Grap measures in Ghaziabad from Oct 15: UP pollution body

Officials of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) on Tuesday said that they will implement the measures listed for areas with ‘very poor’ air quality from October 15, even though most of the district is reporting ‘poor’ air for now

Officials of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) on Tuesday said that they will implement Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) measures listed for areas with ‘very poor’ air quality from October 15, even though most of the district is reporting ‘poor’ air for now.

The decision was taken during a video conference meeting conducted by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the national capital region (NCR) and adjoining areas. (Sakib Ali/HT)

The decision was taken during a video conference meeting conducted by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the national capital region (NCR) and adjoining areas.

An air quality index (AQI) reading between 101 and 200 is considered moderate, between 201 and 300 is considered poor, between 301 and 400 is considered very poor, and above 400 is considered severe. On Tuesday, Ghaziabad recorded an AQI reading of 190 in the ‘moderate’ category against 225 in the ‘poor’ category a day earlier.

UPPCB officials said that the implementation of Grap in the district will include different measures, except for the ban on diesel generator (DG) sets.

“During the meeting, senior members of the commission said that different measures will be implemented to improve the air quality in the district. The air quality in the city is in the ‘poor’ category now, but we will implement measures listed under the ‘very poor’ category from October 15, except for the ban on DG sets,” said Utsav Sharma, regional officer of UPPCB.

In 2016, the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority had conducted meetings with state government representatives and experts, and came up with a plan that listed different measures to be taken when air quality deteriorated. “The measures will include periodic mechanised road sweeping, prevention of burning of garbage at landfill sites, implementation of dust control measures, ensuring smooth flow of traffic, strict vigilance and enforcement of Pollution Under Control (PUC) norms, strict enforcement of the Supreme Court orders regarding ban on firecrackers. The commission will meet every Friday to assess and monitor the process,” Sharma added.

At present, Ghaziabad has four continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations at Indirapuram, Loni, Sanjay Nagar, and Vasundhara. “The primary pollutant at the three stations, except for the one at Loni, has PM10 as primary pollutant, and the one at Loni has several hours when the primary pollutant is PM2.5. So, dust control measures need to be enforced strictly. The municipal corporation of Ghaziabad has been asked to provide us the roster of mechanised road sweeping activities which details the route, timings, and information of drivers as well. We will keep a strict check on road sweeping and also burning incidents of garbage or crop residues,” Sharma said.

According to government data, Ghaziabad is listed among the 16 non-attainment cities in Uttar Pradesh with high levels of air pollution. Cities are declared non-attainment if, over a five-year period, they consistently do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter (PM10) or nitrogen dioxide (NO2). “The implementation of Grap should be strictly monitored and enforced to have a positive outcome. At present, the city has bad road patches and potholes on roads which are yet to be repaired after the monsoon. So, the task would be challenging for different agencies. Further, the Winter Action Plan should be strictly enforced, otherwise, the pollution level will soar again, just like the previous years,” said Akash Vashishtha, a city-based environmentalist and a lawyer.

The UPPCB on October 5, 2021, chalked out a Winter Action Plan under which at least 18 different departments have been tasked to take up slew of measures to help keep the air pollution in check.