhi, there are two official studies, which were done by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri). We are trying to engage a similar institution of repute for our subject cities,” said S Narayanan, member secretary, Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB)
He added that the study will be conducted over the course of one year with an additional window for drafting the report. It will take at least 18 months, from the date that the study begins, before the results can be published.
The HSPCB on November 6 floated an expression of interest (EoI) for carrying out the studies, a copy of which is with HT. The aim of the study, it states, is “to promote and demonstrate a more rational & proactive approach to air quality management in urban areas.”
HSPCB officials explained that since air quality in urban centres, such as Gurugram, is affected by a variety of complex factors and sources, a detailed study is required to quantify the impact of each. “An emission inventory will give us a granular view of the quantum of emissions coming from industries, vehicles, construction, road dust and so on,” said Rajesh Garhia, senior scientist at HSPCB.
HSPCB officials also added that the study is being undertaken pursuant to the ‘Comprehensive Action Plan for Clean Air for Cities of Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonepat and Panipat in Haryana’, which was drafted earlier this year. “Since implementation of same interventions in two cities, having different meteorology, topography and different typology of air polluting sources, is unlikely to give same results, the choice of interventions to control urban air pollution has to be city specific, drawn on the basis of scientific study (sic),” the EoI states.
“Gurugram and Faridabad are also two cities where we are proactively trying to abide by measures listed in the Centre’s National Clean Air Program,” Narayanan said.
Therefore, in addition to the source apportionment study, Gurugram and Faridabad will simultaneously conduct a noise monitoring survey as well, which is mandated under the NCAP. A separate EoI for this component (a copy of which is with HT) was also floated on November 6. Earlier this year, in July, Gurugram and Faridabad were added to the list of initial 102 non-attainment cities covered under the NCAP.
Once the study has been completed, “a detailed road map will be drawn considering all possible measures for air quality improvement. These measures will be classified into short and long term with due priority to low cost measures that give maximum benefits,” the EoI states, addressing the intended use of the study.
These long-term and short-term strategies have already been drafted in the individual air quality action plans for each city and can be tweaked based on the emission inventory, officials explained.
