Smoggy Delhi struggles to shrug off toxic pollutants

Though the air quality index (AQI) value on the Central Pollution Control Board’s index slightly improved to 276 on Wednesday from 300 on Tuesday, the average PM 2.5 (ultrafine particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micrometres) measurement in Delhi was 115ug/m3 and PM 10 (particulate matter with diameter less than 10 micrometres) levels were at 207ug/m3.

Delhi’s air quality improved a notch on Wednesday compared to the previous day but the harmful particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) levels remained well above the safe limits as the city witnessed yet another hazy day.

The Union ministry of environment on Wednesday said 50 teams of Central Pollution Control Board will be deployed from Thursday to maintain a strict vigil against pollution in Delhi-NCR. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

Though the air quality index (AQI) value on the Central Pollution Control Board’s index slightly improved to 276 on Wednesday from 300 on Tuesday, the average PM 2.5 (ultrafine particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micrometres) measurement in Delhi was 115ug/m3 and PM 10 (particulate matter with diameter less than 10 micrometres) levels were at 207ug/m3.

The standard safety limit for the two are 60 ug/m3 and 100 ug/mg3, respectively.

Scientists at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed the slight improvement in the air quality to better wind speed in the evening which kept the air quality from deteriorating further.

Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre, said winds were calm during the day, which caused an accumulation of pollutants. By evening, wind speed picked up.

“Till 11am (on Wednesday), we recorded calm winds but by 2pm wind speeds reached almost 8kmph,” he said.

“Delhi also received easterly winds in the evening, which means the impact of stubble burning from Delhi’s north-western side, in Punjab and Haryana, remained minimal,” Srivastava said.

Srivastava, however, said the wind speed will be negligible again through Wednesday night, which means that the air quality is likely to remain in the same range on Thursday.

The ministry of earth sciences’ air quality monitoring centre, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar) recordings showed that on Tuesday, 357 farm fires were seen over Punjab and Haryana.

“Stubble burning fires observed yesterday (Tuesday) around Haryana, Punjab, and neighbouring border regions with Safar synergised fire count estimated as 357, but the transport wind direction is not favourable and hence only minimal stubble contribution in PM2.5 is expected in Delhi,” the Safar air quality summary read on Wednesday.

AAP blames Haryana

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday accused the Haryana government of not complying with the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority’s (Epca) ban on the use of diesel generator sets in the national capital region (NCR) from October 15.

The ban will be enforced under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), the winter phase of which will come into force from Wednesday.

“The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Haryana is hell-bent on polluting the air that residents of Delhi breathe. The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order regarding retrofitting gensets is being openly disregarded by the Haryana government. Year after year, the Haryana government is making excuses to disregard Epca’s directions and refuses to ban gensets,” AAP’s national spokesperson of Raghav Chadha said at a press meet.

He said, “The Haryana government’s contempt for the health of Delhi residents and the Epca should be dealt with an iron fist and strong action should be taken against them. Why should Delhi pay for the Haryana government’s negligence? This can’t be excused.”

On October 8, Epca had told the Haryana government that the graded action response plan, which prohibits the use of diesel generator sets, will be applicable from October 15.

The Haryana government had on Monday written to Epca, saying Gurgaon and Faridabad would face a power crisis if diesel generator sets are banned.

The Epca so far has refused to step back on the issue and asserted that the action plan – aimed at preventing winter pollution in Delhi-NCR – will come into force.

Vipul Goel, former cabinet minister in the Haryana government, who held the environment portfolio from 2014 to 2019, responded, “Firstly, all heavy-duty gensets above 1000KvA are already fitted with emission-control equipment at the time of manufacture. If you want to blame smaller gensets, then Delhi should fix the issue within its boundaries instead of blaming us. Gurugram and Faridabad don’t use half the number of small generators that Delhi does in its markets and residential colonies.”

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee banned the use of diesel gensets in the Capital on Wednesday.

CPCB teams to maintain vigil

The Union ministry of environment on Wednesday said 50 teams of Central Pollution Control Board will be deployed from Thursday to maintain a strict vigil against pollution in Delhi-NCR. The ministry said the teams will focus on hot spots in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and other NCR districts in Haryana and Rajasthan.

“Strict vigil will be maintained against polluting activities in the upcoming winter season. On-spot reporting of major air polluting sources such as major construction activities without proper control measures, dumping of garbage and construction waste alongside the roads and on open plots, unpaved roads, open burning of garbage/industrial waste, etc. will be done using SAMEER App,” the ministry said.

It said that a central control room at the CPCB headquarters has been made functional for keeping track of pollution levels on an hourly basis and ensuring coordination with state pollution control agencies.

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday said strict action is being taken against those flouting dust control norms, be it the Delhi government’s Public Works Department or municipal corporations.

The minister said the issue of pollution is related to people’s health and all agencies are equally responsible for its prevention and control. “It doesn’t matter which agency it is ... be it PWD or MCDs, all have to take measures to prevent dust pollution. Strict action is being taken against those not following the government’s directions,” he told reporters during an inspection of the Chandni Chowk Redevelopment Project site.