HSPCB issues order to shut down cement mixing plants in view of deteriorating air quality

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board’s (HSPCB) regional office issued orders on Thursday to shut down all hot mix plants in Gururgam until January 2, in view

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board’s (HSPCB) regional office issued orders on Thursday to shut down all hot mix plants in Gururgam until January 2, in view of the deteriorating air quality across Delhi-NCR. Commonly used in construction work and road laying, hot mix plants (also known as cement mixers or drum mixers) are used to mix construction material, such as concrete, sand, gravel and other aggregates. Following instructions issued a day earlier by the Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB), the HSPCB also called for departments concerned to step up frequency of road-sweeping and water sprinkling at locations that are prone to accumulation of dust.

HT Image

Shakti Singh, the HSPCB’s regional officer and nodal officer for Grap compliance in Gurugram, did not specify where these measures will be stepped up. However, he said, “We will be issuing directions to the MCG, department of town and country planning and so on and asking them to step up dust mitigation measures. We will also ask them to inspect construction sites for any violations of Grap rules.”

Air quality in the city, however, remained in the “very poor” category of the AQI even as other major cities in Delhi-NCR veered into the “severe” category. Gurugram recorded 361 on the CPCB’s daily air quality bulletin, up from 340 the day prior. Meanwhile Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and even Faridabad recorded a second consecutive day of “severe” air on Thursday, prompting the CPCB to issue directives to all major NCR towns.

Experts said that Gurugram’s lower AQI is likely due to favourable wind speed and direction. “Northwesterly winds are blowing at a pace between eight to ten kilometres per hour, which may be causing eastward movement of pollutants away from Gurugram and into the capital city and beyond,” said Sachin Panwar, a city based air quality scientist.

As per the early air quality warning system for Delhi-NCR, “Air quality is likely to remain in very poor category on 25.12.2020 and 26.12.2020. Surface winds are likely to remain light and ventilation will be poor resulting in deterioration in air quality... The predominant surface wind is likely to be coming from Northwest direction of Delhi with wind speed 08-12 kmph, mainly clear sky and moderate to dense fog in the morning on 25.12.2020.”

The city recorded a maximum temperature of 22.3 degrees Celsius on Thursday (same as the previous day), while the minimum temperature stood at 6 degrees Celsius — one degree less than the previous day. As per the IMD’s seven-day forecast for the city, minimum temperature will drop to 4 degrees Celsius by the end of the week, while maximum will drop to 16 degrees Celsius. Generally cloudy skies are expected to prevail, while mornings will be dense with fog.