National capital's busy traffic intersection ITO and the historic Chandni Chowk have air pollutants higher than standards, Minister of State for Forest and Environment Namo Narain Meena said on Friday.
"Levels of nitrogen dioxide were observed to be within the ambient air quality standards at all monitoring stations excepting ITO and Town Hall (Chandni Chowk)," he said replying to supplementaries in Rajya Sabha.
The higher concentration of nitrogen dioxide at ITO and Chandni Chowk could be attributed to high traffic density at the monitoring points, the Minister said.
Ambient air quality monitoring is carried out at Siri Fort, ITO, Delhi College of Engineering, Town Hall (Chandni Chowk), Mayapuri Industrial Area and Sarojini Nagar.
"The levels of Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) are observed to be generally exceeding the national ambient air quality standards at all locations," Meena said.
The main sources of air pollution in Delhi, he said, were vehicular exhaust emissions, industrial activities including power plants, re-suspension of dust, operations of diesel generator sets and burning of fuel for domestic purposes.
"A study has been initiated for Delhi to ascertain contributions to RSPM from various sources," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"A study has been initiated for Delhi to ascertain contributions to RSPM from various sources," he said.
{{/usCountry}}Steps taken to control air pollution include enforcement of stricter auto exhaust standards for new vehicles at the manufacturing stage, use of improved fuel quality, stringent diesel generator set emission norms, promoting gas based power plants and cleaner technologies.