Air quality ‘severe’ in Noida and Ghaziabad, Grap task force suggests 30% reduction in vehicle usage

Ghaziabad: The blanket of smog which has engulfed the National Capital Region (NCR) had its full-blown impact over the three cities of Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater

Ghaziabad: The blanket of smog which has engulfed the National Capital Region (NCR) had its full-blown impact over the three cities of Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida as the air quality plunged into the higher end of the “severe” category for the first time this season

Due to the alarming situation, the task force of the graded response action plan (Grap) on Thursday held a meeting with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) officials and suggested that government and private offices and other establishments should reduce vehicle usage by at least 30% by adopting measures such as working from home, car-pooling and optimising their field activities, etc.

The Air Quality Index (AQI), as per data by the CPCB, was at 464, 457 and 450, for Ghaziabad, Greater Noida and Noida, respectively. The three cities have a total of ten online ambient air quality monitoring stations.

The last time this year when the AQI of all three cities had plunged to the “severe” category was on January 1, with Ghaziabad, Greater Noida and Noida at 412, 420 and 438, respectively, on the scale.

Experts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), meanwhile, said that imminent meteorological conditions are likely to adversely affect the air quality till Diwali next week.

“The north-westerly winds which are persisting at present have a low speed of about six-eight kilometres per hour. They are coming from Haryana and Punjab and also bringing along the effects of stubble-burning, besides local pollutants, aiding pollution. So, pollutants have got trapped but dispersal is slow. This wind pattern is likely to continue (for some days) and easterly winds will arrive around 11-12 November,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, New Delhi.

He cautioned, however, that a change in pollution conditions will not be immediately visible after change in wind direction.

“This will further impact air quality as change in wind leads to a transition period of about one-two days, during which wind speed remains stagnant. So, the transition period will be around Diwali. Further, bursting of crackers, etc., will further deteriorate air quality. Considering the forthcoming conditions, there is not much likelihood of better air quality in coming days,” he added.

According to CPCB’s records, last year the three cities had reached the “severe” category for the first time on October 29, while Diwali was on October 27. Back then, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida and Noida had recorded AQI values at 446, 428 and 439, respectively.

Similarly, on November 1, 2019, the three cities had recorded their highest spikes of air pollution of the year under “severe” category, with AQI levels at 496, 496 and 499, respectively. This is the highest AQI figure for the three cities in 2018, 2019, as well as this year up to November 5.

“During the task force meeting, IMD officials said that the scenario might be attributed to a sudden calming of winds which could not be captured by the IMD model. So, sudden changes in meteorological conditions have led to this scenario. Since Thursday afternoon, pollution levels recorded by monitoring stations have shown a declining trend. All our local enforcement efforts are already underway,” said Praveen Kumar, regional officer of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) at Noida.

Environmentalists, on the other hand, called for a comprehensive expert study to inquire about changes in pollution patterns in the NCR.

“The study should take into account factors such as meteorology, climate, infrastructure, emissions, forestation/deforestation, etc., for the entire NCR to find out factors affecting air quality,” said Akash Vashishtha, a city-based environmentalist.

The officials of the UPPCB’s Ghaziabad wing added that a number of teams on Wednesday and Thursday were sent out for inspections at construction sites and places where traders store construction material in open.

“A report by the teams has been sent to respective sub divisional magistrates for further action. In connection with a garbage burning incident at Raj Nagar Extension, we have recommended a penalty of Rs 25 lakh. Further, during a review meeting with CPCB on Thursday evening, senior officials appreciated our efforts and asked us to take more measures to control issues of open dumping of garbage and construction & demolition waste besides unpaved roads,” said Utsav Sharma, regional officer of the UPPCB.