Ghaziabad, Noida record ‘severe’ air 6th day in a row since Diwali

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar), winds from the northwest have slowed down but are favourable for the transport of stubble-related pollutants towards Delhi

On Tuesday, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida and Noida recorded “severe” Air Quality Index (AQI) readings of 451, 412 and 426, respectively, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Both Ghaziabad and Noida have been recording “severe” air for six days since November 4, the day of the Diwali festival.

A day after the sub-committee’s directives, the UPPCB, on Monday, levied environmental compensation cost (ECC) against the UP Jal Nigam on Monday in connection with the pending construction of the CISF-Road in Indirapuram. (HT Archive)

An AQI reading between 0 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”.

“The wind speed has failed to pick up, which is causing lesser dispersal of pollutants. Further, the northwesterly winds coming from the Rajasthan side are also bringing in dust,” Utsav Sharma, the regional officer of Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), said.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar), winds from the northwest have slowed down but are favourable for the transport of stubble-related pollutants towards Delhi.

“Today’s share of crop residue burning is 27% in PM2.5 [which is the primary pollutant in this region]. AQI is likely to improve further but remain in ‘very poor’ category due to partially cloudy conditions and shallow mixing layer height,” the Safar forecast said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, on Monday, a sub-committee of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the NCR and adjoining areas issued an order to implement steps to combat “severe” air pollution in the region. The steps include an increase in the frequency of road sweeping and identification of road patches with high dust-generation; closure of all brick kilns, hot-mix plants and stone crushers in Delhi-NCR. It also gave directions to intensify public transport services, while introducing differential rates (different rates for the same service) to encourage travel during non-peak times.

A day after the sub-committee’s directives, the UPPCB, on Monday, levied environmental compensation cost (ECC) against the UP Jal Nigam on Monday in connection with the pending construction of the CISF-Road in Indirapuram.

According to officials of the UPPCB, one side of the CISF-Road was dug up a year ago for laying pipes and the work was completed in January but the road restoration work is still pending and the billowing dust is causing major pollution in the area.

“It is turning out to be a major source of air pollution. After several communications, the UP Jal Nigam failed to take corrective action and we decided to levy the ECC. The related documents have been sent to the district administration,” said Sharma.

“We also found that water has not been sprinkled on the non-metalled road and a thick layer of dust has also accumulated on trees and green vegetation; besides, the construction work has not started yet,” he added.

Officials of the UP Jal Nigam said that they made it clear to the contractor that any cost levied will have to be borne by the contractor.

“The contractor started the work on the road before Diwali, but there were heavy spells of rain on different occasions. This hampered the construction work. The UP government has given a deadline for completing the road works by November 15 and we are expecting that the top layer of the road will be completed by the date. Water sprinkling is being done at the site,” said Sarvesh Kumar, chief engineer of UP Jal Nigam.

“In another instance, we recommended levying of a total ₹25 lakh ECC against several (about 7-8 units) industrial units in Bulandshahr Road Industrial Area. There, a patch of green belt is filled with solid waste and industrial waste, which is suspected to be generated by the units in question,” Sharma said.