HSPCB study to assess sources of pollution in four cities unlikely to begin this winter

A study to comprehensively assess the sources of air and noise pollution in Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat and Panipat is unlikely to commence this winter, despite

A study to comprehensively assess the sources of air and noise pollution in Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat and Panipat is unlikely to commence this winter, despite being floated by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) a year ago, in November 2019. The HSPCB’s proposal for the study, which is known as a source apportionment study, received only a solitary bid from a Delhi-based research organisation, which officials said was not enough to proceed with the study.

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Jai Bhagwan Sharma, senior scientist, HSPCB, Panchkula, who is overseeing the study, said that while an expression of interest (EOI) for the study was floated in November last year, the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown resulted in a delay. “When we took stock of the bids received, we found that only a single Delhi-based research institute had approached us to conduct the study in all four cities. A committee was then formed to comb through the finer details of the proposal. The committee met on September 28 and it was decided to issue a new EOI, so that we can receive more bids and pick the most viable option,” Sharma said.

Sharma added that the study, which is expected to last at least 18 months from the date of commencement, is unlikely to commence this winter cycle as originally intended. The study is being commissioned by the HSPCB under the aegis of the Centre’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). While such studies have been earlier commissioned by the Delhi government, they have not yet been carried out in the satellite towns of Delhi-NCR. “In Delhi, there are two official studies, which were conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri). We are aiming to engage an institution of similar repute for our subject cities,” said S Narayanan, member secretary, HSPCB.

Officials added that the study is being undertaken pursuant to the ‘Comprehensive Action Plan for Clean Air for Cities of Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonepat and Panipat in Haryana’, which was drafted earlier last year, and is a part of the NCAP. Gurugram and Faridabad were added to the list of initial 102 non-attainment cities covered under the NCAP in July 2019. A non-attainment city is one where the prescribed National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are not followed.

“Since the implementation of same interventions in two cities, having different meteorology, topography and different typology of air polluting sources, is unlikely to give same results, the choice of interventions to control urban air pollution has to be city specific, drawn on the basis of scientific study (sic),” states the EOI issued last November by the HSPCB. The EOI further states, “The aim of the study is to promote and demonstrate a more rational & proactive approach to air quality management in urban areas (sic).” 

The study, officials explained, will be based largely based on 90 days of ambient air quality monitoring conducted over the summer, monsoon and winter, to demonstrate and quantify the seasonal variations in air pollution. The daily sampling times will further be divided into three eight-hour sessions (06.00 hours to 14.00 hours, 14.00 hours to 22.00 hours, and 22.00 hours to 06.00 hours), which will capture the diurnal variations in sources and meteorology of air pollution.

This study will also involve a systematic survey of vehicle population with an emphasis on vehicles older than 20 years. The aim is to find cost-effective solutions to curb their emissions as these represent a major portion of the city’s total vehicular population.

“On completion of data collection, validation and interpretation of the assimilated information, a detailed road map will be drawn considering all possible measures for air quality improvement. These measures will be classified into short and long terms with due priority to low-cost measures that can give maximum benefit,” the HSPCB’s EOI goes on to state.