Construction, open burning of waste worsened Oct air: CPCB

Waste burning, construction and demolition activities, and open dumping of waste were major sources of pollution in Gurugram last month, according to a report by

Waste burning, construction and demolition activities, and open dumping of waste were major sources of pollution in Gurugram last month, according to a report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The report identified a total of 1,452 polluting activities in the national capital region (NCR) between October 7 and October 27.

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Of these, 446 instances were of construction or demolition work, 355 of open waste dumping, 196 of unpaved roads and pits, while 133 incidents of high road dust emissions were observed. Garbage burning and traffic congestion were the least observed contributors, with 108 and 76 instances of each observed, respectively. A copy of the report is available on the CPCB’s website.

Of the total instances of polluting construction work, 10.5% were reported from Gurugram, whereas Noida reported 11.4%. Ghaziabad was at 7.8% and Faridabad at 12.8%. The remaining violations were from neighbouring Delhi and other NCR towns. In terms of open waste dumping, 6.5% of all observed violations were reported from Gurugram, while Noida reported 9.9% and Faridabad 9.3%.

Gurugram saw lesser C&D and waste dumping violations than other major NCR towns, in addition to the fact that no violations of traffic congestion, road dust and unpaved roads were reported from the city. However, Gurugram had the highest number of waste burning incidents across the NCR, accounting for almost 16% of the total 108 violations observed. Faridabad reported 10% of waste burning violations and Noida 12%, while the rest came from Delhi and other NCR towns.

Kuldeep Singh, the HSPCB’s regional officer in Haryana, attributed Gurugram’s performance to local authorities’ dedicated efforts at implementing the Grap. “We have been coordinating with everyone from the district administration to the GMDA, town and country planning department, MCG and the police department when it comes to preventing polluting activities. Certain areas like waste burning might require additional efforts, which will be made.”

Residents, however, disagree with the report. “Even in terms of road dust, there are stretches along the upcoming Dwarka Expressway which are choked by emissions from unpaved streets,” said Satyender Vatsa, a resident of Sector 80. Others said that construction work too has been continuing unabated despite the ongoing ban imposed by the Environmental Pollution Control Authority. “There is a condominium coming up just across the street from our apartment complex where work has been going on round the clock, even at night,” said Ankur Mehra, a resident of Sector 66.

Experts also criticised the report for not detailing the violations in actual numbers. “A total of 1,452 violations across the NCR seems quite measly given the conspicuous presence of all these types of violations in every city. Though it isn’t possible to record every polluting activity, 1452 violations seem like their scale is being misrepresented,” said Sachin Panwar, a city-based air quality scientist.