Ghaziabad municipal corporation readies equipment to tackle air pollution in city

Ghaziabad is listed among 16 “non-attainment” cities in Uttar Pradesh with high levels of pollutants in the air. A city is declared to be “non-attainment” if it consistently does not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter (PM10) or nitrogen dioxide (NO2) over a period of five years

Ghaziabad, which is listed among 16 “non-attainment” cities in Uttar Pradesh with high levels of pollutants in the air -- will get several equipment in a fortnight to tackle air pollution in the city, officials said on Friday.

The Ghaziabad municipal corporation will make the equipment operational around Deepawali in November this year. (Sakib Ali/HT)

The Ghaziabad municipal corporation (GMC) is set to purchase and fit five road sweeping machines, three static anti-smog guns, and five sprinkler vehicles with mounted anti-smog guns at the hotspots identified in the city, and make those operational around Deepawali in November this year.

The civic body has got only one anti-smog gun in its inventory, as the officials target a total of eight such systems to tackle air pollution in the city. “We are in the process of purchasing three static anti-smog guns, and have bought five sprinkler vehicles, which will be mounted with the anti-smog guns... Our tally of anti-smog guns will be nine altogether. These anti-smog guns will be deployed at the hotspots identified in the city. The request for the proposal is getting finalised, and it is likely that the purchases will be made within a fortnight,” said Pramod Kumar, additional municipal commissioner of GMC.

The GMC also has three mechanical road sweeping machines which cover about 197 kilometres of a road distance -- both sides -- at different locations in the city. “We are in the process of purchasing five new road sweeping machines which will help us cover major road stretches in a better manner. These machines will be deployed at 36 different locations, according to the need. We have decided on a roster of water sprinkling at 34 locations where the dust pollution is high,” Kumar added.

A city is declared to be “non-attainment” if it consistently does not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter (PM10) or nitrogen dioxide (NO2) over a period of five years. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the air quality index in Ghaziabad was recorded at 194 -- under the ‘moderate’ category -- on Friday.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe.”

Meanwhile, officials of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) said that the issue of road dust, mechanised road sweeping, and water sprinkling were also discussed at a meeting held by the Ghaziabad environment committee at the district headquarters on Friday. “With the induction of these new equipment, we hope that the air pollution levels in the city will be in check to an extent... We have also asked different departments concerned to repair roads and make those potholes-free by October 30, 2021, a deadline also given by the state officials... About the under-construction Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Road for which the work has been pending for about a year now, we have planned to initiate prosecution proceedings against the contractor,” said Utsav Sharma, regional officer of UPPCB.

Under its ‘winter action plan,’ the UPPCB officials have identified 10 hotspots -- Sahibabad, Kaushambi, Raj Nagar Extension, Delhi Meerut Road, Loni, Bhopura-Delhi border, South Side GT Road, Sanjay Nagar, Vasundhara, and Siddharth Vihar -- in the city.