Amid poor air quality, Gr Noida steps up dust suppression

GREATER NOIDA: With air quality remaining in the “poor” category till Thursday afternoon, the Greater Noida authority has stepped up monitoring of construction dust, road cleanliness and garbage burning across the city

GREATER NOIDA: With air quality remaining in the “poor” category till Thursday afternoon, the Greater Noida authority has stepped up monitoring of construction dust, road cleanliness and garbage burning across the city.

Authority officials said residents are being urged to report garbage burning, as the poor air quality can aggravate respiratory conditions and cause breathing discomfort. (HT Archive)

The city-level Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 212 at 2pm on Thursday. It was record at 220 on Wednesday and 82 on Tuesday, according to Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board app.

The latest reading comes as the authority has deployed anti-smog guns at construction sites and other public locations. The authority is using mechanical sweepers to clean roads while deploying field teams for areas where dust and waste-management violations are reported.

On Wednesday, Vijay Rawal, deputy general manager (projects) at Greater Noida authority, said 216 anti-smog guns were installed at construction sites, with eight more being used at public locations. .

Authority officials said residents are being urged to report garbage burning, as the poor air quality can aggravate respiratory conditions and cause breathing discomfort, particularly among vulnerable people.

“Dust suppression, timely waste removal and preventing open burning are among the local measures that can help limit avoidable pollution, although they do not address every source of poor air quality,” an official said.

According to Greater Noida authority, pollution-control work is continuing under the prevailing Graded Response Action Plan (Grap Stage I) requirements, notified by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on October 21, after Delhi’s AQI reached “poor” (AQI of 201-300) category. The Stage I of Grap focuses on cutting pollution at its source, especially from dust, vehicles, and industrial emissions.