IQAir report: Avg PM2.5 levels drop in GB Nagar, Dadri 40th most polluted city

According to the report, the PM2.5 level of Greater Noida was 87.5 μg/m3 in 2021 and 89.5 μg/m3 in 2020, which reduced to 83.2 μg/m3 in 2022

The World Air Quality Report, prepared by Swiss firm IQAir, has said that the annual average PM2.5 levels in Noida as well as Greater Noida have reduced in 2022 when compared to years prior to that.

Garbage burning in Noida. It is one of the leading causes of increased pollution in the National Capital Region. (HT Archive)

In the 2022 report, which was released on Tuesday, Noida was ranked 21st most polluted city in the world while Greater Noida was judged 17th most polluted. Dadri, in Greater Noida, has also been added to the list this year and is ranked at 40.

In 2021, Noida was ranked sixth most polluted city while Greater Noida stood at 12 in the list of cities in the Central and South Asia region.

According to the report, the PM2.5 level of Greater Noida was 87.5 μg/m3 in 2021 and 89.5 μg/m3 in 2020, which reduced to 83.2 μg/m3 in 2022.

Similarly, the average PM2.5 in Noida reduced from 91.4 μg/m3 in 2021 and 94.3 μg/m3 in 2020 to 78.7 μg/m3 in 2022.

Dadri did not figure in the list of most polluted cities until 2021 when it had an annual average PM2.5 value of 46.8 μg/m3. This year, however, it is ranked as the 40th most polluted city with a PM2.5 reading of 69.3 μg/m3.

Dadri is one of the three tehsils of Gautam Budh Nagar district that does not come under the Noida or Greater Noida authority and is instead governed by a municipal body.

Interestingly, officials say Dadri does not have any permanent air quality monitoring station or device of any government or private body.

“We cannot comment on the analysis of the data in Dadri as it is not based on any of our monitoring devices. In fact, we don’t even know the source as Dadri does not even have a monitoring station. We will have to go through the report and speak to experts,” said Praveen Kumar, regional officer of Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), Noida.

Incidentally, in its district environmental committee meeting held Wednesday, newly appointed district magistrate Manish Verma singled out the below par waste management and the poor condition of roads in Dadri.

“We noticed that solid waste management and processing of C&D (construction and demolition) waste are two areas that need urgent attention in Dadri. Bad road conditions and construction waste lying around are major reasons for dust pollution and deteriorating air quality. Noida has a good solid waste as well as C&D waste processing plan. We have discussed and asked Dadri to prepare a plan of action at the earliest,” said Verma.

Officials said the improvement in air quality in Noida and Greater Noida areas may be because of higher penalties and more enforcement over the past year.

“The enforcement has been made much stricter in the last year. In 2022, we imposed penalties amounting to ₹45 lakh in Greater Noida, and penalties amounting to ₹1.6 crore in Noida in just the past four months. Such fines are a deterrent and even construction sites are falling in line,” said Radhe Shyam, regional officer of UPPCB, Greater Noida.