Breather for Ghaziabad industrial units as panel relaxes clean fuel regulations

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has allowed the use of certain types of fossil fuel in specific industrial units

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has allowed the use of certain types of fossil fuel in specific industrial units. Apart from these, all other air polluting units need to switch to PNG, or biomass fuel by September 30. The directives apply to the National Capital Region, and the state of Uttar Pradesh.

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Officials of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) said that the CAQM has relaxed conditions of its previous directives issued in February.

The CAQM earlier said that industrial units in NCR will have to completely switch over to PNG or biomass fuel by September 30 in areas where PNG supply/infrastructure is available.

For other areas not having PNG supply/infrastructure, the commission fixed the deadline to be December 31. It also noted that failing to comply with the order will lead to closure of the units.

“The directions were issued (on June 2) to abate pollution and to check industrial emission. In Ghaziabad, we have about 450 air polluting units. Some of these, involved in metal heating, smelting and refining purposes, will be allowed to use metallurgical coke and a family of low-sulphur heavy-stock fuel. The usage is based on certain standards. The rest of the units will have to convert by September 30 and December 31, respectively,” said Utsav Sharma, regional officer of UPPCB.

“The relaxations with stricter emission norms have been issued after the industrial area associations submitted their representations before the commission. They contended that certain processes in specific units need high temperature fuel,” Sharma added.

“At least four industrial area associations in Ghaziabad, along with others from Faridabad submitted representations. Metallurgical coke has high calorific value and very low emission. This fuel can produce the required heat for our processes while others have low calorific value. The other units can now switch over to a family of low sulphur heavy stock fuel,” said Rajiv Arora, general secretary of Bulandshahr Road Industrial Area.

“Many of the units are still apprehensive of shifting to biomass fuel with respect to supply and availability. The shift requires heavy capital expenditure and needs to be done in a phase wise manner. Further, competitiveness and usage of fuel should be standardised for units in NCR and outside,” Arora added.

Ghaziabad city is already listed among 16 non-attainment areas in UP, which suffer from high levels of pollution.

It was ranked as the second-most polluted city after Bhiwadi in Rajasthan in April. The World Air Quality Report-2021, an annual exercise undertaken by Switzerland-based organisation IQAir, surveyed 6,475 cities across the world.